If you appreciate mayonnaise at all, then I highly recommend making it yourself. You can customize it with your own choice of oil, or add other flavors (e.g. garlic, herbs, spices). This particular recipe requires an immersion blender, but is incredibly easy.
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 cup peanut oil
In a tall, narrow container that your immersion blender will fit into, add 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp water, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt. Pour in 1 cup peanut oil (or other neutral flavored oil) into the container. Immediately stick the immersion blender into the bottom of the container and start blending. The mayonnaise should form without moving the blender too much, but sometimes I move the blender up and down a little to help the process. Once the mayonnaise is a thick and homogenous mixture, transfer it to an airtight container and store in the fridge. I find this keeps for longer than it lasts (i.e. it hasn’t gone bad on me yet).
If you don’t have an immersion blender, the ingredients are the same, simply add the oil in a slow drizzle, while whisking quickly and continuously (your arms will be sore, I promise you).
A note on breaking mayo: if the mayo breaks or doesn’t form, pour a little bit into another bowl, add some more lemon juice or water, and whisk by hand or with a mixer. When the mayonnaise starts to form, slowly drizzle in the remainder of the mixture. If the mayonnaise is too thin, whisk in more oil.
Updated July 4, 2012
Logan's Kitchen 