# Making Mayo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505 "2012-09-12T14:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/1 "2012-09-12T14:03:24Z")
Argh, in search of less sodium, in my diet, I think I’m ready to attempt my own mayo. First, I want to know if I can do it in a blender? Or do I need another appliance? (Hoping not!) How hard is it really? Do I need to make it fresh, right before I use it? Every time? Will it keep in my fridge? How long? Can I flavour it? What kind of oil is best? But, much more importantly, what’s your recipe? All tips and advice greatly appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/2 "2012-09-12T14:15:11Z")
I’ve only made it a couple of times, but Alton Browns [recipe](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mayonnaise-recipe/index.html) worked well for me. I don’t have a food processor so I used a blender and it turned out fine. Before this recipe I tried making it by hand with a whisk. All I got out of it was a tired arm and eggy gloop. The blender worked on the first try. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/3 "2012-09-12T14:36:23Z")
It will keep for a small while in the fridge, but it’s so easy to make that whipping up a fresh batch each time isn’t much of a bother. Add garlic and a touch of lemon juice for an aioli. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/4 "2012-09-12T14:41:04Z")
Mayo is easy. If you have a stick/immersion blender [here ya go](http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/two-minute-mayonnaise.html?ref=search). You can thank me later. One caveat: if you are making mayo with extra virgin olive oil, the blender methods cause bitterness. I didn’t believe it at first, but I tried it side by side, and the blender mayo was noticeably more bitter than the hand whisked one. Apparently, [it has to do with polyphenols](http://summertomato.com/the-bitter-truth-about-olive-oil/). According to Cook’s Illustrated, regular olive oil doesn’t suffer the same problem. Personally, when I make olive oil, I tend to like the pure EVOO kind, which many people find a bit too olive oil-y for their tastes. For me, mayo is just a way to get the flavor of olive oil and a bit of lemon into my sandwich without making a giant mess. But experiment with different recipes. Add lots of garlic to it, and you basically have aioli. Try chopping in different herbs. Play around with your acids (lime mayo is popular in the Hispanic community, for instance.) The blender methods are foolproof, with my one warning about EVOO. The hand whisking method isn’t difficult, but it does take patience and a little bit of practice to know what you’re looking for. Generally, the rule is one egg yolk to a cup of oil. You start by beating your egg yolk until it turns lemon yellow. Then you add your oil _slowly_, a few drops to a teaspoon at a time, and beat it until it’s incorporated into the yolk. When your mixture looks homogenous and not a glop of oil on top of an egg yolk mass, you add a little more oil. Continue in this manner until you’re about halfway through with the oil. At this point you can drizzle it in more liberally. Drizzle a bunch of oil in while whisking vigorously. Stop. Incorporate all the oil into the yolk until it’s homogenous, repeat. When you first start out, take your time and be sure all the oil is incorporated into the yolk before adding more oil. As you get better, you’ll be able to “read” the emulsion and add much more quickly. If the emulsion breaks (turns into oil and yolk) and can’t be re-emulsified by hand, all is not lost. You can try emulsifying it with a blender (defeating the point of doing it by hand), or you can start with another egg yolk, and drizzle the broken emulsion into it slowly, and whisk, just like in the other steps of the mayo process, except instead of drizzling in oil, you’re drizzling in the broken emulsion. Oh, and start with room temperature eggs. Mustard, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, etc., can be added at stages during this process. I usually beat in a little mustard with the yolk in the beginning, along with about a teaspoon of lemon juice. I add more lemon juice at the end. Some people do it all in the beginning. Some add as they go along. It all seems to work. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/5 "2012-09-12T14:44:57Z")
Why, you just whack off into a jar multiple times and…oops! I thought this was the “making Miracle Whip” thread! Serious question though: I am interested in making my own mayo sometime too. What does store-bought brands use as a preservative that makes it last so long as to what we are proposing to make fresh here? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/6 "2012-09-12T14:59:18Z")
All I see in my Hellman’s is calcium disodium EDTA. Homemade mayo can actually last at least a couple of weeks in the fridge, provided it’s not contaminated with foreign food stuffs. Some recipes say it’ll only last a few days in the fridge. I’ve had it for as long as three weeks without a problem. That said, I am not a food scientist, and I eat stuff that’s past its expiration date fairly regularly. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/7 "2012-09-12T15:23:31Z")
> [@](#): > > What does store-bought brands use as a preservative that makes it last so long… Sodium. 120mg per tablespoon. Keep in mind that sandwich bread is typically 150mg per slice, and you begin to see the problem. Now imagine a target of 1200mg sodium intake per day. _Sigh_. Pasta salad? Egg salad? I don’t see how, if you don’t make your own mayo, to be honest. Of course you could give up sandwiches, and bread certainly. And ham, and cheese, and pickles, and so on. Endlessly, it seems. _Sigh_. Thank you all so much for your input, I greatly appreciate it. I am definitely going to give it a try in my blender first. (Making your own salad dressings, changing your famous bbq sauce, switching how you spice your Asian food, attempts at low salt bread, all with, let’s say, ‘mixed’ results. I’m finding it all very mad scientist-ish!) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/8 "2012-09-12T15:26:43Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Sodium. 120mg per tablespoon. Actually, I would say it’s as much, if not more, the low pH. Also, I believe they use pasteurized eggs, which helps. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/9 "2012-09-12T16:55:32Z")
