Basic Mayo struggles

[darienfaith]

Hi guys! I'm going on day 5 tomorrow and I'm loving it. I'm trying some of the sauces and haven't quite mastered the basic mayo. Has anyone used alternate oils besides light olive oil? I used coconut and It's really soupy, maybe I didn't blend long enough? How long should you blend the first step and then the second step? I just have a regular blender. Thanks for the feedback!

[Alicia C]

On August 6, 2016 at 2:23 AM, darienfaith said:

Hi guys! I'm going on day 5 tomorrow and I'm loving it. I'm trying some of the sauces and haven't quite mastered the basic mayo. Has anyone used alternate oils besides light olive oil? I used coconut and It's really soupy, maybe I didn't blend long enough? How long should you blend the first step and then the second step? I just have a regular blender. Thanks for the feedback!

I just had the same problem yesterday with my mayo and I'm looking for advice also.  I used light olive oil.  I think the problem was that I used a cold egg and cold lemon.  The recipe says to use both at room temperature.  

Also, is there a way to fix the mayo if it is too runny?  I'm going to try a google search and if I come up with anything i'll post it here.

[Alicia C]

There is another thread on this subject - the problem for me was the cold egg and lemon.  I'm sure of it.

However, I saw where one used the failed mayo as a marinade and/or poaching liquid - great idea.  Mine is going to work with my fresh shrimp tonight.

[jenmidge]

You can fix split or very runny mayo. Put a fresh egg (room temp) in a clean container and very slowly, drizzle in your split mayo (room temp) whilst blending. (you need to clean your blender first). Needs to be poured in with as fine a trickle as you can manage. It takes me 10 - 12mins to pour in one cupful. 

That said, I use a stick blender in a mason jar. It will thicken in the fridge a bit if it's not split.

I've tried 1/3 avocado oil but didn't like the taste so stick to light olive oil. I use the recipe in Well Fed 2, seems to work more often than W30 recipe and has a nicer flavor. 

good luck

[fitisthenublack]

Coconut oil mayo sounds....interesting. I really love the extra light tasting olive oil.  It tastes great.  You can always add a new egg to your runny mayo to make it thicker.  What are you using to blend the mayo? I cannot stress enough the amazingness that is a stick blender. They're like $30 and worth every penny.  I make mayo right in the jar now and it takes about 30 seconds. Insanely easy.  

[jmcbn]

On 8/6/2016 at 7:23 AM, darienfaith said:

I used coconut and It's really soupy

Apart from the advice you've been given above re fixing 'broken' mayo, bear in mind that coconut oil can solidify in colder temps so it works better if you do a 50/50 split with any other compliant oil (I hear avocado works particularly well here) to prevent this from happening 

I also second the immersion blender, and making the mayo in your mason jar - dump & grind - simple.

[Little_Ramona]

100% NEED A STICK BLENDER. In my experience it's not the temp or type of oil but the method. My whole world changed upon buying a stick (immersion) blender for $20. I make a batch of mayo in about 90 seconds:

Start with a pint size wide mouth mason jar that has measurements on the side:

Add oil first so you can measure to the one cup line on the jar. (1 cup oil of choice)

Next add 1 egg straight from the fridge, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground mustard seed.

Place your brand new immersion blender in the jar all the way to the bottom, holding it upright and covering the egg. Start blending and slowly lift the blender to the surface a couple of times to capture all the oil and mix the ingredients. It WILL emulsify 99% of the time. When emulsification does not happen it's usually an issue with the acid so I was recommended to use the juice from the little plastic lemon because the acidity is more consistent/ reliable than in fresh lemon juice.

I've never been able to turn a non-emulsified batch into thick and creamy mayo, however you can turn it into salad dressing by adding a vinegar of choice and some herbs. Play around with them depending on the type of dressing you are going for. Balsamic is great, or ACV plus herbs for something like a Ranch type flavor, etc. I've added hot sauce to make a kind of buffalo sauce. You could do a lime/ cilantro to drizzle over fish tacos (lettuce instead of tortillas obviously). The possibilities are endless.

[lisa11]

I just had the "runny" problem as well. Followed all the instructions in the book. Used my Vitamix, which has a setting to make dressings. It came out as pure liquid. Total fail.

[ShannonM816]

1 hour ago, lisa11 said:

I just had the "runny" problem as well. Followed all the instructions in the book. Used my Vitamix, which has a setting to make dressings. It came out as pure liquid. Total fail.

I know some people have trouble with the Vitamix running a little too fast/hot for the mayo to work right. You might google Vitamix mayo help and see if there are particular tips to make it work better.

[ArtFossil]

On August 8, 2016 at 3:31 PM, Little_Ramona said:

100% NEED A STICK BLENDER. In my experience it's not the temp or type of oil but the method. My whole world changed upon buying a stick (immersion) blender for $20. I make a batch of mayo in about 90 seconds:

Start with a pint size wide mouth mason jar that has measurements on the side:

Add oil first so you can measure to the one cup line on the jar. (1 cup oil of choice)

Next add 1 egg straight from the fridge, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground mustard seed.

Place your brand new immersion blender in the jar all the way to the bottom, holding it upright and covering the egg. Start blending and slowly lift the blender to the surface a couple of times to capture all the oil and mix the ingredients. It WILL emulsify 99% of the time. When emulsification does not happen it's usually an issue with the acid so I was recommended to use the juice from the little plastic lemon because the acidity is more consistent/ reliable than in fresh lemon juice.

I've never been able to turn a non-emulsified batch into thick and creamy mayo, however you can turn it into salad dressing by adding a vinegar of choice and some herbs. Play around with them depending on the type of dressing you are going for. Balsamic is great, or ACV plus herbs for something like a Ranch type flavor, etc. I've added hot sauce to make a kind of buffalo sauce. You could do a lime/ cilantro to drizzle over fish tacos (lettuce instead of tortillas obviously). The possibilities are endless.

Watch out for that lemon juice. Most bottled juice isn't compliant (has sulfites).

[Rfallo]

I love Avocado oil for mayo! Even light Olive oil is too strong of a taste for me.

a fix for broken mayo...I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't try it myself and it WORKED: get a clean bowl, add a teaspoon of water, slowly (drop by drop) add in your broken mayo mix. It will emulsify and turn back into mayo!! I learned that from http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/homemade-mayonnaise-a-love-story-sort-of

 

[Babsie95]

I have made two batches this week and successfully,  I have had many fails in the past. I used half walnut oil and half light tasting olive oil. I used mustard powder and rice vinegar for the acid since I didn't have acv.  I used an immersion blender and did it with the egg straight from the fridge. It worked well and tastes amazing.