1. Find
a recipe you like.
2. Acquire
a hand mixer with a whisk attachment.
3. Use
said electric whisker to make mayonnaise.
It’s that simple. Who knew?
Now, you can either read the rest of my blog, or go make
some mayonnaise.
This is my story...
Some time ago, I decided I would try to make some
homemade mayonnaise because I like mayonnaise and I don’t like soybean or
canola oil. I dare you to find a single brand of mayonnaise made without
vegetable oil. Or bean oil. Or grain oil (corn). I could go into a long tirade
about the evils of polyunsaturated fatty acid and the health benefits of saturated
and monounsaturated fats, but I’ve already done that in other posts, so I won’t
repeat it hear. In any case, there is an abundance of information on the internet
about this topic, so I won’t belabor it. Suffice it to say, polyunsaturated
vegetable oils manufactured by industrial processes are the most harmful of
foods and should be avoided as much as humanly possible (regardless of what the
government says).
You’re probably thinking, “Wait! What are you talking
about? I’ve seen several brands of mayonnaise out there made with olive oil.”
And you would be right. Sort of. In an effort to draw in consumers who
understand the health benefits of olive oil, many of the mayo makers are indeed
beginning to market mayonnaise “made with olive oil.” Good news, right?
No. Read the labels. Yes, they contain
olive oil, but the main ingredient in every case is vegetable oil. After all,
olive oil is expensive. And besides, the government has declared that dangerous,
unstable polyunsaturated fats are the healthiest oils there are ... which no
doubt is the result of extreme pressure from the food lobbyists representing
the purveyors of those oils.
So I decided, to heck with store-bought mayonnaise! I
will make my own.
Inspired by a Facebook post with a YouTube video of a guy making perfect mayonnaise “every time” with an immersion blender, I gathered
all my ingredients and proceeded to fail at making mayonnaise with my immersion
blender. Not once, but three times. It was truly disappointing, not to mention
I used up every last drop of oil in my pantry in the process.
A month or two later, after the painful memory of my
first failed attempts had faded somewhat, I decided to try again, only this
time using a standard blender. Again, the result was a pint of runny yellow
goo. By now, I was convinced that mayonnaise was the domain of culinary
scientists like Chef Roberts and Alton Brown, and not for the likes of me.
But early last year, I picked up Michelle Tam’s new
cookbook, NOM NOM PALEO, FOOD FOR HUMANS. Like a message from God saying,
“Don’t give up – try it one more time!” I found within those pages a recipe for
mayonnaise, complete with detailed instructions – and pictures.
So, being the tenacious type, I gave it another whirl
(sorry for the pun). This time, I used a regular old hand mixer with a whisk
attachment, followed the instructions, and to my delight, I ended up with a
pint of beautiful light yellow mayonnaise to rival the best store-bought jar
you can find. I was thrilled.
Since that effort, I have never had a failure. Not one. I’ve made it about a dozen times or so, with beautiful results every time.
You can find any number of recipes for mayonnaise in
cookbooks or on the web, or you can buy Michelle's cookbook and use hers. But I do have a few comments and suggestions drawn from my own experience:
1. I use
light olive oil. It will give you all the health benefits of monounsaturated
fatty acids without the heavy taste of extra virgin oil. Avocado oil is another
very healthy oil, but the oil you choose will affect the taste of the final
product, so keep that in mind. Whatever you do, DON'T use vegetable oil - you may as well save yourself the trouble and buy Kraft.
2. Use
very fresh eggs from pastured chickens if you can find them. The mayo will only
last as long as the egg(s) it’s made with.
3. The
egg yolk(s) should be room temperature for best results.
4. You
probably COULD use a hand whisk, but I’ve never done it and I don’t recommend
it unless you’re trying to build arm muscle and have very good coordination for the necessary whipping and pouring. Just holding the mixer for
the duration is a work-out for me.
5. Don’t
rush the oil flow. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to make a one-pint jar of
mayo. Time requirement
(to incorporate all the oil) will vary based on how much you make.
Americans have been buying manufactured food for so long
we’ve forgotten how simple it is to make our own. This week I put together from
scratch one of the best ranch salad dressings I’ve ever eaten – again totally absent
of vegetable oils or added sugars. I’ll post about that later on.
My point is, we don’t have to be slaves to what the big
food makers give us. In a world where our food is routinely filled with
questionable and sometimes downright toxic ingredients, there is another
option. And it’s not that hard. Create your own. Cooking from scratch will
ensure that you know what’s in your food – no labels to decipher, no hidden
allergens or GMOs to worry about.
Up for a challenge??
Master your own mayonnaise. You’ll be doing your body
good.
Image Credit: www.foodnetwork.com
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