Homemade Mayonnaise

Over the last few years I've gradually been cutting out processed foods and going with more natural eating... not necessarily organic, but natural as in I can pronounce every ingredient and know what they are!  You will find NO boxed foods in my home, such as hamburger helper or au gratin potatoes etc.  Of course there is the occasional box of mac n cheese for the kids, but on any general day You'd be hard pressed to find any thing like that here.

One of the things I've been wanting to try is making my own mayonnaise.  Have you ever read the label of a jar of mayo?  Take a look at this "healthy" mayo... they say it's supposed to be healthier but after reading this label, I'm not so sure...

Ingredients you can't pronounce, don't know what they are or as it's noted, are "not normally found in mayonnaise"... Seriously?  If it's not "normally" there, then why are you putting it there??  After all this time I've never read the ingredient part on the label of mayo or miracle whip, I'm not impressed and even more happy that I've learned how to make my own.

 

I researched and read many mayo recipes and learned it's not just about the recipe but the process as well.  I won't go into the emulsion scientifics because well... I'm not a scientist.  But I will tell you most were about the same, one or two different and the one I decided to follow was by Chef Gordon Ramsay... I mean, he's a multi million dollar chef - certainly he must know what he's doing, right?

 



 

3 Egg Yolks - Room temp

1/3 cup sunflower oil (I used pure)

1 tsp spicy mustard

Fresh lemon juice

 

Some used an additional egg white, some used white vinegar in place of lemon juice, some use both... it's all about preference.

 

First thing I did was beat the yolks (they MUST be room temp)... you can use a food processor, or whisk by hand.  Thankfully I have a whisk on my mixer because you need to continuously be whisking... then drop by drop just a little at a time you start adding the oil.  DO NOT just dump it all in, you need to add it slowly or you'll jack your eggs up!  Sploosh in your mustard, any mustard will do, I chose Dijon for a little kick... start with just a teaspoon, you can add more later.  Then the juice from half a lemon.  I did also toss in a little salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Give it a couple whisks or blends to mix it all together then check for taste and adjust mustard if desired.  You'll see it thicken up right before your eyes... and it gets thicker as it chills.  ALWAYS use fresh eggs, and store in air tight container in fridge for no more than a week at a time. 

 

 



For it being my first try I'm very happy with the outcome... I love the taste, the freshness, knowing what exactly is in it and it will likely be a long time before I purchase any from a store.  It hardly took any time at all, why wouldn't you just make it?  The longest part of it was waiting for the eggs to come to room temp... and the flavor possibilities are endless.  So many ways you could jazz it up... just remember to add your extras at the end and not when you first start beating your yolks.