• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pinch My Salt

Food, Recipes, and Photography

  • About
  • Contact
  • Recipe List
  • The BBA Challenge

Finally Some Homemade Mayonnaise!

April 14, 2008 by Nicole 66 Comments

Homemade Mayonnaise

And all you need is one of these:

Egg Yolk

Plus some lemon juice and/or vinegar, a little dijon mustard and 3/4 cup of oil. Oh, and a whisk and some elbow grease. I still can’t believe how easy it was to make!

I’ve been in denial about homemade mayonnaise for a long time now. I’ve read a million different recipes and even seen videos. But for some reason I thought that there had to be some trick that no one was telling me. I didn’t believe that it could really be that easy.

I mean, if it were that easy, someone in my family would have made it before. Right? At some point in my 32 years of life on this planet, someone I know would have made homemade mayonnaise if it were such a simple and delicious thing to do.

Well, I guess everyone in my family has been in homemade mayonnaise denial too, because it really is simple to make.

And, it’s absolutely delicious!

Mayonnaise is one of those things I’ve been meaning to experiment with for some time. But it wasn’t until I went out to breakfast with Amanda and discussed things like bacon (and how there’s no such thing as too much bacon) and the importance of homemade mayonnaise, that I decided it was finally time. Amanda assured me that it isn’t difficult to make mayo from scratch and that once I try it, I’ll never want it any other way. I believed her because, well, you’ve seen her food, right?

Coincidentally, the new Bon Appetit arrived in my mailbox a few days later and Molly’s column just happened to be about the joys of homemade mayonnaise. I decided that it must be a sign and I headed to the kitchen determined to coax some mayonnaise-like substance out of one of those eggs sitting in the fridge.

Since the ingredients consist only of egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt, I figured I was pretty much good to go. But it turned out that for once in my life, I did not have any lemons on hand. So, I just substituted vinegar. I wasn’t too concerned about the flavor being perfect because I was still somewhat convinced that my first attempt would be a disaster.

I separated my egg, whisked in a little vinegar, mustard and salt then started adding the oil drop by drop. This was the part that had always mystified me. I was never sure how you could ‘pour’ the oil in a drop at a time. But Molly solved that problem by advising me to use a 1/4 teaspoon measure to add the first 1/4 cup of oil a few drops at a time. It worked perfectly!

Now I’m not going to lie. My arm got pretty tired after a few minutes of steady whisking. So I just took a break every now and again. But the whole process still only took about 10 or 15 minutes. And the end result was way better than I had anticipated.

It looked like mayonnaise!

It was silky and thick and a nice shade of pale yellow. If mayo can be described as beautiful, that’s what it was!

But the best part was the taste. Even without the lemon juice, the flavor was much better than my beloved Best Foods mayonnaise (or Hellman’s depending on which part of the country you live). I can’t wait to try it again with lemon juice. And again with fresh herbs. And again with garlic and olive oil. And again and again and again!

I’m sure that I’m one of the last few foodbloggers to make my own mayonnaise. But I’m also sure that there are many of you out there who are just like me, waiting for that little nudge to get out that whisk and give it a try for the first time. So I’m here to tell you that now is the time!

Now go make some mayonnaise!

Molly’s column, titled “Mayo Clinic” can be seen in the April 2008 issue of Bon Appetit and the recipe can now be found on Epicurious. But there are tons of mayonnaise recipes out there for you to peruse. Here are a few that look temping!

  • Homemade Mayonnaise without Tears from Just Hungry
  • Mayonnaise from Cooking with Amy
  • Homemade Mayonnaise with Olive Oil from 80 Breakfasts
  • Homemade Mayonnaise (video) from Food Wishes Video Recipes

Filed Under: Sauces and Dressings, Tips and Tricks, Vegetarian

Previous Post: « Fun in the Kitchen with Film and Eggs
Next Post: Use Food Blog Search to Find the Best Recipes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joy says

    April 16, 2008 at 8:50 am

    I read that article from Molly, too, and although I was tempted to make it it, I guess deep inside I was waiting for another person to try it first. Haha. I think I just got my push to try it. Thanks!!! It looks great, by the way. And I wouldn't doubt that it tastes better than the store-bought mayo.
    Reply
  2. Nicole says

    April 16, 2008 at 9:38 am

    BrooklynQ: How did you know that I've been researching White BBQ Sauce?? Seriously. I was already at your site checking it out the other day and I'm planning on trying some grilled chicken with white bbq sauce soon. Check back in a couple weeks for the post! :-) HoneyB: I didn't use a pasteurized egg but I did make sure it was fairly fresh. I don't worry too much about raw eggs because then I wouldn't be able to eat cookie dough! :-) If you are concerned and especially if you have a compromised immune system then give it a try with a pasteurized egg! Joy: Well now you don't have any more excuses :-)
    Reply
  3. mahek says

    April 16, 2008 at 11:27 am

    wow!!! Thanks for the recipe, I am just like you , i love mayo but was scared to make it at home but looking at your recipe i feel that i should give it a try too. bye
    Reply
  4. Mary Coleman says

    April 16, 2008 at 6:45 pm

    Learning to make homemade mayonnaise like this was a rite of passage in my family. My daughter will be taught this on vacation at the beach. Just like I was. Yes, your arm gets tired. But it's worth it. Beautiful post. Mary
    Reply
  5. Ellie @ Kitchen Wench says

