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How to make good tasting mayonnaise?

2K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  chrislehrer 
#1 ·
I tried making it with olive oil, extra virgin and all. Tastes not bad, but not good. Store bought still tastes better.

What oil should I use?
 
#3 ·
I would recommend using grape seed, canola, or vegetable oil instead of olive. I personally use grape seed oil.  Olive oil is too strong a flavor.  Your choice of mustard makes a big difference too, so experiment with a few different brands.  I just use grey pupon.  Another trick is that like hollandaise, it comes out way better when done by hand.  It's a lot of work, but IMO worth it.

I'm not a big fan of mayo, but have grown to really like it when I make it.  Still won't really touch the jarred stuff.

Good Luck!
 
#4 ·
In addition to using various oils, make sure to add enough salt and experiment with various kinds of acids and in different amounts. A bit of lemon, different vinegars can all bring out different flavors.

It won't taste the same as store bought. It isn't supposed to. But with the right ingredients it can be quite delicious. You just have to experiment to find which ingredients are the right ones for you. 
 
#5 ·
That's weird because in my experience home made mayo is almost always superior to store bought. Store bought mayo's almost always have sugar in them which I don't usually dig too much (I like a more tart/acidic mayo) so you might be missing the sugar. 
 
#8 ·
That's weird because in my experience home made mayo is almost always superior to store bought. Store bought mayo's almost always have sugar in them which I don't usually dig too much (I like a more tart/acidic mayo) so you might be missing the sugar.
I agree, but for those who have never had homemade mayo before may not be used to the taste so at first taste they may be expecting something more like what they are used to (I. e. the store bought stuff).

To the OP, I rarely use olive oil in making mayo. I usually use a more neutral flavored oil to make my mayo. I might use just a bit of olive oil, at the end, to give it some flavor, but using flavored oils for the bulk of the oil in mayo usually makes it too strong.
 
#9 ·
Olive oil in hand whisked or blender mayo can definitely be too overpowering and bitter. When I use it, I do about 85 - 90% more neutral tasting oil, as Pete said, adding just a tablespoon or two of the selected olive oil. And sometimes almost all neutral oil ( rapeseed [canola], soy, safflower, grapeseed ) with some chile sesame oil drizzled in at the end. Don't think I've ever made it using peanut oil. And as chefwriter said, the acid component makes a big difference - lemon juice, champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar, ...

mjb.
 
#10 ·
So far I guess i'll try out some wine vinegar and grapeseed oil, perhaps that'll create a good basic taste.

Quote:
Let's back up a second. What's your method for making the mayo? That's probably a bigger issue here.
I add a large squirt of lemon juice, an egg yolk without the white and mustard. I blend those thoroughly, then add the oil in about 4 parts. I add salt at the end.
 
#11 ·
@teamfat is dead right. I would add, "especially" in a blender or processor. Olive oil is very sensitive to oxygen and heat, and will actually start going rancid in the processor half the time.

So I'd say the crucial thing for your mayo is to use a neutral oil. At the very end, a little olive oil can add a nice touch, but it's not necessary. The mayo should really mostly taste of egg.
 
#12 ·
This is why I have never made mayonnaise.  I know I know, how can I call myself a passionate cook and yet never have made mayonnaise?  And I'm not one of those take-it-or-leave-it kinda people when it comes to mayo, I freakin LOVE the stuff.  I can't imagine a sandwich or burger without it.  But there are too many stories of people making mayo and then not liking how it tastes because of the oil that I've always talked myself out of making it.  Besides, I'm the only member of my family that likes mayo, so I'd only be making it for myself and how much mayo can I eat?  And how long does it keep?  And do I use it like store-bought kind and make potato salad with it?  

I really want to make mayo.
 
#13 ·
This is why I have never made mayonnaise. I know I know, how can I call myself a passionate cook and yet never have made mayonnaise? And I'm not one of those take-it-or-leave-it kinda people when it comes to mayo, I freakin LOVE the stuff. I can't imagine a sandwich or burger without it. But there are too many stories of people making mayo and then not liking how it tastes because of the oil that I've always talked myself out of making it. Besides, I'm the only member of my family that likes mayo, so I'd only be making it for myself and how much mayo can I eat? And how long does it keep? And do I use it like store-bought kind and make potato salad with it?

