278709 Mon Jul 11 15:50:00 -0700 2005 12 31 Home Cooking 0 1475980 I made mayonnaise yesterday which turned out just awful - terribly oily tasting. The texture was great, it emulsified perfectly so I'm pretty sure the amount of oil wasn't the problem, but the grade of oil used (basic "salad" oil), right? Any tips or favorite recipes for a standard mayonnaise suitable for everything from a tomato sandwich to more dish-specific herbed mayos? Mon Jul 11 15:50:00 -0700 2005 0 Shan 1 1475986 I always make mine in my old Cuisinart, which has a very handy oil-dribbler hole in the pusher. I've used avocado oil, olive oil, canola oil - usually olive and canola, more or less half and half. I think my alltime favorite was the avocado oil, but it's so expensive - this bottle was a gift, and when I went shopping for some more I was stunned at how expensive that mayonnaise had been! You also need to watch how old your oil is, and if it's been exposed to air and heat - that'll make it unwilling to emulsify. The weather can be another factor, but it sounds like you did everything right except for the oil... I usually peel a garlic clove or two and drop that in with the machine running before I proceed with the mayonnaise, but we're both real garlic freaks. I also frequently dash in a couple of shakes of cayenne. A bit of saffron would be nice, say, if you were making it as a sauce for pan-roasted codfish, or dill and/or capers for salmon. Mon Jul 11 16:17:35 -0700 2005 1475980 0 Will Owen 2 1475995 I think I was looking for the confirmation you've given me - since the emulsification was perfect, it had to be the quality of the oil. I thought of using EVOO, but I think next time I'm shopping, I'll keep an eye out for some lightly flavored oils such as the avocado. It's a shame, because if it weren't for the oily taste, I think the standard recipe is a winner (I also added a touch of cayenne, and when I realized my paprika is OLD, I used a shake of Old Bay seasoning instead LOL), and your garlic addition sounds great. Well, hmmmmm. I just went to taste the egg salad I'd made yesterday w/the mayo (I was committed at that point) and the oily taste is all but gone. I also added a bit of dried chives, which leave a slight, but pleasant, aftertaste. So two lessons learned - go ahead and use better oil next time, but definitely let the mayo sit in the fridge overnight before deciding it's "terrible." Mon Jul 11 16:34:36 -0700 2005 1475986 0 Shan 3 1476002 Two things: First, I use mostly a neutral oil and then 1/2 cup of EVOO...you get the flavor but it's not overwhelming. Second: Julia has some tips in her Mastering the Art book for dealing with separating or non-solidifying mayo. Simple and foolproof. I also always make the mayo "unflavored" except for a bit of mustard and then add stuff to it after it's made as desired. After you make your own the Best Foods/Helman's tastes really artificial. Mon Jul 11 17:09:17 -0700 2005 1475995 0 oakjoan 4 1476269 I always make mine by hand -- every time I try to use a machine, whether it's a KitchenAid, a blender, a food processor, an egg-beater, or a Tilt-a-Whirl (yes, I tried it, no, it didn't work), it fails, I finish with an oil slick on top of eggs and mustard, and I end up having to mount it by hand anyway. I've been making "sauce mayonnaise" since I was eight years old, always by hand. It takes me about 20 minutes, half an hour if the oil is old or if it's very hot. When I'm making it as a dip for crudites I use all light olive oil and some garlic -- it's very strong but that's the idea. When I'm making it for sandwiches I use one part EVOO to three parts grapeseed oil and omit the garlic. Wed Jul 13 12:17:14 -0700 2005 1476002 0 Das Ubergeek 1 1476007 For all-purpose mayo use, I use safflower oil (which I also use for most all-purpose frying.) Olive oil makes a strong-flavored mayo which can be great -- or awful -- depending on what you use it for and your personal taste. Personally, I would stick with a riper/yellower oil without the characteristic "bite" that some oils are known for. Mon Jul 11 17:16:45 -0700 2005 1475980 0 MikeG 2 1476008 PS: I think it's less an issue of "grade" of oil than type. I happen to think canola oil tastes and smells really gross, so even the highest quality isn't something I would ever make mayo with (or use for any purpose for that matter.) Most "cooking oil" without any further description is