Sunday, March 14, 2010

Homemade Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a stable emulsion of oil, vinegar or lemon juice and egg yolks, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Mayonnaise is maked by slowly adding oil to egg yolk(s), while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil. The oil and the water in the yolks form a base of the emulsion, while the lecithin from the yolks is the emulsifier that stabilizes it.

As you can see from the ingredients list below, there are only 4 basic ingredients needed to make mayonnaise. But look at the number of ingredients found in commercially available mayonnaise, some of which I can't even pronouce.

Granted that homemade mayonnaise takes a bit of time, it tastes a million tons fresher and you have total control over the quality of the ingredients you use. It also has lower calories per serving compared to commercially available mayonnaise! In my homemade mayonnaise recipe below, I am using eggs from cage-free hens that are fed with a vegetarian diet free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

Mayonnaise is very versatile. It can be a base in salad dressings, simple spread on sandwiches and dip for vegetables or chips. The following makes about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of mayonnaise. Homemade mayonnaise will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator since it does not have any presevatives in them.


Ingredients:
1. 2 egg yolks
2. 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice or white wine vinegar
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice or white wine vinegar and salt until smooth, emulsified and light. Will probably take about 5 to 10 mins depending on how fast you whisk.


2. Add a few drops of oil into the egg mixture and whisk until oil is well combined and mixture is smooth and slightly thicken. Will probably take about 5 minutes.


3. Continue step 2, gradually increasing the amount of oil added into the mixture as you go along. The more oil whisked into the mixture, the thicker the mixture gets. Whisk in the oil till it is very well combined and mixture emulsifies. The whisking keeps the oil suspended in the egg mixture to form mayonnaise.


Nutritional value of this recipe:
The total number of calories per serving (1 teaspoon) is only 78, compared to 90 calories from 1 teaspoon of commercially available mayonnaise!

Note:
Be sure to have all ingredients at room temperature before making this recipe.

3 comments:

Margaret Hale said...

By hand?? Dang Kelly, you are hardcore! I would break out the stand mixer or at the very least a hand mixer for sure. Well, I do have carpal tunnel...maybe that's an excuse. :0/ Happy Tuesday!

-The Chef Next Door

Kelly said...

Lol. After more than a week of sedantary lifestyle (recovering from a surgery), this was good workout! But yes, feel free to use a mixer cos' homemade mayonaise is really a million times better than commericially available ones. :)

Cheers......Kelly

Cheese! said...

Hi Kelly,
How long can we keep this homemade mayo? Just to double confirm - the egg yolks are raw?