Cooking For Engineers

[Ms_Petrea]

I've tried making mayonnaise on several occasions without the level of success necessary to convince me it was worth the effort.

I'm in a new-found "thrifty" mode now, unemployed and pinching pennies, and have been creating foods I would have normally bought at the store without thought. Mayonnaise is one of those things I feel I can't afford - especially since I've always been a fan of Best Foods (Hellman's, now that I live in Texas). The cheap stuff, and even Kraft, just aren't palatable to me.

So, I came upon this most wonderful forum and read everything about making mayonnaise, wanting some badly but dreading the sheer effort and risk of failure so strongly associated with the endeavor.

The entry above by BobH (January 27, 2007) describing his Bamix blender method sounded too good to be true ... but it was related with such authority, I decided to give it a try.

I used my simple Braun stick blender and the beaker that came with it, my lemon juice simulant and fresh ground yellow mustard seed. As I wrote in my notebook "OMG!". I've now made it twice - both times turned out perfectly. If you like the stiffer body of Best Foods or Hellman's, this'll do it for ya in spades. And it could not be simpler or easier to do. A perfect emulsion, so easy you can make it on demand.

Thank you many times over BobH, I hope you read my comment here.

Now for that lemon juice simulant. Like I said I'm pinching pennies (and I mean that literally), I can't go to the store every week, let alone afford, fresh lemons to be available. So I used my chemical stock Into one cup of water I put 4 teaspoons of citric acid, one teaspoon of dextrose and 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract. Except for the lack of pulp, the acidity, sweetness and nose are quite close to authentic (recipe is based on research).

The mayo recipe BobH gave uses olive oil to the 4 fl. oz. mark, then bland vegetable oil to the 12 fl. oz. mark. That is truly nice, if you are keen on the natural flavor of olive oil - and intend to use it with compatibly flavored foods. (And, incidentally, can afford EVOO). I will, on occasion, use that oil mix when I'm feeling luxurious - but I'm going to ration my fragrant green olive squeezings tighter than my desire for mayonnaise. Besides, now I can create wholly new flavors by basing the mayo on cheap and flavorless vegetable oil and adding any number of herbs or whatnot.

So, my recipe for a cheap, but bland, mayo is now:

1 whole egg, large
1 Tbsp lemon juice simulant
1-1/2 tsp yellow mustard seed, ground fine
1/2 tsp kosher salt, ground fine
vegetable oil to the 12 fl. oz. mark

Making sure everything is at room temperature first (I set the egg and lemon juice out an hour before making mayo), add the ingredients to the blender beaker in the order listed, completely immerse the blender and turn it on. Nutate the blender in the beaker and, after 6 seconds, bring the blender up then down in 4 second cycles, for 4 or 5 cycles. Stop as needed to get emulsion off the top of the blender head and back into the beaker, ready for another "smoosh" down with the running blender. It's all over and done in less than a minute!

On a final note, I want to express my sincere thanks to all the other posters here who, like I, have given many tries at homemade mayonnaise using the traditional recipes. I felt your (wrist) pain may times over. It is because this forum had all your comments, and the gem from BobH mixed in there, that I felt I was in good, authoritative, analytical company.

[bsheitman]

One trick I've heard but haven't tried for fixing a broken emulsion is start a new emulsion with 1 egg yolk and add the oil slowly(apparently slower than you did last time). Once this emulsion is established you can drizzle the failed batch in and it should thicken. Due to the additional lecithin from the extra yolk you may want to add more oil(and seasoning) accordingly.

[amazonium]

I am so so glad I found this website! After many years' lapse I tried making mayo last night- using a stick blender. It did NOT turn out- it broke and I threw the first batch away, dummy that I am! I tried again, with the same results, but thankfully I kept the curdled mess while I looked online for a solution. Ta da! I did as suggested- using the broken batch in place of oil in the THIRD batch- worked like a charm.
It is quite yellow, since it contains 4 egg yolks now instead of 2, but yummmmm, it is good. Oh, and I used the whisk attachment on my KA to beat it this time. I think my little stick blender (NOT a Basix, sigh) was not up to the task. So for now I will use the KA or try using the Cuisinart for the next batch. My roomie heard the mixer going at midnight and wandered in and asked me what I was making. When I told him "mayo" he asked if the store-bought stuff wasn't good enough for me....But then this is the same guy who turned up his nose last week at my from-scratch chocolate cake covered in ganache. He went to the store the next day and bought a cake mix and canned frosting and asked if I would bake it for him....Once again, I am so happy to find this forum where people understand and share my passion for cooking and creating food and understand that the journey is as satisfying as the destination.

[Guest]

I bookmarked this site last year with every intention of making homemade mayo. Well, I finally made my first batch last night. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I did heat the eggs and lemon juice, since I would be feeding it to young children, but otherwise I followed the original instructions. I thought it turned out a bit too lemony for our tastes. So next time I will try 1 tbs. lemon juice and 1 tbs. vinegar. I used the mayonnaise for a buttermilk salad dressing and the rest of it for tuna salad. The lemony flavor was not overwhelming in either of those, but by itself it was very strong.

Thanks for all the hints and tips on making it even better... it was great fun to read through all the posts.

I wonder if using a stick blender will make it even easier... off to try it now.

[Auspicious]

I've made mayo twice now using BobH's guidance above. It is outstanding. I use a small KitchenAid immersion blender on its highest speed and it works fine, although not quite as quickly as BobH describes.

