Mythbusting 5 minute mayonnaise (without a blender)

[WunderHase]

Sorry for the dramatic title (and a really long post) :-) Also, I posted about this mayo in another thread, so I'm being slightly reduntant. Sorry about that as well, but I do have some new pictures and different ingredients this time.

 

So, I decided to post this, because after reading a lot of mayo recipes here and elsewhere, almost everyone is using a blender or claiming that making the mayo needs a lot of elbow grease or that you need lemon juice or vinegar or the egg needs to be room temperature. I've done none of those things here and got great mayo, and I've got the pictures to prove it. This is great, because you can make it so fast and it doesn't require a lot of effort. Lazy people unite! (when we get around to it).

 

The time difference between the first and the last photo is 6 minutes, but I was taking pictures, so I'd say you can do this in five. But you can also take your time, if you want to. There's no hurry, and this is one of the key things I'd like to propose in this recipe: there is no need to blend like there's no tomorrow. Especially a small amount like that will emulsify with less mechanical stirring, and the amount is still enough to last you 2-3 days (besides, you shouldn't store the mayo forever anyway, due to the raw egg yolk).

 

So here we go. The egg yolk from the fridge:

 

 

I put a slightly damp kitchen rag underneath the bowl, so that it doesn't move when I'm stirring. The reason I'm using only the yolk is that the egg white will start to foam and ruin everything. Don't disgard the egg white. Store in fridge and eat in an omelette or use it in some other recipe, like meatballs.

 

 

Here the yolk has been broken with a ball whisk. I used another type of whisk in my previous photos, but then realized that the other kind may be some Nordic thingie. So here I'm using another type of whisk that people should be more familiar with. The point is just to use a whisk...but not to whip the mayo. Just stir. I've noticed that sometimes less speed is better than going faster. "Harder, better, stronger" does not apply here.

 

 

Here I've added approximately a tablespoon worth of macadamia oil. The macadamia oil is much smoother in taste than olive oil, which can taste a bit bitter. To me, it smells buttery and nutty. Which is no surprise, as macadamia nuts are very fatty and nutty :-) Granted, it is more expensive, but it is lovely.

 

The consistency here is still a bit runny, but the oil and yolk have blended. At this point, do not panic and think that it's not blending enough and start whipping it. Relax and just continue pouring the oil slowly and stirring.

 

 

After more oil and stirring with the whisk, the consistency is getting thicker, but not thick enough for a mayo, so we need more oil. I don't know how much oil I used, because I poured it straight from the bottle. That's why the photos here might be useful, so that you know that the consistency will change with more oil. You can decide for yourself how thick you want it to be.

 

 

This was when I was content with the consistency. The mayo was clinging onto the whisk and was clearly more...firm? I'm not sure which word to use to describe it, so I'll just use that one :-) My English is OK, but I'm not used to using the culinary vocabulary.

 

 

After I was content with the consistency, I added a bit of salt. It's Maldon, so it's a bit flaky and isn't necessarily the best choice, as it's not going to really dissolve, but I just love Maldon, so I use it in everything.

 

I have added these ingredients also straight to the yolk at other times, but have now decided to make the emulsion first, and only then add the other ingredients. I don't really like Dijon mustard, so I left it out this time. I did add half a teaspoon of white wine vinegar just to get a bit of tanginess. The point is: you can leave out the vinegar, lemon juice and mustard if you want to. You can still make the egg and oil emulsion and then use what ever flavors you want! Of course, it's not going to taste like commercial mayo if you leave out the vinegar and mustard, but it's not going to taste like commercial mayo anyway, because commercial mayo uses the type of oils that aren't used in Whole30. Of the oils we can use, I think that macadamia is the "blandest", which is good for mayo.

 

 

And here is the mayo after adding the salt (and possibly the vinegar, I can't remember if I added that before or after this picture, but that's unimportant, as the consistency didn't change).

 

You can flavor it how ever you want. I would personally add the vinegar and mustard in small increments (like half a teaspoon at a time) and test the flavor. The first time I tried to make a mayo in a blender according to some instructions, I ended up with this foul smelling vinegary, oily mess, which is why I decided to try another approach.

 

As for other ingredients, I'd probably add something green to an olive oil based mayo, as it already tastes quite "green". That and garlic. I like to add curry powder to the mayo when I use it with chicken. Cayenne pepper would be nice as well, or even those super spicy red chili flakes. Fresh herbs and spices, or just salt and pepper (and vinegar and mustard). Or perhaps lime juice. What ever makes you happy :-)

 

So relax and enjoy the process! :-)

 

P.S. The use of the egg yolk from the fridge was actually an accident, but it turned out to be one of those mythbusting ingredients :-) I had only one organic egg left, which I store at room temperature, and I broke the yolk, so I had to take a non-organic one from the fridge. I was trying to take photos of how to use a funnel to separate the yolk from the white. A handy tip for those who feel intimidated by using hands or the shell (which is what I do). Unfortunately, the funnel I used had this ridge inside, which broke the yolk and everything just slipped through the funnel to the glass. I felt a bit stupid at that point. Anyway, if you have a funnel that's smooth inside, you can use it to separate the egg; the egg white will fall through the funnel and the yolk will stay in the funnel.

[Bet]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

People made mayo long before blenders. If you just need some quick, a whisk is the way to go.

[WunderHase]

Whisk is indeed the way to go, in my humble opinion (and that's partly because I totally failed with the blender, so I'm biased :-)). Plus the whisk is easier to clean than blenders, so it's less work! Did I mention that I'm lazy? :-)

 

I would still like to emphasize that even when using a whisk, there's no need to blend like you would be making whipped cream. Fairly slow paced stirring is enough. After I figured that out I realized that making mayo is really not as intimidating and scary or complex as I thought it would be!

[praxisproject]

*high fives the whiskers*

 

When I whisk mayo I flick it everywhere lol I think speed is my problem there

[Roz Griffiths]

I have early memories of my godfather - now well into his 90s - sitting at his kitchen table & making mayonnaise by hand My mum was always quick to point out how amazing it was (and how extra specially delicious!)

[megR]

Yay.  I've been procrastinating making for mayo, because I hate cleaning the food processor!  Wisk it is!