Monday, June 29, 2009

Mayonnaise

Bring out the mayo! Seriously, it seems to be in everything at the Fourth of July picnic. Like a lot of pre-made products, I have some beef with the common jar of mayonnaise and it is not with the fat--big surprise. It is that nasty soybean stuff that sounds healthy enough until you learn what is done to it; chemicals, heat, extreme pressure, preservatives, deodorizers. This bean is toast! Most vegetable oils, including canola are mass produced for efficiency not for quality or health. They process it until it is a clear, tasteless substance, then filter it,, add preservatives and deodorizers to lengthen shelf life and cover up the rancid mess. It can be found in almost any package of snack food on the market, which leads to an even bigger problem – the omega 6 content. It is high. Really high. With this oil being so prevalent, our bodies are becoming toxic while the label is claiming it is healthy, but what’s new? It is important for proper body function to have a balance of omega 6 to omega 3 (3:1 or better is optimum). Good sources of omega 3's include; wild fish, pastured beef, chicken and pork, sea weed, raw nuts and seeds…do you see the problem? These previously common staples have become hard to find, expensive commodities.

Okay, enough trash talking the white stuff in the jar, let's get to the real stuff. Homemade mayonnaise requires some patience and I have had enough bad experiences to know how handy it would be to just pick up some at the store. It is a skill that can be mastered however and I am determined. I have found the highest quality of oil that can be used is pure olive oil. Extra virgin becomes too bitter through the emulsification process, coconut has too much flavor and I opt for the low omega 6 slightly processed oil over the high omega 6 less processed expeller pressed canola oil.

*UPDATE; I got a tip from my friend Sonya, who made this recipe with excellent results in her kitchen aid with the wire whips. So I tried it in my Bosch and it was easy and fast as ever! The oil can be drizzled faster because of the greater surface area. Also I found this method requires less scraping down and can hold more oil if you want to do up to another 1/2 cup. I did it on medium speed and it worked great. This method saved me 10 minutes and seems like it will yield very consistent results!

2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon honey
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups pure olive oil

*Beginning with all ingredients at room temperature is important for emulsifying.

In mixer, blend yolks, salt, honey and mustard with wire whips. Combine lemon juice and vinegar in a separate bowl add half into the yolk mixture. Place oil in a container with a pour spout that can easily be controlled (I like to use a plastic condiment bottle, it fits exactly 1 1/2 cups oil). Start mixer on medium and add a slow stream of oil until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten a bit. Then, increase the oil flow to a faster stream. Once half of the oil is in add the rest of the lemon juice mixture. Continue adding oil until all of the it is incorporated. If you get distracted and dump the oil to quickly, the emulsion will break and get very runny. From here you can begin the process again with two new egg yolks and the broken mixture, starting drop by drop and moving to a steady stream. This recipe can also be done in a food processor, blender or whisking by hand. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Mayonnaise on Foodista

20 comments:

  1. I am so with you on the sentiment that we are bombarded with over-processed, over chemicalized, over-preserved foodstuffs. That's why I'm going to take your post to heart and put "make mayo" on my to do list. We don't eat it that frequently, anyway, that we need a year's supply. Two weeks will suffice. :)

    Anyway, I found you on TasteSpotting and am writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Visit my new site (below), it’s a lot of fun! I hope you will consider it.

    Best,
    Casey
    Editor
    www.tastestopping.wordpress.com

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  2. Wow I love how healthy this is! Just saved the recipe to make! thanks so much!

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  3. Another very important thing to remember when making mayo, is that ALL the ingredients must be ROOM TEMPERATURE, if one of the ingredients is colder then the rest then you will get a "runny" mess.

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  4. Thanks, Marina. This is a great tip, I have heard that is important. I think because it is so hot here and I use room temperature vinegar and lemon juice, along with the heat the vitamix makes, I never had to worry too much about it. I'm going to do a little edit.

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  5. Hi I was reading your recipe and I came across the ingredient agave...I want to buy some but not sure if it's agave from nectar? I have never heard of it, please help.

    -Nancy

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  6. Nancy, yes, it is nectar from the agave plant which is a wonderful sweetener that is easy to use. It is very common in health food stores or even health food sections in a regular grocery store. It will be by the honey, you have probably passed by it without knowing.

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  7. Ah, I breathe a sigh of relief. I have been putting this off because I feared it. But I am happy to report that my first mayo is a success! wahoo! Thanks!

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  8. I made my first batch of mayo last night (with a different recipe). It was ok, but bland. I am going to try your recipe next time. I MUST get soy out of our home altogether! Store bought mayo is the largest offender left. I like that the recipe is larger. I wasn't sure if I could double the other recipe with proper results, so I made two batches.

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  9. This on has plenty of zip! And if you do it in a mixer, can make very large amounts if you are making sandwiches or potato salad for a crowd.

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  10. So I finally attempted this recipe! The first time around I made it in my kitchen aid. The whip couldn't mix the small amount of egg yolk etc. so it resulted in a runny mess and I almost gave up. I came back to your blog and followed the instructions with a broken mixture. I then used my blender and it worked beautifully! I am so thrilled that it worked out.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I've been following you for over a year and I really enjoy your enthusiasm. I may not always comment but I do read it. :)

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  11. I am surprised to hear that the blender worked better. Glad you found what works for you. Some people use a food processor too, for those of you who still have not has success. I am sure it depends on the size, shape, motor of the appliance as well.

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  12. I have had this recipe on my "to do" list for months and today I finally made it!! It was amazing - actually much more simple than I thought and it has a great taste!! Thanks so much! Now I can make some of your dressing recipes!

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  13. Can't wait to try this! Thanks!

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  14. At presently I don't have any pure olive oil; and am wondering about using grapeseed oil instead?
    Thanks

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  15. Yes, grape seed will work too.

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  16. So, I heard from a friend that I could ferment this and that it would last up to two months. I mixed in some whey during the final minute and then poured some whey on top and let it sit out with loose lid for a couple days. It tastes awesome and is seeming to last at least a month. I wouldn't know about longer though, because I always double the batch and we STILL go through it so fast because it's so delicious! Anyway, wondered if you could answer a question - I read that fermented foods require "lack of oxygen", so did I really ferment it with what I did?

    Also, I realize this is an ignorant question, but now that I love my mayo so much, would it be possible to ferment your pesto recipe? I just made it today - feel free to laugh if that's a terrible idea. :)

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  17. I have seen fermented recipes too and played around with it a little. You did it perfect with pouring the whey on top, this keeps the mayo from being exposed to air. Fermented foods do not require lack of oxygen, but when it is something that will go bad in the time it takes to ferment, it needs to be fully submersed to keep it from going bad.

    Go for it with the pesto. I would use whey in place of lemon juice. I just saw a recipe for fermented hummus. You can ferment a great many things! Let me know how it turns out.

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  18. I got a kitchen aid for mother's day and made this and it was so much easier! I'd made it with my hand mixer before, a few batches but I got lazy and hadn't made it for a while. Now that I have my kitchen aid I'll be making this regularly. Tastes great and makes your salad dressings even more delicious!

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It's rude to eat and run. Humor me with conversation please!

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