Second probably only
to ketchup, mayonnaise is one of the most commonly used dressings in
the United States. Not only do we slather it upon sandwiches, it is
used as a base to make a variety of other sauces and dressings such
as the Ranch dressing. Like all dressings, mayonnaise is a simple
emulsion of oil (fat) with and acid (in this recipe vinegar and lemon
juice) and a small amount of spices.
Having a small
homestead and raising chickens means we have access to free fresh
eggs, so making our own mayonnaise seems like a no brainer. Making
your own mayonnaise is not difficult and every culinary student has
to learn to make mayonnaise by hand, and I have made gallons of
mayonnaise during my eighteen years in the restaurant business. In
this article I am going to give your three options on how to make
some of the best mayonnaise you have ever tasted. The superior taste
and low cost of homemade mayonnaise will make you ask yourself why
you never made it before. I guarantee it!
If you want to make either of these recipes totally keto, then use olive or avocado oil as opposed to canola oil. Both olive and avocado oils have fewer omega 6's and decrease the effects of inflammation. They both can be rather expensive. If however, you are on budget and or you are not that concerned with the omega 3 to 6 ratio, then you can use the less expensive canola oil. In 'The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living, Dr's. Phinney and Volek use canola oil in their recipes. So I leave the choice of oil that you use up to you. I hope you will enjoy making this simple and tasty recipe.
The Ingredients
The ingredient list
for homemade mayonnaise is pretty straight forward egg yolk and oil
(fats), lemon juice and vinegar (acids), and seasonings of your
choice. Because there are no stabilizers or preservatives like
commercial prepared mayonnaise, homemade mayonnaise has a
refrigerated shelf life of 7 to 10 days, but we will call it 7 days
just to be safe.
Homemade Mayonnaise
– Egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, salt mustard, sugar, white
pepper and water.
Helmann's Mayonnaise
– Water, soybean oil, whole eggs and egg yolks, sugar, salt,
vinegar, lemon juice, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect
quality), natural flavors.
As you can see the
ingredients are pretty much the same for the homemade mayonnaise and
the Helmann's mayonnaise, with the exception of calcium disodium EDTA
which is a food preservative. Without this preservative, commercial mayonnaise
would have the same shelf life as homemade. It has been stated on
some websites that this food preservative can rob your body of needed
nutrients, but I am not here to argue this point, only to show the
differences between the two products. You have to decide whether to
use a commercial mayonnaise or not. I eat them, but you may not want
to. Btw, I choose Helmann's mayonnaise because I like it, no other
reason.
There is a slight risk when
making your homemade mayonnaise that you will not find in
commercially prepared mayonnaise is the risk of salmonella poisoning.
Now our eggs come straight from our free range chickens so I have minimal
risk of such, however there is a small (very small) risk of
salmonella from eating raw unpasteurized eggs that you buy in the
store. You can buy pasteurized eggs thus avoiding the risk, but they cost more.
Women who are
pregnant, infants or those with compromised immune systems should
avoid eating mayonnaise made with raw eggs unless they are
pasteurized. While the risk is minimal that a raw egg would contain
salmonella (about 1 egg in 20,000 in the 1990's per the CDC), I
recommend you do not take the risk by using unpasteurized eggs if
someone in your family is pregnant, or you have infants or small
children under the age of 5 in your household. The risk is minimal,
and the topic is controversial, but the ultimate choice is yours to
make.
Cost Analysis
If you have access
to fresh eggs, then you can make 8 ounces of your own mayonnaise for
about $0.36 or roughly $0.05 per ounce (Great Value Canola oil 48oz
bottle $1.98 or $0.04 per ounce). If you have to buy a dozen eggs it
costs you a little more depending on what you pay for the eggs. A
safe estimate would be to add an extra $0.10 to $0.15 for one egg,
making the total cost $0.05 to $0.06 per ounce. Just to put that into
perspective a 30 ounce jar of Great Value Mayonnaise is $2.98 ($0.10
per ounce), so it is 50-77% cheaper to make your own mayonnaise at
home then it is to buy store bought mayonnaise. You can use just
about any type of oil you like, but I prefer canola oil as it is
neutral in flavor and is relatively inexpensive.
The Recipe
When making
mayonnaise by hand you need to be able to use a whisk with your
dominant hand while slowly adding or pouring the oil with your
non-dominant hand. So if you have both hands busy, you need a way to
keep the bowl you are making the mayonnaise in from spinning all over
the counter and landing on the floor. I use a plastic bowl that has a
silicone coating on the bottom that works great and the bowl never
moves at all when making mayonnaise this way.
