Thursday, March 5, 2009

Homemade Mayonnaise





















When my chickens started laying last fall I wanted to try making my own mayonnaise. I found a few recipes and settled on one that sounded good to me and set about making it. I had to use my hand mixer and it took an eternity to get the oil/egg emulsion made. It didn't have the consistency that I was hoping for--more like a thick sauce than mayo. Also, the flavor was horrible. The recipe called for a ridiculous amount of lemon juice which made the mayo taste extremely bitter. I threw it out and started doing some research.

What I really, really wanted was a mayonnaise that tasted like what I was used to. Something that tasted like Hellmann's or Miracle Whip would be fantastic! I read the labels on the mayonnaise jars and tried to come up with a blend that was similar. I think I finally found a blend of ingredients that tastes the way I think mayo should.

Here's my list of ingredients:

  • 1 cup canola oil

  • 1 whole egg

  • 1 tsp white vinegar

  • 1 tsp honey mustard

  • 1/4 tsp white pepper

  • 1/4 tsp sugar

  • 1/4 tsp table salt

  • 1/8 tsp paprika

The next hurdle to overcome was the length of time it took to blend the ingredients. Every recipe I read instructed me to slowly, slowly, drizzle the oil into the egg and whisk like a mad woman! The last thing I wanted to do was stand at the kitchen counter and attempt to drizzle oil with my left hand while whisking with my right hand. I'm not that coordinated so chances are the oil would be drizzled too fast, too slow, or miss the bowl entirely. It took me about 15 minutes my first attempt to make the emulsion, even with my hand mixer. There had to be a simpler method!

Then I read in Angie's blog, "Home Grown" how she made her own mayo using her immersion blender. Eureka! This was the answer I was looking for! I immediately ordered my immersion blender and when it arrived the very first thing I made was a cup of mayo. It worked in less than 30 seconds and there was no need to drizzle the oil. I combined all the ingredients into the handy little beaker that came with my blender and let it do the work for me. Truly amazing.



Of course I had to try my blender in other applications too, such as making smooth applesauce, creamed soups and chowders, and some tomato sauces. It's such a great time saver I would recommend it to every cook I know.





















This is my immersion blender:



10 comments:

  1. Fresh Homemade Mayo? How awesome is that?!
    Thanks for sharing your recipe and the helpful tips.

    I swear everytime I come over here, I find something else that I just must have to make my life better and easier. lol!

    I'm thinking that these appliance and cookware folks ought to be paying you to pimp their products. It would be well worth their advertising budget, for sure! :)

    ~Lisa

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  2. The KitchenAide whipper works great. I've never had an immersion blender, I know the soap making people love 'em.

    The recipe looks great, however, the recipes I've tried used egg yolk and not the whole egg, something about the immulsion process? maybe doesn't matter.

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  3. Lisa, Good idea! Do try the mayonnaise when you're back in the kitchen again. It's definitely very good. And it's nice to know that you made it yourself.

    Joanna, the first recipe I tried called for the yolks only, but Angie used the whole egg and I decided to try it too. It makes for a lighter colored mayo and I don't see any signs of separation. I'll keep an eye on it as see if it changes any over the next week.

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  4. Gee, that was a whole lot quicker than running to the store to pick up some Hellman's! Have you had any trouble with it separating? I made it one time when I first got my big Cuisinart a long time ago and I had that problem.

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  5. Susan, isn't that cool??? I love it! The mayo is chilling in the fridge right now. If there's any separation at all I'll let you know. I made a sandwich with it for lunch and it tasted really good!

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  6. I have been wanting to make this and you have talked me into an imersion blender. I've heard they work good for soap making as well. I was thinking mayo called for more eggs. I let you know if I try this recipe.
    ~Kim

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  7. Kim, someone like you who does a lot of canning and likes to cook from scratch would really love having an immersion blender. I think you'll find a lot of uses for it. Definitely let me know if you try making your own mayo, and please share your recipe!

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  8. I love it when I read about others making their own, whether it be food, furniture, or nything in between! Good job, Amy! I used to make my own mayo but haven't for several yrs. I used my regular blender to make mine. Your recipe sounds more interesting.

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  9. I'm gonna have to get one of those blenders before canning time.
    My mom used to make homemade mayo all the time... and then she would make homemade pimento cheese with it! YUMMMM

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  10. ***UPDATE*** For those who wanted to know if the mayonnaise separated I'm happy to report that it has not. Five days later, it is still the same consistency as it was the day I made it. It is disappearing however, a strange phenomenon indeed!

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