Do you have to refridgerate it? LOL I had to look this up two nights ago and I see Google is about 50/50 split whether or not you have to refridgerate it. I checked the supermarket and the jars all say to refridgerate after opening. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/10 "2012-09-12T17:09:42Z")
> [@AndyLee](#): > > Do you have to refridgerate it? LOL > > I had to look this up two nights ago and I see Google is about 50/50 split whether or not you have to refridgerate it. I checked the supermarket and the jars all say to refridgerate after opening. I’d refrigerate the homemade stuff, but the commercial stuff is pretty shelf-stable, even after opening, as long as it is not contaminated with other food stuffs. [According to this](http://www.dressings-sauces.org/mayonnaise.html) (which is, admittedly, a biased source promoting dressings and sauces): > [@](#): > > From a food safety standpoint, commercial mayonnaise and mayonnaise-type dressings are perfectly stable when stored at room temperature after opening. Quality, not safety, is the only reason the labels on these products suggest that they be refrigerated after opening. Refrigeration ensures that the commercial mayonnaise keeps its fresh flavor for a longer period of time. Please review the product’s label for more information on storage and shelf life. Hellman’s, [in response to a poster’s email](http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/452512) writes back: > [@](#): > > After looking into this further for you we have checked with our product specialist and from a food safety standpoint, Hellmann’s/Bestfoods mayonnaise is perfectly stable when stored at room temperature after opening. > > The vinegar, lemon juice, salt and other ingredients in mayonnaise create an environment that inhibits the growth of harmful microorganisms. > > Refrigeration is recommended not for safety, but for best quality; to retain its fresh taste longer. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/11 "2012-09-12T17:12:14Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Serious question though: I am interested in making my own mayo sometime too. What does store-bought brands use as a preservative that makes it last so long as to what we are proposing to make fresh here? EDTA helps to keep oxidation away, which would give an off oil flavor. The combination of low pH and salt, along with some natural preservatives found in some of the ingredients helps to keep spoilage away. Yes I do work in R&D on a very huge mayonnaise brand. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/12 "2012-09-12T17:19:01Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Argh, in search of less sodium, in my diet, I think I’m ready to attempt my own mayo. > > First, I want to know if I can do it in a blender?! Why bother with a blender? All you need is a whisk and a little patience. As for oil, I’ve tried olive oil, sunflower oil, and vegetable oil, and found that the last works best. Mayo will keep for weeks in the fridge, or anywhere cool in a closed container. You want 150-200 ml of oil per yolk. 2 yolks usually. Basically you just add oil to the yolks, whisking all the time, until the whole becomes semi-solid. Salt & pepper to taste. I use 1 teaspoon of smooth Dijon mustard instead of mustard powder and vinegar. That’s basically it. Don’t use the generic supermarket stuff: it will discolour the mayo. I like my mayo with garlic, so I add plenty, but an alternative is to make mustard mayo by adding a whole jar of very coarse French mustard. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/13 "2012-09-12T17:21:14Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > Yes I do work in R&D on a very huge mayonnaise brand. How do they get that brilliant white colour? The nearest I’ve managed is off-white. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/14 "2012-09-12T18:17:39Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How do they get that brilliant white colour? The nearest I’ve managed is off-white. Probably has to do with particle size of the water droplets. If you are using a whisk, blender, or food processor, you can only get the droplets so small. If you use a huge ass industrial mill, you can get a lot smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Abortion\_Fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Abortion\_Fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abortion_Fanatic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/15 "2012-09-12T19:27:24Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why bother with a blender? All you need is a whisk and a little patience. As for oil, I’ve tried olive oil, sunflower oil, and vegetable oil, and found that the last works best. Mayo will keep for weeks in the fridge, or anywhere cool in a closed container. Using a whisk has the double advantage of 1) being a decent arm workout and 2) making you feel like you’ve really accomplished something when you’re done. Though I’d never use anything but extra virgin olive oil, sunflower and vegetable oils taste like plastic to me. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-mayo/634505/16 "2012-09-12T19:47:45Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Sodium. 120mg per tablespoon. > > Keep in mind that sandwich bread is typically 150mg per slice, and you begin to see the problem. Now imagine a target of 1200mg sodium intake per day. _Sigh_. Pasta salad? Egg salad? I don’t see how, if you don’t make your own mayo, to be honest. > > Of course you could give up sandwiches, and bread certainly. And ham, and cheese, and pickles, and so on. Endlessly, it seems. _Sigh_. But then again I have been in the habit of rolling up tuna or egg salads in romaine leaves to nosh upon. Been doing that for years. You can also schmear it into the hollow of a rib of celery if you mix the salads so they aren’t big-lumpy. We prefer that to cream cheese or peanut butter. Although I will agree that homemade mayo is way better tasting than the commercial stuff, and not that difficult to make. Made with homegrown eggs, and extra virgin olive oil with a dash of meyers lemon juice and freshly picked basil and minced garlic it is amazing with cold steamed artichokes.