    April 16, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Oh yum, look at how beautifully creamy that looks! Mayo is one of those things on my to-do list that I'm yet to muster the courage for, but after such a stunning review, I guess I'll have to give it a shot!
    Reply
  6. Jonathan says

    April 19, 2008 at 6:13 am

    I just go with the blender pulse. I need my elbow for tennis. Kidding! I'm happy you've finally gotten into the hm mayo!
    Reply
  7. Julie says

    April 20, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    Of course, I read this *after* I just picked up a small jar at the grocery store. I don't usually eat it, and since I'm the only one in the house who does at all, it's not something I typically have on hand. (I know, I'm strange.) But if this is all there is to it, in the future I'd rather just save the space in the fridge & make my own as needed. Thanks for posting this!
    Reply
  8. Louis Doench says

    April 25, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    Welcome to the Homayonaisse world! I whip up a batch in the food processor twice a month or so. If you're using the food processor, double the recipe and use 2 whole eggs ( the lecithin in the egg whites helps the emulsion handle the violence of the food processor) . I toss in some Tabasco sauce for kick!
    Reply
  9. Corinne says

    April 28, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    Janet and I made homemade mayonnaise last week and made Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes!
    Reply
  10. Mrs. L says

    April 28, 2008 at 10:52 pm

    I too, saw that article and thought...well...maybe. But with this post and a few others I've seen that were inspired by the article, I may just have to give this a try!
    Reply
  11. • Eliane • says

    April 29, 2008 at 4:09 pm

    This always makes me smile, sorry. I come from the other side of the Atlantic (Belgium) and after "how to bake an egg", this is the first recipe kids learn to do. It is so ridiculously easy to do and so much better tasting than anything you can buy in store. And, it is so quick to do too. And, it is the best condiment for your fries! :)
    Reply
  12. lalaine says

    May 1, 2008 at 11:30 am

    Sounds easy and uncomplicated...definitely worth a try! I would however use pasteurized shell eggs (have P markings on shell) for recipes like this (wherein eggs are not cooked) just to be on the safe side. Eggs are a notorious source of food-borne illnesses. Inconvenient really as these type of eggs are double the prize of regular shell eggs and are not as readily available in most stores as their counterpart. But salmonella is not very pretty to deal with!
    Reply
  13. adkay says

    May 27, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    I used a fresh local farm egg and made the mayonnaise this evening! It was great over our salmon. Now here's the scary question... with raw egg yolk, how long will it keep? There's a difference between being willing to risk eating a fresh raw farm egg and being stupid.
    Reply
  14. Nicole says

    May 27, 2008 at 7:54 pm

    adkay: From everything I've read, you should only keep the homemade mayo for a couple of days.
    Reply
  15. adkay says

    May 30, 2008 at 7:14 am

    Thanks, Nicole! That's pretty much what I thought. Fortunately, it wasn't a problem. ;)
    Reply
  16. Nella says

    June 1, 2008 at 11:23 am

    Oh my dear, you have another mayo virgin in the house. I read your blog and decided to make some for the first time. I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the whisk attachment. Then, finished with the immersion blender. It was so totally good I almost wept. Many thanks to Molly. I do believe we just gave Hellman's a run for their money. I will be adding a post to my blog in the near future and I'd like to reference Molly's recipe and your blog site. Is that okay? This is so bacon worthy that I am cooking bacon and BLT's are for lunch. Thank you again for the encouragement to create good food. Nella, a devout foodie
    Reply
  17. Nicole says

    June 1, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    Nella: Good idea using the mixer! I tried using the whisk attachment on my immersion blender but it didn't work out too well! I've decided to keep doing it by hand and see if I can build up some strength. ;-) Of course you're more than welcome to reference my site in your post. The last time I made mayo, we tried it out on BLT's and it was great! Thanks for the comment, it made my day!
    Reply
  18. Soul Medic says

    June 23, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    If you have one of those tall long electric blenders it takes all of 1 minute to make mayo. It doesn't have to be wisked by hand. In Spain we routinely made fresh mayo at a moments notice. Although I am partial to the taste of Olive oil as a base. It can be made with just about any oil or other flavorful ingredients once the oil and egg has firmed up. Just don't OVER blend either, once it is firm, wisk in other ingredients gently and slowly. With a little practice and the electic hand beater (such as this kind: http://tinyurl.com/4cz83v) making mayo is a quick flick of the wrist and you are done. My favorite recipe for homemade mayo: Olive Oil based fresh mayo with fresh chopped garlic added in, served with large cubed boiled potatoes. I always like to add a couple of bay leaves to the boiling water for flavor. Typical tapa at any bar or restaraunt...Patatas aji-oli. Thanks for a great site. Soul Medic
    Reply
  19. LittleFoot says

    July 13, 2008 at 10:28 am

    I just found this blog, and this post. My first mayo attempt was absolutely delicious! I used a bit too much olive oil in my mix (2:1 canola:olive) but I was making egg salad, so the flavor is actually quite nice... perhaps not so much olive oil for my next BLT-bound mayo. ;-) What a great blog find, thank you so much!
    Reply
  20. Corinne says

    July 23, 2008 at 10:35 am

    We were just having this talk over at cookthink.com--some things are NOT worth making yourself, but mayo isn't one of them. Check it out: http://www.cookthink.com/reference/30/Homemade_mayo:_worth_it Glad to see someone else is spreading the homemade may gospel
    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Posts by Category

Copyright © 2023 · Privacy · Terms and Conditions