Mayonnaise is a main part of many lunches: tuna salad, salad dressings, turkey sandwiches and more. British food writer Elizabeth David called mayonnaise "the beautiful shining golden ointment."
While I've made mayonnaise a few times, I'll admit that for a potato salad or a smear on a sandwich, I've relied on Hellmann's mayonnaise, know as Best Foods in the West.
A few months ago, though, I opened a new jar of Hellmann's, stuck my finger into the bit of mayo clinging to the lid and took a taste. Yuck, the familiar flavor was gone. This Hellmann's tasted sweeter with a chemically tangy aftertaste just like dreaded Miracle Whip.
I found many recent complaints about Hellmann's, but they were about a recent price increase coupled with a product size decrease, not a change in flavor. Isn't it frustrating that more people comment on the change in price than the change in flavor?
I emailed Hellmann's, owned by Unilever, to find out more. "Yes, we have changed the formula of Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise," they said.
That sent me right into the kitchen. Without my reliable Hellmann's, I'm working on mastering my own mayonnaise. Sara Kate suggested I start with this basic mayonnaise recipe from The French Culinary Institute.
Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
pinch salt
pinch freshly ground white pepper
2 cups olive oil
All ingredients need to be at room temperature, or else the sauce will break down. Combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl and stir with a whisk. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking. Whisk increasingly faster until it takes the thick consistency of mayonnaise.
I've been practicing making mayonnaise, a lesson in whisking and patience. I cheated a few times and used the food processor, even though Elizabeth David warns against that. So far my mayonnaise isn't quite right, not as thick as what eGullet has made. I'm also shopping for better quality vinegar and experimenting with blends of olive and canola oil to improve the flavor. Any advice for a guy recovering from Hellmann's?
[photo: Mouseprint.org]
I want to try making my own mayonnaise too! But my question is, do you have to whisk by hand, breaking your arm in the process? or can you use the stand mixer with the whip attachment?
Aw, c'mon, Miracle Whip is an entirely different food product! That's why they can't call it mayonnaise. For those of us of a certain age, it's the "mayo" we grew up with. Sad, but true!
I use a fresh mayonaise imported from France, can't remember name off-hand, but available in many places in NYC (Zabar's, Fairway, Gourmet Garage that I know of . . .) -- pricey, and you have to use it up within 30 days of opening, but it's so good you could just eat it all up with a spoon. Bottled mayo just doesn't cut it after this.
Julia Child always encouraged homemade mayo -- perhaps her recipe is worth trying?
Has anyone tried the Japanese mayo sold in squeeze bottles? Japan has the highest per capita consumption of mayo in the world, oddly enough.
lydia--I too grew up with Miracle Whip and was amazed when I finally had real mayo. Miracle Whip is more akin to the strange British product called "salad cream".
Mid-C Frank--I've never actually tried the Japanese mayo, but friends who have lived in Japan tell me it's a completely different take on the condiment. Great, but not like regular mayo.
The Japanese mayo (a.k.a. kewpie mayo) is distinctly different from regular mayo. I can't quite describe the difference but I suppose what comes closest is that it's somewhat a cross between a salad cream and a mayonnaise; it's smoother and less "whipped" than Hellman's. I personally really enjoy using it for particular things like tea sandwiches and as a dressing for shredded cabbage (not quite coleslaw - a standard japanese side dish for deep fried pork cutlets). Kewpie mayonnaise is used as a condiment for all sorts of dishes in Japan - a favorite way to "dress" a side dish of raw vegetable - tomatoes, cabbage, cucumber, whatever.
I'd recommend trying out a small bottle...just taste it first before pairing it with your usual sandwich.
Duke's Mayo beats Hellman's hands-down, any day, if you're looking for home-made taste without the effort. I live in the mayo loving south, and my entire family swears by Duke's. I'm not sure if you can get it in NYC; I know I couldn't find it when I lived in Chicago, but if you can get your hands on some it's worth it.
I use Julia Child's blender recipe for mayo (you leave in the eggwhite, instead of using just yolks). It takes about 5 minutes to make, and lasts a nice long time in the fridge.
regards,
trillium
Regarding Kewpie mayo: I believe its distinct flavor and appeal (its "umami") come from MSG (there's a great article in Slate about MSG and umami: http://www.slate.com/id/2140999/?nav/navoa/).
While the chemical components of mayo in a jar have long freaked me out, I can't say I'm quite ready to bust out the whisk every time I have a hankering for tuna salad. So, itt's fun to experiment with substitutes, like mustard, in dishes like tuna salad. Tasty, arguably better for you, and a bit quicker than whipping up your own mayonnaise.
Does it disturb anyone else that the Unilever rep refers to a mayonaise "formula" rather than a recipe?
Yeah, make it in the blender. easy peasy. I hate mayo (and I'm the least picky eater I know, but homemade with garlic? yum.
