I made myself some garlic mayonnaise this afternoon (standard mayo recipe but with extra garlic). It’s something I’ve made before without trouble, but this time it didn’t stiffen as it usually does, even after being put in the fridge. It tastes fine, of course. But why didn’t it stiffen?
You made it with egg yolks and olive oil? The time I made it in the blender, I had to make more than I needed to get it to stiffen.
::snerk::
Is it separated, or creamy and well-mixed, but runny?
Sounds like you may need to add more egg yolk, or rather add what you have to a beaten yolk a bit at a time.
This. Remember that eggs vary in size even within the various grades so that this kind of rebalancing is occasionally necessary, I doubt you did anything wrong.
2 egg yolks, garlic, salt, pepper, teaspoon of French mustard, 200 ml or so of vegetable oil, dash of red wine vinegar. Hand whisked. It’s creamy and well-mixed. And I don’t have any more eggs until I go shopping.
Next time use heated lube.
Did you add the oil slowly, making sure (for at least half the amount), that the yolks have absorbed each addition before adding more?
You know, I was just reading the MPSIMS thread about the accidental boob exposure and thinking “look at are these immature twits asking for pictures.”
And then I see this thread title and go, “hheheheheheehehehe…”
Good to be knocked down a bit once in a while.
Oh yes. It hasn’t curdled; it just hasn’t stiffenned
Maybe counterintuitive, but perhaps not enough oil? I find my mayo to stay rather runny until I start getting to the end of the amount needed. Or are you using a different oil than usual? Some oils don’t seem to stiffen as much as others.
I’ve found that too many additives can cause runny mayo. How much garlic did you use? I think I go with 1 TBL garlic for a 1-egg 8-oz oil mayo. If I also add horseradish, I have to back off the garlic by an equal amount.
I always do the eggs first, alone, and then the oil a drop at a time at first, only sped up when it does begin to stiffen. I don’t add the extra ingredients–i.e., anything other than eggs and oil–till the mayo is mayo. That usually works pretty well.
I think this is your problem. Did you use garlic powder or minced fresh garlic? Either way the garlic is probably getting in the way one way or another. If you used minced garlic the water in there combined with the agitating effects of the pieces might be breaking or preventing the emulsifying bonds from happening and collapsing the air bubbles. Garlic powder, while dry, acts as a very good abrasive and the stirring action would just break down all those chemical bonds.
Make your mayo, and make it thicker than you usually do, first. Then gently fold in the additives at the last minute.
All I have to say to this is :smack: :smack: :smack: Never thought of that. So simple, really. Oh, and :smack:
I found this article the other day, and I think it does a really superb job of expaining mayo and how to make it. From the article, I think that while adding extra ingredients like the garlic at the end, the mustard should be added at the beginning. Also, a little water is necessary…
And I personally use a whole egg mixed with the other ingredients and just add oil until it is mayonnaiseish (mayonnaisey?). I use an immersion* blender for this.
*I almost typed ‘emmulsion blender’.
This was the solution. Another 50 ml of oil and all is now well. Thank you.
I’m glad it worked out.
There’s a body of folklore around mayonaisse. I suppose it’s the wonder of adding oil to something to make it thicker. One story says you must be in the right frame of mind to make it happen. Another says a woman should make mayo in the presence of a suitor to decide whether to marry him. Imagine being jilted because the mayonaisse didn’t turn out! :eek: :smack:
While I’ve got you all here, does anyone have advice on why my Hollandaise is sometimes perfect and sometimes curdles? 
Either you are getting the mixture too hot or adding in the butter too fast. Make sure you let your butter cool before adding to the yolks and begin by adding the butter very slowly (a teaspoon or less at a time until you get a stable emulsion going), making sure all the butter is absorbed by the yolk before adding more butter.
Use a double boiler over simmering (not boiling) water. (You can use direct heat (and I personally do), but this requires extra care and a lot of moving the pot around). Don’t beat the mixture, but rather stir it with the whisk.