# MAYO **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857 "2011-07-04T23:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/21 "2011-07-06T05:28:22Z")
[Mayo.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Mayo) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/22 "2011-07-06T06:12:35Z")
May-O. May-ay-ay-O. May-ay-ay-O. Daylight come and me wanna go home. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/23 "2011-07-06T06:31:34Z")
Lots of foods that don’t need to be in the fridge last longer there. And, anyways, Mayo tastes weird at room temperature, and abysmal when warm. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/24 "2011-07-06T07:58:35Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [Mayo.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Mayo) I spent a month in Castlebar one week. That place is incredibly boring. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/25 "2011-07-06T11:52:44Z")
> [@sas61](#): > > IF U NEVER PUT MAYO IN ICEBOX U NEVER HAVE 2! and > [@](#): > > IF U HAVE PUT IT IN THEN U CAN NOT LEAVE IT OUT! Why? Does the mayo get addicted to being in the fridge? ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/26 "2011-07-06T13:09:03Z")
Now Ketchup, on the other hand, works well outside of the fridge. It seems to gain strength and improve the flavor (at least to my palate) by a little aging in the pantry. DON’T EAT TOO MUCH OF IT THOUGH, OR YOU’LL END UP SHOUTING IN RED. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/27 "2011-07-06T13:33:22Z")
[I need Mayo!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_Deftinwolf#Wilhelm_Ryan.27s_forces) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/28 "2011-07-06T20:03:48Z")
I saw this last night, but I was already in bed and couldn’t be arsed to respond. But now I will, in the guise of MICROBIOLOGY MAN!!! THE DOPER WITH A DEGREE IN MICROBIOLOGY THAT VERY OCCASIONALLY COMES IN HANDY WHEN ANSWERING UNIMPORTANT FOOD MICRO-RELATED QUESTIONS!!! The OP is right, sort of. Mayo - PURE mayo - is unlikely to support bacterial growth and make you sick. It has very low water content; far too low to support bacterial growth. That’s why sealed, unopened mayo can stay at room temperature indefinitely. However, since mayo is made partially from raw eggs, there’s always a chance that it can be contaminated with salmonella. The salmonella bacteria won’t be able to grow, but if it’s there, it will probably be able to survive, dormant. The danger comes when you mix your salmonella-laden mayo with some nice growth substrate that provides the water and nutrients it needs to start growing. Say, maybe a nice potato salad or turkey sandwich or whatnot. You get those two parts together, leave them at room temperature for a while, and bakka-chikka-wow-wow: salmonella reproduction orgy, sickness, death, yadda yadda. On the flip side, if you’re digging into your nice newly opened jar of mayo with a knife or spoon or whatever, especially if it’s a dirty knife or spoon or whatever, you could be introducing crumbs or other bits of watery nutrienty goodness into your virgin mayonnaise, which could then lead to a similar result. That’s why it’s recommended that you keep your opened mayo in the fridge, which slows the whole process down considerably. The more you know… We now return you to your regularly scheduled bizarre old man crazy rant. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/29 "2011-07-06T20:09:05Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > I spent a month in Castlebar one week. That place is incredibly boring. Sounds it. It’s where I’m going on my holidays this year. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/30 "2011-07-06T21:20:41Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > However, since mayo is made partially from raw eggs Isn’t most commercial mayo made from pasteurized eggs? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857/31 "2011-07-07T02:01:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Isn’t most commercial mayo made from pasteurized eggs? Probably. And salmonella isn’t a huge problem these days anyway. But, hey. Also, since they’re no doubt making massive, massive batches, a little contamination could go a long way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayo/587857.md?page=1)