I had to flip a coin, and Café Society lost.
I’m looking for a factual answer to a non-rhetorical question: Regarding ingredients and recipe, what is the difference between Miracle Whip and mayonnaise, such as Hellman’s or Duke’s?
I don’t want any opinions on the merits of one or the other, just an answer to the question of why ‘salad dressing’ isn’t mayo.
They do not taste the same. Miracle Whip is sweeter and more tart. Mayo is less tart and saltier. Oh, ingredients- MW has more sugar and vinegar. Mayo has less vinegar, no sugar, and more salt.
Mayo has eggs. Miracle whip does not.
In the USA, there is a standard of identity for mayonnaise which Hellmann’s and any other mayo must meet. The standard of identity says that mayo should be at least 65% vegetable oil, include eggs, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, water, some natural flavors, and may contain EDTA which prevents oil oxidation. Mayo is an water in oil emulsion using the egg yolks as an emulsifier.
Miracle Whip does not meet the standard of identity for mayo, by not having at least 65% oil (among other things). It also uses starch to make the texture stable, so I don’t think that it is an emulsion. wiki says the ingredient list includes: water, soybean oil, vinegar, HFCS, sugar, modified corn starch, dried eggs, and less than 2% of product include salt, mustard flour, paprika, spice, natural flavor, potassium sorbate, enzyme modified egg yolk, and dried garlic. The flavor profile is also quite different from mayo, as I have heard.
Disclaimers: I used to work for the company that makes Hellmann’s (and Bestfoods) mayo. I also hate mayo and Miracle Whip.
FTR, I far prefer Miracle Whip. Just so you know…
The main flavor difference is sugar - Miracle Whip is way sweeter than mayonnaise. Though I’ve had some mayos that are sweeter than Hellman’s none seem to come close to how sweet Miracle Whip is.
Right: sugar and all the other ingredients listed by mcgato. Mayo is eggs, oil and vinegar, with a bit of salt and sugar perhaps.
I prefer real mayo. There’s a subtle difference in texture, the taste is clearly superior. I think a lot people just prefer what they grew up with. Still, both are just a pile of oil. That’s something to remember in the commonly occurring threads where people blame mayo for food going bad like the recent one on warm sandwiches.
Great answer.
Practically speaking, they are made of the same things, but in different proportions and with slightly different marketing. I suppose that the different marketing may be based on the standard of identity you mentioned. Best Foods (Hellmann’s) is my favorite, and I’ve tasted a lot of brands and have made my own.
Eat no food that has been sitting out in the sun. Is there enough vinegar in mayo to actually prevent bacteria? This would be a good Cecil question.
I use both, depending on what I’m making.
I have a completely unsubstantiated theory that Miracle Whip has sweet relish juice in it.
The other ingredients certainly affect the “identity” of the end product as mayo vs salad dressing, but they are not, to me, materially different in texture or flavor other than sweetness level.
That’s what it tastes like to me. It tastes like a less-rich, watered-down version of mayo with sweet relish juice in it.
It’s not the vinegar. Again, mayo is a pile of oil, it’s a virtually water and oxygen free environment, bacteria just aren’t going to thrive in mayonnaise. If we were just talking about a container of mayo that had been out in the sun for a while I wouldn’t have a problem with it, but mayo usually isn’t found in virgin form in the wild, it’s attached to all sorts of protein rich substrate that bacteria thrive on like potatoes and ham, that’s why you don’t eat that picnic salad that’s been out in the sun.
Though Miracle whip LOOKS like mayonnaise… it isn’t. If you have mayo and for some reason want or need MW, there are recipes floating around on the internet for adding vinegar, sugar, and spices to the mayo. The mixture has to be cooked and thickened with cornstarch, then cooled and added to the mayo so it won’t thin out.
I have been fervently anti-Miracle Whip all my life, but in the last couple of years have decided to allow a bit to creep into my tuna and chicken salads. I can’t find a little jar anywhere, so I conjure up a small amount of the taste-alike.
Also I always feel moved to point out that mayonnaise is by far the most consumed condiment, far outselling catsup and mustard. Probably because so much is used in cold salads, but still…
Lol, good luck with that.
Mayo is a classic French Sauce recipe dating back hundreds of years. I’ve seen it made by hand on Top Chef Masters. It requires incredible technique and fast whipping of the eggs. It can easily be made in a food processor.
Miracle Whip is something created for factory production. Its not a classic recipe at all.
Actually…FYI… that is incorrect. Mayonnaise is originally from Mahon Spain and was known as salsa Mahon-esa. Eventually copied and brought to France by a French chef (and imo perfected in France).
Good point. I’d forgotten the Spanish origins. I knew Mayo was a derivative of a hollandaise. One of the five mother sauces (the other four are Tomat, Bechamel, Veloute, Espagnole).
All the years as a kid watching Julia Child pays off. 
So do I – but I call it mayo.
It’s actually not clear-cut.