Mayonnaise/Why does the jarred stuff last

[Bux]

Right. Hellman's has some claim to the name mayonnaise. Miracle Whip isn't even fit to hold Hellman's coat.

[Bux]

It would seem to me, that any self-pasteurizing food would be hot stuff, no?

[maggiethecat]

gknl: I don't have a jar of Miracle Whip in the house, but I think that the "flavor" depends on upping the sugar content enormously. It always tastes sweet.

Heavy Duty mayo? LOL

[gknl]

gknl:  I don't have a jar of Miracle Whip in the house, but I think that the "flavor" depends on upping the sugar content enormously.  It always tastes sweet.

Heavy Duty mayo? LOL

I think it's more than just sweet. There's something distinctive about it, perhaps the type of oil? I tried a jar of Trader Joe's safflower oil mayo once and it was suspiciously close to MW. So much so that I threw it away. But it still wasn't MW.

[=Mark]

Hellman's is too white and pasty for my eyes...

Err... I don't think it's meant to be topically applied to the eyebones...

[=Mark]

You probably say the same thing about a Twinkie.

Do they ever go stale? Of course some people raise the question of whether they are ever fresh.

I remember Jay Leno tormenting Richard Simmons by taking a Twinkie, inserting the nozzle of a can of whipped cream into the end, and inflarting it like a little cake whipped cream balloon... It's always worthwhile to see Richard Simmons tormented...

[KarenS]

In the west, Best Foods is the mayonaise of choice. Miracle Whip is horrible, like a sweet thousand island dressing

[Dave the Cook]

While shopping at Sam's Club Saturday, I saw a gallon of mayo labelled "HEAVY DUTY". (I was curious, but not enough to buy a gallon). But I do wonder...

When I did purchasing for a restaurant (this goes back 20+ years, but things are probably the same), mayonnaise was purchased according to oil content. The top of the line was Kraft Extra Heavy Mayonnaise, at 81% oil, all the others being less. Since warehouse clubs often buy in restaurant packs (hence the gallon jug), I suspect you were looking at a high-percentage-oil mayo. Doesn't excuse the terminology, though, does it? Makes me want to grease my axles.

I think it's more than just sweet. There's something distinctive about it, perhaps the type of oil?

My theory, FWIW, is that MW also has a much higher proportion of acid, in the form of vinegar, perhaps cider vinegar. Joy of Cooking has a slaw dressing recipe that calls for mayo, sugar and cider vinegar that tastes suspiciously close to MW.

It would seem to me, that any self-pasteurizing food would be hot stuff, no?

Oh, I get it-- . Sorry, Bux, I was about give you the actual temperatures for pasteurization.

Oh hell, I can't help it--144 F for 30 minutes or 160 F for 15 seconds. Let's see Hellman's put that in a jar.

[Nick]

.....and the delicate flavor notes of Hellmann's/Bestfoods will begin to wane.

Suzanne picked up on it first, but that's pretty far out.

[mamster]

What does calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate dihydrate do?

I have a bottle of this on my desk! It's a chelating agent. I also have a bottle of sodium lauryl sulfate. You want my job so bad.

[Dave the Cook]

What does calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate dihydrate do?

I have a bottle of this on my desk! It's a chelating agent. I also have a bottle of sodium lauryl sulfate. You want my job so bad.

You're really Clark W. Griswold, Jr., aren't you?

[nightscotsman]

What does calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate dihydrate do?

I have a bottle of this on my desk! It's a chelating agent. I also have a bottle of sodium lauryl sulfate. You want my job so bad.

You're really Clark W. Griswold, Jr., aren't you?

naw, just a smug scientific bastard

[maggiethecat]

Good grief! We are talking about mayo, not male posturing. Dope slap, Maggie! It's always about male posturing! Love 'ya, guys!

[Suzanne F]

Results of a totally pseudoscientific taste test:

Miracle Whip: sweet-and-sour in equally (very) strong proportions; not much other discernible flavor.

Hellman's Mayonesa con jugo de limón: more tart, almost no sweetness (compared to MW); no discernible lime flavor; unidentifiable unpleasantness -- oil??

Hellman's "Garlic Paradise": slightly sweeter than the one with lime juice; overpowering flavor of garlic powder, but without much flavor of GARLIC.

[Nick]

Where does Cain's fit into all of this?

[Dave the Cook]

I've been giving this a lot of thought, and I have some ideas about how to extend the shelf-life of homemade mayo. As I was working through a protocol in my head, it occurred to me that perhaps no one is really interested in doing it.

Do you folks want longer-life homemade mayo? If you do, what are the characteristics that you are least willing to give up? Some possibilities that occur to me:

-"eggy" taste

- texture

- choice of fat (and by the way, what is the fat of choice?)

- other taste components

[maggiethecat]

Dave: I think I'd give up "other taste components first. If the oil and acid ingredients are good, the mayo should taste good.

Oil: It depends on what we're going to use the mayo with, but 2/3 canola and 1/3 EVOO seems practical.

Thanks!

[Dave the Cook]

So egg flavor is less important than acid/fat balance?