# Why is mayonnaise not yellow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131 "2005-08-01T13:54:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131/21 "2005-08-01T22:13:28Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > There’s no what that can be correct, 17 or 23L per egg yolk seems insane. Nobody is saying that that’s the ideal (or even remotely reasonable) ratio of yolk-to-oil. Just that the lecithin in egg yolk is such a good emulsifier that the yolk will disperse evenly in a colloid form throughout that volume of oil. (ie; you have a _lot_ of wiggle room with how much oil you can add to the recipe before you end up with an unstable mess.) You can add litres and litres of oil to an egg yolk and still get a perfectly fine _emulsion_ – but _much_ more than a cup or so, and you’re getting further away from what people generally expect of an emulsion _sauce_. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131/22 "2005-08-01T23:43:57Z")
My mayonaise is always grey and soggy. Has a bad smell too. Are you supposed to keep this stuff cold? Mayo has no business on french fries! 😛 ---
**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:** [August 2, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131/23 "2005-08-02T00:12:08Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > My mayonaise is always grey and soggy. Has a bad smell too. > Are you supposed to keep this stuff cold? > Mayo has no business on french fries! 😛 Yes. Fresh mayo doesn’t have a particularly long shelf life. I try to use it within a week. I make it with 250 ml oil (usually a fruity olive oil, such as Frantoia. Sometimes I extend it by using a 50/50 ratio of Frantoia and some flavorless oil like canola or soybean) per egg yolk. I then mix in a tablespoon or two of lemon juice (I prefer it to vinegar), sometimes a little powdered mustard and/or paprika and/or sugar. I never add hot water. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131/24 "2005-08-02T01:21:44Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > There’s no what that can be correct, 17 or 23L per egg yolk seems insane. I’m currently looking through McGee’s _On Food and Cooking,_ but I haven’t been able to find a specific ratio. I do know that _Professional Cooking; for Canadian Chefs,_ by Wayne Gisslen recommends: > > “Add no more than 8 ounces (240ml) oil per large egg yolk, or no more than 1 quart (950ml) per 4 yolks.” (5th Ed. page 575) > > Not to challenge you outright but would you mind checking that number again? The actual quote is in “The Curious Cook” and I believe the updated 2005 version of On Food and Cooking also contains some more information. Unfortunately, I only have the old, 1980’s version of OFaC on me so I have to go by indirect references: [this site](http://www.vendian.org/envelope/dir1/mayo.html) says 6 gallons. [this site](http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/2005_01_11.html) says 25 quarts. I also remember hearing that freezing the yolk and then thawing leads to substantially better emulsification although nobody knows why. Also, due to the emulsifiers present in butter, a single egg yolk can make something like 160L worth of hollandaise or something equally as absurd. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131/25 "2005-08-02T03:10:05Z")
> [@Indyellen](#): > > As far as making it yourself goes (which I personally have not yet been brave enough to try, partially because I don’t have a food processor yet), . You can make it with a bowl and a fork. that’s what I do. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131/26 "2005-08-02T08:06:16Z")
> [@sunfish](#): > > I just wanted to mention that when I was a junior in high school, my chemistry teacher had us make mayonnaise in lab, as an example of a colloid (similar to emulsion, smaller particle size). An emulsion _is_ a colloid - specifically, of one liquid in another. Other types are: Aerosol: solid or liquid in gas Foam: gas in liquid Solid foam: gas in solid Sol: solid in liquid Gel: liquid in solid Solid solution: solid in solid (a frozen emulsion, if you like) There’s no “gas in gas” colloid, as gas mixtures are already as finely divided as you like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mayonnaise-not-yellow/315131.md?page=1)