Homemade Mayonnaise: Technique, Troubleshooting, Storage

[andiesenji]

I have tried several other oils for making mayonnaise - with various "additives" - such as garlic.

"Regular" that is NOT EVOO olive oil is my choice for aioli because too many of the latter have a much too "grassy" or "herbal" flavor that does not work well with foods that have a delicate flavor - the flavor of the mayonnaise overpowers instead of complements the food. 

 

I have used Flora sunflower oil (certified organic) many times with great success.  The flavor of the oil is perfectly neutral and the flavor of the mayonnaise is outstanding and marries well with herbs and spices.

 

Other oils - avocado - excellent, though expensive.  Produces one of the most stable end products which stores well for several days in the fridge.

Rice bran oil - very good, very stable, no breaking. 

Walnut oil - okay but a little strong - not for delicate application - although it is great for "baconnaise/lemon" - whipped with finely minced cooked bacon and grated lemon zest.

Coconut oil works but has a faint flavor of coconut.  It does separate in the fridge after a couple of days but reincorporates easily.

I even used some of my precious (expensive) Argan oil for a small batch made with just one medium egg yolk and it was lovely but had the flavor of the Argan, which I happen to love and with which I dressed a pasta salad. 

 

The two batches I made with grapeseed oil separated on standing in the fridge overnight.  Beating with a fork before using remedied the problem but I decided that other oils produced a more stable product. 

Edited August 29, 2014 by andiesenji (log)

[Martin Fisher]

Generally, less oil equals thicker, more oil equals thinner....the emulsifier (egg) can only do so much.

In the many mayo posts I've read over several years folks seem to have a problem with thinness much more often than they do with thickness.

[gfweb]

If ever a recipe needs to use weights it is one for mayo. Yolks vary in size greatly. In a one-yolk recipe there isn't even the possibility of multiple yolks evening out the variation in size.

[Tri2Cook]

If ever a recipe needs to use weights it is one for mayo. Yolks vary in size greatly. In a one-yolk recipe there isn't even the possibility of multiple yolks evening out the variation in size.

According to Harold McGee, variances in egg yolk size won't matter at all. His experiments concluded that a single average sized yolk has the ability to emulsify something in the range of 24 liters of oil as long as the water phase is kept sufficient to maintain oil droplet separation. Something in the range of 10 - 15 ml water for every 250 ml of oil was suggested. Of course, I've never attempted to replicate his experiment, I don't know what I'd do with 24 liters of mayo.

 

 

[takadi]

I am having trouble with avocado oil mayo. It hardens in the fridge and tends to split because of that. The texture is also strange after hardening. Is there any way I can prevent hardening? I use whole eggs. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Avocado oil, like olive oil, becomes semisolid in the refrigerator.  I have never made avocado oil mayonnaise but my olive oil mayonnaise keeps pretty well in the refrigerator.

 

I suggest you try using egg yolks rather than whole eggs, and a whisk rather than an immersion blender.

 

If that does not work, try making smaller batches of mayonnaise so you don't have to store the leftovers.  Now you have me interested in trying a batch of avocado oil mayonnaise but I still have olive oil mayonnaise to finish first.

[Ozcook]

I am having trouble with avocado oil mayo. It hardens in the fridge and tends to split because of that. The texture is also strange after hardening. Is there any way I can prevent hardening? I use whole eggs. 

I have never had a problem with avocado oil mayo, but I only make the mayo with one third avocado oil and two-thirds light olive oil.

[takadi]

Okay this is the third time my avocado oil mayo is splitting after a week or so in the fridge. It's normal and tasty for the first weeks then it turns into the texture of butter. When taken out of the fridge and brought back up to room temperature it is broken.

 

I am trying a new batch with a new technique this time by soft boiling eggs until the yolk reaches a creamy consistency and using that instead of raw yolks in hopes it will stay stable. I will also be adding a little more water. If this doesn't work, it could be just the oil I'm using. Maybe using a blend of oils will fare better. If not I'll probably have to resort to using xantham gum or something

[gfweb]

What is the recipe for the mayo?

 

Is there an emulsifier?