I know what you mean -- I used to love Kraft's Mayo, but the flavor changed suddenly about 10 years ago.
this is horrible! it shows how dependent we are on some companies, though. I wonder if this is some sort of marketing ploy, ala "new coke". maybe it's finally time to switch to tofu mayonaisse. (I'm not vegan, but try to eat less and less animal products...)
You can purchase Duke's mayo on line from the Lee Bros. at www.boiledpeanuts.com. It's worth every penny!
My wife started buying me Low Fat or Reduced Fat mayo since she doesn't eat it.
Yuck!
Alton brown has a good mayo recipe, and I can attest thtat the instructions for using the food processor to make it work fine. We had no luck by hand. The problem is that it makes a lot, not so good for a single person.
Maybe this is a wonderful opportunity for me to reach outside my comfort zone into cooking my own mayo...but man...I'm bummed. I love Hellman's. It's a staple of my childhood.
Anyone know how long homemade mayo keeps in the fridge?
Maybe we need to have a mayo tasting? Meet at a bar that has good french fries and dip away. I'm dying to try both Duke's and Kewpie now.
Trader Joe's mayo tastes almost homemade. Better than Hellman's.
I've noticed a difference in the Best Foods here, too. I just add a light sprinkling of salt to counter the slightly sweeter taste.
I've found that the secret to making homemade mayo taste like Best Foods/Hellman's (nearly everyone's benchmark whether they will admit it, or not) is the base seasonings. I use a combination of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice for the acid ingredient. I also use whole egg, dijon, a pinch of pepper and about an inch-long squirt of anchovy paste for each egg. A couple of drops of regular Tabasco brightens the flavors. I find that a bland tasting oil (canola is particularly good) works better for bound salads and sandwich spread, but a fruity olive oil makes a nice aioli for dipping. Notice, no sugar or honey in my mayo.
I saw Alton Brown make a batch of fresh mayo from scratch in one of his shows, but he did it by hand. Paula Dean, another FoodTv chef also made a batch of mayo but she used a blender. They both used lemon juice, and that might be the missing ingredient to experiment with in making your own perfect homemade mayo. I found the links on FoodTv in case you are interested in their recipe:
Alton Brown's:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_16262,00.html?rsrc=search
Paula Dean's:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33458,00.html?rsrc=search
Most professionals refer to their "recipes" as "formulas." Basically, it's a term to let people know that cooking is science.
+1 for Duke's!
Does anyone know an NYC retailer for Dukes?
can anyone give a scientific explanation as to why the egg/oil combo emulsifies?
Thank you!
i am trying to make mayonnaise with different ingredients.and ckecking the effect of different levels of components on mayonnaise stability and shelf life. and major work i am going to do is ,to effect of eggs and vinegar ratio on ph of mayonnaise.
i want ur help
i want reseach papers of those people who have worked on mayonnaise oon different aspects.
I was thrilled to find this site! I have a son with soy allergies. All store bought mayo has soy! I am looking for a good homemade substitute! I will even check the ingredients in this "Duke" brand!
When i have finished making my mayo i stir in a couple of tsps of hot water which helps to stop separation then straight in the fridge, lasts for 2 weeks and tastes like old helmans.
1 egg yolk
150 ml oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp worsester sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp white wine vinager
all ingredients at room temp:
mix yolk with salt, pepper, sugar, mustard powder and worsester sauce untill mix is nice and smooth then start adding 75ml of the oil, slowly, watching the mix and keeping in nice and thick. when youve added the first 75ml, wisk the mix untill its really thick then add 1/4 tsp vinager and 1/4 tsp of lemon juice stir in with a spoon. now start to wisk in the rest of the oil ( about 10ml at a time). When you have mixed all the oil, wisk the mix untill its really thick then add the rest of the vinager and lemon juice 2 tsp of hot water, stir with spoon and sling in the fridge :P tastes real great.
view mayoinfo's profile
I've used Hellman's or Best Foods Mayonnaise for probably 50 years, but when they decided to reduce their container size by 6% (2/32), I decided to rebel. It's become a nice thing that I did. I bought a Bamix stick blender that will make a cup of mayo in 10-20 seconds. The recipe is so easy that it now seems a waste of money to buy mayo.
I always thought the only dif between mayo and something like Miracle Whip was the sugar in the latter, and it's always made me lean toward regular mayonnaise.
I make an artichoke rice salad that I "reverse engineered" from a deli up in Napa. Originally, I used a dressing on my version made by Bernsteins, but when they stopped making it, I turned to Cardini's Roasted Garlic Dressing. Cardini's stopped making it as well, so I decided that I could make my own.
I make the mayonnaise for the recipe using:
1 cup canola oil
1 room temp egg
1 tsp. salt.
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. vinegar
Using the Bamix stick blender, it takes about 15 seconds to create mayonnaise.
To the mixture for my artichoke rice salad (write to me at don.hawkinson@hp.com for the recipe), I add 2 crushed garlic cloves, a bit more vinegar, milk to thin the mayo, and a little more salt.
My first attempt using the new (my dressing) recipe turned out perfect.
I don't see myself ever buying Best Foods Mayonnaise again.
view dhawk's profile