I really want to make mayo.
You can certainly use homemade mayo in any application that you use store bought mayo. If making a very large quantity, such as for making potato salad I would suggest making in a food processor, otherwise I just make it by hand. The great thing about making it yourself is that you can make whatever amount you want. A 1 yolk batch will make enough for a sandwich for a couple of days. Use a couple of yolks for enough for a week. Personally, I probably wouldn't hold homemade mayo for longer than that. Besides the fact that I think homemade mayo tastes far superior to the store bought stuff (and I do like both store bought mayo and Miracle Whip), you can make flavored mayo that tastes a lot better than just adding ingredients to the store bought stuff.
 
#14 ·
This is why I have never made mayonnaise. I know I know, how can I call myself a passionate cook and yet never have made mayonnaise? And I'm not one of those take-it-or-leave-it kinda people when it comes to mayo, I freakin LOVE the stuff. I can't imagine a sandwich or burger without it. But there are too many stories of people making mayo and then not liking how it tastes because of the oil that I've always talked myself out of making it. Besides, I'm the only member of my family that likes mayo, so I'd only be making it for myself and how much mayo can I eat? And how long does it keep? And do I use it like store-bought kind and make potato salad with it?

I really want to make mayo.
To me, homemade mayo and industrial mayo are almost like two completely different things. They have a different color, a different texture altogether, a different mouthfeel, and a different flavor! Having said that yes of course you can use your homemade mayo for nearly anything you'd use industrial mayo with, like potato salads.

The quantity and stability of homemade mayo are indeed an issue. Once you've cracked an egg, you're not going to produce just 2 tablespoons of mayo, you may as well make a bowl full of mayo. But it won't keep more than 2 or 3 days in the fridge, so you better like eating mayo.

For many years my family's typical New Years Eve meal was boiled shrimps (in cajun stock), and sometimes crab legs, served with a homemade lemon mayo. The homemade mayo really has a luxurious feel on your tongue....
 
#15 · (Edited)
A 1 yolk batch will make enough for a sandwich for a couple of days. Use a couple of yolks for enough for a week.
Actually, you'd be amazed at how much oil one yolk will hold. Once the emulsion is going, you can basically just keep adding oil. There's a TV bit somewhere in which Heston Blumenthal and his crew add 1.5 liters of oil!



Start at 10:10

The show is pretty silly in many ways, but there's interesting information.

Oh: and incidentally, he demonstrates a great way to make a lot of mayo quickly, for a party or something. 1 room temperature egg, 1 dollop mustard, whisk and add oil slowly until the emulsion is stable and the stuff is thick. Splash of vinegar, whisk. Now decant this into a mixer, turn it right up, and start pouring in oil. Figure you can get 1L oil per egg yolk, maximum.

And...

A friend did this and I tasted the results. You know what? If you add a liter or so of neutral oil to an egg yolk and a little bit of mayo, salt pretty thoroughly and maybe add a dash of white vinegar, you'll get something that tastes almost exactly like the stuff in a jar. So if you were wondering why the stuff in a jar tastes so different, now you know: it's got basically no eggs.
 
#16 ·
Actually, you'd be amazed at how much oil one yolk will hold. Once the emulsion is going, you can basically just keep adding oil. There's a TV bit somewhere in which Heston Blumenthal and his crew add 1.5 liters of oil!


Start at 10:10

The show is pretty silly in many ways, but there's interesting information.

Oh: and incidentally, he demonstrates a great way to make a lot of mayo quickly, for a party or something. 1 room temperature egg, 1 dollop mustard, whisk and add oil slowly until the emulsion is stable and the stuff is thick. Splash of vinegar, whisk. Now decant this into a mixer, turn it right up, and start pouring in oil. Figure you can get 1L oil per egg yolk, maximum.

And...

A friend did this and I tasted the results. You know what? If you add a liter or so of neutral oil to an egg yolk and a little bit of mayo, salt pretty thoroughly and maybe add a dash of white vinegar, you'll get something that tastes almost exactly like the stuff in a jar. So if you were wondering why the stuff in a jar tastes so different, now you know: it's got basically no eggs.
I realize that you can add quite a bit of oil to one egg yolk. One day when I was a young cook, we were bored at work so we tries the same experiment and gof to almost 36 ounces of oil before it broke. But if you go by stanard ratios, given in most cookbooks you should only end up with enough mayo for a few days.
 
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