I'm not buying mayo anymore. This is definitely the way to go.

[Guest]

Well finally I've made my first batch of home-made mayo... like many others I've put it off for the longest time, but I wanted to have a go at making ali oli and came across this site after trying to discover why it was a bit runny and how I could fix it.
The mayo's not a complete disaster - it didn't curdle for a start (a good start in my mind) and I see what one blogger means about the bitter taste with olive oil (and I'm a lover of olive oil) but I'm not binning it.
It will be used and enjoyed with a big thank you to all the posters on this site - I've laughed and coooed and aaarh'd at many of the comments). All this info is now safely tucked away in readiness for the next batch.
Note to self:
Use a bit less salt next time
Try using egg yolks only
Perhaps 2 cloves as the original recipe suggested and not four (I do love my garlic - but crumbs - that's strong!)
So I'm now gonna give my jar of home-made (runnyish) mayo a good shake as one post suggests, and then get the family to eat it up quick so I can try again.

[eric]

OK, my wife is sick of me and my mayonnaise taste issues, so i'm gonna try this homemade kind. Here are my issues, and i'd love to see if i'm out of my mind. I HATE storebought ranch dressing. We've always made homemade with 1cup milk, 1cup mayo, and the powder packet. I did recently switch to Kroger's Salad Magic powdered Ranch mix, and it's just about as good as Hidden Valley, but half the price. OK, moving on. Some mayonnaise, of any brand, at different times, has a horrible taste to me. Am i crazy? I've developed the habit of checking dates on mayo, even new mayo, because some of it tastes really bad, even when first opened. We don't keep the stuff around long, we use it in everything, but i can even taste this bad flavor in recipes. I can't really describe it, it's like a spoiled oil flavor. For this reason, i no longer buy Hellman's, Blue Plate, Kraft is USUALLY ok, and i was ok with Kroger's brand, but just got a bad jar of it, so i guess i'm gonna start making it at home. Anyone else?

Question: If i follow the recipes above and heat my eggs a little first to ward off disease, can i mix it into recipes even if they are in the fridge for more than a week (like in salad dressing) or should i toss homemade mayo recipes in a week just for safety?

Thanks, sorry for the long rant.

Oh, and that jerk who said we people who read this need to go out more should go jump in a lake! Find something that interests you to read, maybe the National Enquirer!

Thanks everyone, i'm looking forward to trying this.

[Michael Chu]

[femmyv]

First time I made mayo I used JoC's recipe with everything done by hand. The mayo came out great but took so long to make it didn't seem worth it.

Second time, I tried the immersion stick method. It took a little time off, but getting the right consistency was difficult.

This morning I used my junior Cuisinart (no whites) and it came out perfectly.

[BaldJT]

I made my first mayo last night using a blender...actually it was aioli...I used Deborah Madison's recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Before adding the (slightly too much) garlic, I tasted the mayo and it was incredible! I'm going to use a whisk next just to see how that goes, but the blender was incredible and it was fast and cheap (we get our eggs from a local farmer so they're practically free!) I have to say that I was pleased with my choice to use 2/3 canola oil and 1/3 extra virgin olive oil. I also used boring old French's mustard. Everything was amazing, though.

[mayonnaise Addict]

arabian menu- rilled chicken ("shawai chicken") and this garlic mayo were so dreamy addictions during our college days.. it has a kick in it believe me

donichayen@yahoo.co.in

[Lintballoon]

I have made the immersion stick mayonnaise many times and love it. It's so easy. Now I'm getting ready to make some lobster salad for a birthday celibration, and I'm wondering, can I substitute some of the veg oil with clarified butter, add extra lemon, and have an awesome lemony-butter mayonnaise for the salad?
I'm going to try it (not tonight) but will post later on the result.
I'm thinking of subbing .25 of the oil with room temp clarified butter...

[CheffJeff]

I tried this recipe today, and it wasnt so good. So I checked around and found this recipe, and it worked like a charm!!


1 yolk from an extra large egg (or 1 large yolk plus a teaspoon of a second)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dry mustard or ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup vegetable oil, such as canola or grape seed oil
Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2-3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil (parsley, thyme, tarragon work,
as well, but do not use dried herbs)

Separate the egg(s), reserving the white. Place the yolk, mustard and lemon
juice into a small bowl and whisk together until well blended. Add oil a
couple drops at a time and whisk until blended. Continue adding slowly until
about a tablespoon has been added.

At this time the emulsion is established, and the oil can be added in a thin
stream with constant whisking. If you see oil that is not incorporated, mix it in
before adding more oil. When all the oil is added, continue mixing for a
minute or so, add salt and pepper to taste and mix in herbs.

I used a hand blender with only 1 beater attached.

You can play with the flavor at the end. I added some more salt, a little more lemon juice, and I also used plain yellow mustard. I also added a pinch of sugar.

Enjoy!!!

[RUSerious]

That was the worst tasting thing I have ever ate. It was so bad. Like why did i even try this.. Seriously never try this... disgusting

[ultra]

I have found that the method or process for making mayonnaise is what makes it work.
When in the past I have obtained runny mayonnaise, usually by pouring the oil too fast, I can fix it by starting again using the runny mayonnaise as I would use the oil.
Put the runny stuff into a jug with a spout,
Use one egg yolk beat until creamy
Then add a bit of the runny mayo VERY SLOWLY, mix with the egg using a mixer, and then add bit more oil, mix again and so on continuously mixing
It should start being emulsified very quickly