soybean oil which I think is fine for general frying purposes, but doesn't have the sort of flavor I would want to eat by the spoonful, which is essentially what you're doing when you eat mayo. Mon Jul 11 17:21:13 -0700 2005 1476007 0 MikeG 3 1476009 Mike, I had to laugh when you mentioned you wouldn't want to eat it with a spoon because as I was making it yesterday, I found myself alternately fascinated and repulsed by the whole idea of it. One of those moments where you're thinking "who in the heck ever figured out that if you take a LOT of oil, a couple of egg yolks, and vinegar or lemon juice and whip it together JUST so, you'll get a creamy, fatty result?" And perhaps more important, "why?" And how the heck did they make it before blenders/food processors/mixers? I'm with you, though - I hesitated to use EVOO because I didn't want that flavor, and I also hate canola oil. We have cottonseed oil available inexpensively locally that might work well. The thing that cracks me up is that even though I decided to use my KA mixer instead of dragging the food processor out, I didn't have any problem with separation/emulsification, which I think is what most people expected to see from this thread. Mon Jul 11 17:39:23 -0700 2005 1476008 0 Shan 4 1476028 LOL As for how they made it before - by hand. And it's one of those things that have gotten a really bad rep for no good reason I can see - it's really not all that an arcane skill. Sometimes I use a single beater on my hand mixer because it's a little easier to hold it all still, but I've done it by hand just as often. You have to start out with very little oil at time, but it doesn't take long until you can add it with a fairly heavy hand. For that matter, I like the texture better when it's done at slower speed. In a blender, the texture always reminds of me of commercial mayo, though at least it doesn't have the same sickening smell! Mon Jul 11 19:47:10 -0700 2005 1476009 0 MikeG 5 1476083 By HAND? I thought I was roughing it by using the KA! ;-) Tue Jul 12 11:58:34 -0700 2005 1476028 0 Shan 1 1476020 i've used grapeseed oil before to make mayo.. it is light and sightly nutty tasting. makes tasty mayo imho. last time I made it I did put in fridge over night before use.. it seems to marry the flavors a bit. all my tupperware was used... so I put it in a tall beer glass. there was something rather obscene about a big glass of mayo. (why it doesn't seem that way in the jar from the store I don't know). Mon Jul 11 18:23:12 -0700 2005 1475980 0 megan 2 1476034 Grapeseed oil is my favorite too (I've also used safflower, canola, and various olive oils). I've tried using EVOO in various fractions, but I never liked the flavor so now I never use it. It's just too flavorful for mayo. Link: http://goodeatsfanpage.com/Season4/EA1D10.htm Mon Jul 11 20:36:16 -0700 2005 1476020 0 nja 1 1476743 an old post but thought I'd answer since I make this so frequently and it comes out great each time now. I use D Madison's Veggy Cooking For Everyone recipe doing it by hand with a whisk. Seems hard but once you get the feel not bad at all. I start with an egg yolk at room temp (absolutely key!). - If the egg is just out of the frig I wash two metal mixing bowls, one the next size larger than the other, in hot water. I then put a just a bit of hot water in the larger bowl and the smaller of the two sits in that. I whisk the egg to stiffen a bit while it picks up the heat of the bowl and the water until it gets to room temp. I moisten some paper towel and wrinkling it up put it on a stable counter. I then move the bowl with the egg onto it using the wet towel to stablize the bowl while I whisk. I then whisk a dab of dijon mustard and lemon juice in the egg. I then get 3/4 cup of peanut oil and taking spoonfuls of it spilling it drop by drop into the egg while whisking steadily until it starts to get to mayo consistency. Then I spill in more of a very slow stream from the spoon, still whisking. Once I've used up the oil I whisk in a couple of TBS of EVOO and a bit more mustard and lemon. If I'm in the mood for aeoli I separately pound some peeled garlic and several basil leaves in a mortar and pestle into which I'd put some kosher salt. Once it is a paste I whisk into the mayo. It seems to last in the frig up to two weeks. I haven't purchased mayo in a store for a couple of years now. Mon Jul 25 16:17:43 -0700 2005 1475980 0 kevine