Mayonnaise

If you’re a huge fan of mayonnaise like myself, then you’re going to love this easy recipe. For years, I used to eat a minimal amount of store-bought mayonnaise, it wasn’t healthy enough for my liking, especially with all those preservatives, sugar and corn syrup. And, for a long time, it never occurred to me to make it home until I came across a fad recipe on Youtube that uses boiled eggs instead of raw eggs. I experimented with that recipe a few times and it did not emulsify properly.

After a lot of research, it dawned on me that mayonnaise is not that complicated. In fact, the traditional recipe is rather simple and now that I’ve learnt how to make it at home, it has become a regular part of my weekly routine.

You have no idea how much I love mayonnaise, in fact when I am making recipes that require mayonnaise, I often think that I should put more Mayonnaise on it. Now I can do just that without any guilt. When you make mayonnaise at home and use healthy oils such as grapeseed oil, you have an opportunity to create a healthy condiment that is actually good for you. Our bodies require good fats in our diet for the proper functioning of our brain which is sixty percent fat (60%).

Did you know that Vitamin A, D, E and K are fat soluble, these vitamins require healthy oils in order for absorption, without such oils, these vitamins just pass through our bodies. Grapeseed oil is loaded with Vitamin E which is great for your immune system and health.

Did you know that Mayonnaise was invented in the 18th century by a French chef from the town of Mahon in Menorca Spain. In fact, Mayonnaise was actually called ‘Mahonnaise‘.

So what is Mayonnaise? It is essentially an emulsion of two liquids, the first one is oil and the second one are eggs. In Russia, mayonnaise is one of the most consumed condiments. In fact, they put it on everything! And for good reason, its absolutely delicious.

When making mayonnaise, choosing the right oil is incredibly important. We prefer to use grapeseed oil, it is a neutral oil that is light in flavour. Grapeseed oil is made using the seeds of grapes. It creates a clean and balanced taste for the oil.

Ingredients

Grapeseed oil, Dijon Mustard, Lemon, White Vinegar, Salt, Egg.

Grapeseed oil is one of the best oils to use to make mayonnaise, it creates a light and neutral tasting condiment that complements your main meals and side-dishes perfectly. Use French Mustard called Maille for best results. Lemon can be substituted for Lime.

And White vinegar can be swapped out with Apple cider vinegar. Use a very minimal amount of salt and Dijon mustard has salt. It is recommended to use a pasteurized egg, however if you can’t find any at your supermarket, you can pasteurize your egg at home. *Read below on how to do so.

Instructions

It takes approximately three minutes for an egg to reach room temperature. Crack one egg into a bowl and set aside. This step will ensure that the egg emulsifies with the oil. Pour the grapeseed oil into the immersion blender container, it is important that a thin and long container is used for this process.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a bowl and then add it with the grapeseed oil. Add the Dijon mustard and the White vinegar to the container. Add the egg into the container. Finally, add a pinch of salt to the mixture. Place the immersion blender into the container, make sure that it is sitting right at the bottom of the container before you start to blend the ingredients.

You will notice that a thick white cloud start to form at the bottom of the container. This is called the emulsion process and as it occurs, slightly lift up the immersion blender so that the emulsification continues in an upward fashion.

The mixture will quickly thicken up and become mayonnaise. This will happen within ten to fifteen seconds. Thereafter, taste the condiment to check the taste, if you would like a more tangy flavour, you can add a little bit more vinegar. If the mixture is too creamy and you would like to loosen it up a bit, you can add a teaspoon more of lemon juice.

The best oils to use for Mayonnaise are grapeseed oil, light sun-flower oil, light olive oil or avocado oil. Strong flavoured oils such as canola oil will result in a greasy tasting mayonnaise. If you only have extra virgin olive oil, and a little bit of grapeseed oil. You can use a ratio of 3/4 cup Grapeseed oil and 1/4 cup olive oil.

Some people prefer to add the oil gradually, however there is a chance that you could overwhelm the egg and cause the mixture to separate. It is best to add the grapeseed oil to the immersion blender container and all of the ingredients, thereafter blend from the bottom up. This is the fool proof method and works every time. The reason for this is that the immersion blender creates a vortex.

The Dijon mustard is instrumental to this recipe, and it is highly advisable to use an Authentic French mustard such as Maille. Dijon mustard has sharp taste and helps to bind the egg with the oil. Normal yellow mustard is quite mellow compared to the French Dijon Mustard.

How to Store the Homemade Mayo?

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for four to five days. Using Apple Cider Vinegar can prolong the shelf-life of your mayonnaise for up to seven days as it has natural cultures called probiotics. It is recommended for you to label the container if you’re making large batches.

Also it is advisable for you to use pasteurised eggs, you can boil a pot of water and place one egg in it for approximately one minute. Thereafter, remove the egg from the water and let it cool down. Crack the egg into a bowl and use accordingly. Note if there is a little egg white that forms as a result of this process, you can still use it to make the mayonnaise.

What can you eat Mayonnaise with?

EVERYTHING! You can enjoy home-made mayonnaise with Fried Chips, Chicken Shawarma, Waldorf Salad, Chicken and Mayo Sandwich, Honey mustard potatoes and Potato Salad.