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How to Make Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise has become so ubiquitously processed that most people can't fathom its being made from scratch. But it can be done. Homemade mayonnaise is tastier, prettier, and more rewarding than store-bought mayonnaise, and once you get the knack of it, making mayonnaise is a snap.
Egg yolks (3)
White wine vinegar (2 Tbsp.)
Lemon juice (2 Tbsp.)
Water (2 Tbsp.)
Mustard, dry (2 teaspoons)
Salt (1/2 teaspoon)
Cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon) - Optional
Vegetable oil (2/3 cups) - See Tips about using oil
Separate the eggs, putting only the yolks in a mixing bowl.
Add vinegar, lemon juice and water.
Heat the mixture in a double boiler to a temperature of 150F (65.6C). This will take about 1 minute. Stir constantly and keep a close eye on the temperature. Many people don't bother with heating, but it's essential to minimize the risk of food poisoning (see Warnings).
Remove the mixture from heat and cool to room temperature.
Add dry mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Using a whisk or a standing or electric mixer, mix the ingredients together.
Slowly, very slowly, teaspoon by teaspoon at first, whisk in an oil that you don't mind tasting (extra virgin olive oil, or peanut or grapeseed, per se, rather than an old, super-cheap container of canola you haven't touched in years).
If using a stand-alone mixer, pour the oil in drop by drop.
If using a handheld or electric whisk, it might be helpful to have someone pour for you, or at least to have something holding your mixing bowl steady as you whisk.
Continue adding oil bit by bit until the mayonnaise has reached the proper consistency. This should take at least a half a cup of oil per yolk. If the mayonnaise remains soupy, give it a chance to rest. If in resting the oil and yolk seem to separate, the mayonnaise has broken. See Tips.
Store mayonnaise sealed in the refrigerator for up to about three days. It contains raw eggs, so while it is quite unlikely that keeping it for longer will prove detrimental to your health, you shouldn't tempt fate.
Make sure that all oil is fully incorporated into the mayonnaise before adding more. If you rush the process, the mayonnaise will "break," and the emulsion will release all its fat to become a useless pile of oil and egg yolk.
To recover a broken mayonnaise:
Place another yolk in another bowl and slowly whisk the old into the new.
Pour some vinegar down the side of the bowl and slowly work the mayonnaise back together, quickly whisking the oil and egg near the vinegar into the vinegar, and then bit by bit whisking the rest of the egg and oil into this.
This is more difficult than the other method.
Use the freshest eggs available (backyard chickens, anyone?), since the lecithin in the egg yolk is what emulsifies the oil, keeping the product smooth and creamy.
If olive oil is used, the mayonnaise should be used at once. When refrigerated, it will crystallize or solidify.
Because you are using raw egg yolk, care should be taken to avoid food poisoning from Salmonella. Don't alter the proportions of ingredients unless they are listed as optional, because the acidity is there for a reason--food safety.
The recipe presented here is based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
Egg yolks (3)
White wine vinegar (2 Tbsp.)
Lemon juice (2 Tbsp.)
Water (2 Tbsp.)
Mustard, dry (2 teaspoons)
Salt (1/2 teaspoon)
Cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon) - Optional
Vegetable oil (2/3 cups) - See Tips about using oil
Separate the eggs, putting only the yolks in a mixing bowl.
Add vinegar, lemon juice and water.
Heat the mixture in a double boiler to a temperature of 150F (65.6C). This will take about 1 minute. Stir constantly and keep a close eye on the temperature. Many people don't bother with heating, but it's essential to minimize the risk of food poisoning (see Warnings).
Remove the mixture from heat and cool to room temperature.
Add dry mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Using a whisk or a standing or electric mixer, mix the ingredients together.
Slowly, very slowly, teaspoon by teaspoon at first, whisk in an oil that you don't mind tasting (extra virgin olive oil, or peanut or grapeseed, per se, rather than an old, super-cheap container of canola you haven't touched in years).
If using a stand-alone mixer, pour the oil in drop by drop.
If using a handheld or electric whisk, it might be helpful to have someone pour for you, or at least to have something holding your mixing bowl steady as you whisk.
Continue adding oil bit by bit until the mayonnaise has reached the proper consistency. This should take at least a half a cup of oil per yolk. If the mayonnaise remains soupy, give it a chance to rest. If in resting the oil and yolk seem to separate, the mayonnaise has broken. See Tips.
Store mayonnaise sealed in the refrigerator for up to about three days. It contains raw eggs, so while it is quite unlikely that keeping it for longer will prove detrimental to your health, you shouldn't tempt fate.
Make sure that all oil is fully incorporated into the mayonnaise before adding more. If you rush the process, the mayonnaise will "break," and the emulsion will release all its fat to become a useless pile of oil and egg yolk.
To recover a broken mayonnaise:
Place another yolk in another bowl and slowly whisk the old into the new.
Pour some vinegar down the side of the bowl and slowly work the mayonnaise back together, quickly whisking the oil and egg near the vinegar into the vinegar, and then bit by bit whisking the rest of the egg and oil into this.
This is more difficult than the other method.
Use the freshest eggs available (backyard chickens, anyone?), since the lecithin in the egg yolk is what emulsifies the oil, keeping the product smooth and creamy.
If olive oil is used, the mayonnaise should be used at once. When refrigerated, it will crystallize or solidify.
Because you are using raw egg yolk, care should be taken to avoid food poisoning from Salmonella. Don't alter the proportions of ingredients unless they are listed as optional, because the acidity is there for a reason--food safety.
The recipe presented here is based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
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