In the restaurant,
we had stainless steel prep counters and metal bowls and they would
not stay in one place. The trick is to take a hand towel and soak it
in water, squeeze out the excess, and fold it into a small square and
place your bowl on top of the dampened towel. This keeps the bowl
from sliding around on your counter. We also placed dampened towels
under all of our cutting boards to keep them from sliding around on
the counters. While I still make mayonnaise by hand occasionally, my
preferred method is to use my immersion (stick) blender.
Homemade Mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1 cup olive or canola oil
2 teaspoons fresh
lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon water
½
teaspoon iodized salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard or ¼ teaspoon
prepared yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon white
pepper
Remove the egg from
the fridge and separate the egg yolk and place in a small bowl and
allow to come to room temperature before making the mayonnaise (30 to
60 minutes). Once the egg yolk has come to room temperature add the
remaining ingredients to the bowl and whisk together until the mixture
is completely combined and slightly frothy (about 1 minute).
Now is the time to
start adding the oil. Initially you need to do this very slowly, a
few drops at a time or a slow steady steam while continuously whisking until
the mixture begins to form an emulsion. Once the egg and oil begin to
come together, you can slowly increase the rate or pour of the oil to
a slow steady stream as you continuously whisk the contents. If the
emulsion begins to separate stop adding the oil and continue to whisk
the contents in the bowl until the emulsion forms again.
Once your emulsion
has fully formed and your mayonnaise appears complete, taste and
adjust your seasonings to suit your personal preference and place
into a bowl and cover with a lid and put it in the refrigerator to
chill. Your homemade has a
stable shelf life of 7 to 10 days in
the refrigerator.
Chef's Note:
Adding the oil to quickly to the egg yolk and seasoning mixture will
cause your emulsion to separate or “break”. That's why it is
imperative that you start out slow and steady at first. Both the molecules
in the yolk and the fats need time to break their natural bonds and
reform as an emulsion. This is not a problem when using a blender or
food processor as their blending speeds are far faster than anything
that you can do by hand.
Immersion Blender
Directions
Place the egg yolk,
lemon juice, white wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and sugar into a
wide mouth pint mason jar, then add the canola oil on top. Take your
immersion blender and push it down into the mason far until it
touches the bottom and pulse it a few times. As the ingredients in
the jar begin to form an emulsion. Once the bottom quarter of the jar
is emulsified, slowly raise the blender while it is running until all
of the ingredients have become emulsified. Slap a lid on it and place
it on the refrigerator to chill.
Stand Blender or
Food Processor Directions
Place the egg yolk,
lemon juice, white wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and sugar into
your blender or food processor, blend together until well combined.
With the motor still running, add the oil in a very slow, thin,
steady stream and blend until the dressing is thick and smooth.
Unless you have one of those small 'Ninja Bullet' type counter
blenders, or a small food processor, you will probably want to double
the recipe to make a bigger batch as most counter blenders and food
processors have such a large capacity that making a single batch is
almost pointless.
Homemade Sandwich
(Miracle Whip) Dressing
1 egg yolk
1 cup olive or canola oil
2 - 4 drops liquid sucralose or 4 teaspoons of zero calorie sweetener
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon
juice
1 teaspoon water
½
teaspoon iodized salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard or ¼ teaspoon
prepared yellow mustard
pinch garlic powder
pinch of paprika
So who doesn't love
them some Miracle Whip? If you or your family prefers 'Miracle Whip'
style sandwich dressing (it's my favorite) then I can help you with that as well. The
reality is that there is not much difference between 'mayonnaise' and
'Miracle Whip' except that 'Miracle Whip' dressing has quite a bit sweeter taste. Just follow the same directions that you would to make
the mayonnaise.
Conclusion
Whether you like
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, Making your own at home gives you control
of the ingredients allowing you to customize the flavor of the mayo
or dressing to fit your particular tastes and dietary needs. It is
quick easy and 50 to 77% cheaper to make your own mayonnaise at home
as opposed to buying it at the supermarket. Again, I would like to
emphasize the cost savings of making your own condiments, mixes, and
meals at home.
Remember, Women who are
pregnant, families with young children or those with compromised immune systems should
use pasteurized eggs when making mayonnaise from scratch.
If you are looking
to find additional ways to stretch your food dollars, be sure and
check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. And
as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with
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Additional Resources
on Eating Raw Eggs