[takadi]

I am using a variation of this recipe

 

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/3440774534/paleo-mayonnaise

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I would not try keeping homemade mayonnaise so long.

[Baron d'Apcher]

Okay this is the third time my avocado oil mayo is splitting after a week or so in the fridge. It's normal and tasty for the first weeks then it turns into the texture of butter. When taken out of the fridge and brought back up to room temperature it is broken.

 

I am trying a new batch with a new technique this time by soft boiling eggs until the yolk reaches a creamy consistency and using that instead of raw yolks in hopes it will stay stable. I will also be adding a little more water. If this doesn't work, it could be just the oil I'm using. Maybe using a blend of oils will fare better. If not I'll probably have to resort to using xantham gum or something

 

Avocado oil is discussed upthread.  It is monounsaturated fat and seizes up when cold. Macadamia nut oil does the same when cold.  Those are not practical oils for a mayonnaise recipe unless it is consumed in a day, or cut with lots of seed oil.

[takadi]

So it is the solidification that causes the breakage? That doesn't explain why the emulsion is stable for up to a week even in the fridge. I think it has to do with the yolks breaking down somehow, who knows why....some enzymatic action, the presence of acid, fermentation...

[gfweb]

My intuition says its a funny oil that caused the problem. Eggs are eggs. Mustard is mustard. But the oil is the variation from normal.

 

When I make mayo with peanut oil, eggs, mustard and lemon it is fridge-stable until I use it up weeks later.

 

Whether it is an impurity in your oil, or the oil itself...who knows?

 

Why not do an experiment. Make mayo with avocado oil and with veg oil. See which lasts longer.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Thanks for reviving the thread.  I had not made mayonnaise for a few months.  Tonight I found a pasteurized egg in the refrigerator and whipped up a one yolk batch in a small bowl by the Raymond Sokolov method.  Very satisfactory, everything came out right.  I used about two thirds avocado oil to about one third extra virgin olive oil.  The salt and white pepper were ground to a fine powder in a mortar.  Also I used lime juice in place of lemon, which is just my preference and may have had something to do with the mai tai.

 

I confess I am not proud and I go through a lot of Hellman's for my sandwiches for work, however homemade mayonnaise is so easy!  One important difference is the cost.  Good oil is frightfully expensive.  Hellman's is cheap.

[Baron d'Apcher]

  I used about two thirds avocado oil to about one third extra virgin olive oil.  

 

Many extra virgin olive oils will seize up when cold as well.  I find that the best tasting mayonnaise have a larger proportion of neutral oils like grapeseed, and a nominal amount of olive oil, or else they are far too rich and taste more of olive oil than the other flavoring ingredients (mustard, acid, egg, etc...).

 

It is worth noting that quite a few general purpose extra virgin olive oils (not single source premium finishing oils) are blends from different quality olives and countries and will vary from container to container and year to year so one might seize more when cold whereas another might not.  When storing refrigerated items in olive oil it is wise to cut the oil with canola or grapeseed oil to keep it from seizing and it is easier to pick the items out of said oil rather than having clumps of what looks like slushy oil.

[rotuts]

"""   slushy oil  """

 

love the stuff.  on toast.

 

but you have to eat fast.

Edited March 1, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Ozcook]

I don't have a problem with mayo made with avocado oil, but I only add about 100ml. The other 200ml is from light olive oil. I have never had it separate on me.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My recent batch of mayonnaise broke when I removed it from the refrigerator.  I would have been happy had it lasted a week.

[Shelby]

2 yolks, 1.5 cup peanut oil, 1 tsp dijon, 1tbsp vinegar, salt... in a blender

Just had to say, I just made a batch and your recipe worked perfectly  Thanks!!!!

 

I had terrible luck last time (different recipe that used the whole egg instead of just the yolk).  Learned my lesson.

[takadi]

Okay so it's been a month since I've tried a new method...I cooked the yolk just above soft boiled and cut the avocado oil with about a quarter cup of MCT coconut oil. Mayo is still good as new and tastes great too. No breakage at all, though it has firmed up a bit. Overall, a success