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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Mastering Mayonnaise

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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