Favorite Uses for Mayonnaise

[jetsie]

I like mayo with sandwiches, burgers, and potato salad. Can't stand the weird flavor of soy oil, so I use Hain's safflower mayo. I tried Hain's canola mayo a few times, but it's oversweetened. I don't see the point of "lite" mayo. One of these days I'll make a nice aioli and wallow in it.

[francois]

Store bought and home made mayo are really 2 different things. Pretty much like a home baked pain au levain is different from a store bought sliced bread. It is hard to compare them.

[CompassRose]

Miracle Whip. Oh, shudder! I used to think I hated potato salad (me! A good mostly-German girl, who loves potato anything!) But no, what I hated was the (shudder) Miracle Sh!t that my mother and everyone else in my childhood circle used to glue together potato salad in a sickly sweetish glop.

I like real mayonnaise a lot (my favourite purchased kind is a British thing called "salad cream") as long as it has not a trace of sweet in it. I've made real mayo a couple times (that belongs in the Kitchen Miracles thread -- so nifty!).

However, my favourite mayo-like substance is in fact a tofu concoction based on Mollie Katzen's Tofu Aioili. Easy -- so easy! -- tasty, low in fat and calories so that it can be consumed in dollops guilt-free, plus without the nagging worry about raw egg things, or the PITA of gently-heating-without-scrambling your egg stuff to avoid that.

I am one of those who dips her fries in her mayo. Yum!

[NulloModo]

I am one of those who dips her fries in her mayo. Yum!

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Aren't fries and mayo just perfect? Of course, to really send it over the edge serve them up with malt vinegar and lots of old bay seasoning... My favorite Hot Dog place ever, Deer Head, does this.

[srhcb]

Well, I'll put Miracle Whip on a Velveeta sandwich!

SB (on homemade whole wheat bread only, of course)

[dave harper]

I also love mayo; use it on burgers, fries, chicken salads, dipping sauces, etc. I cannot stand any commercial product and use homemade exclusively. It is very easy to make with an immersion blender.

[Chufi]

One other effect of making your own mayonnaise:  You might not eat as much of it, and appreciate it more when you do.  Why?  Well, because it's pure fat.  To make one cup of mayonnaise, you combine one egg yolk with a tablespoon or two of lemon juice... and a cup of oil.

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That's so true. You keep pouring.. and pouring... and pouring endless streams of oil into the yolks and for some reason that image comes back to me when I eat it!

I love making my own, because it tastes good, and because I like the process (for the same reason I like whipping up cream, making custard, whipping eggwhites etc., I love to watch things change in a bowl).

But I do always have a storebought jar in the fridge for the quick mayo cravings.

Late night snacking: toast with cheese, ketchup and mayo. Coming home after a couple of beers.. mmm.

[bleudauvergne]

Someone said that mayo can be made without a blender in 2 minutes?? HOW? It is a very slow process by hand, and I only did it a couple of times for fun.

Elie

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Mayonnaise Maison (other recipes may differ):

If you have a blender:

1 fresh egg, 1/4 t. dried mustard, 1/2 t. salt, a grind of pepper, and 2 t. vinegar or a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar. Whir in blender for 2 seconds. THen on the lowest speed you can, pour 1/2 cup of oil in a thin stream into the blender while it's going. You should be able to incorporate all of the oil in a matter of a minute or two. I use a mixture of salad oil & evoo, or just evoo. Add chopped herbs by hand afterwards if you are going to do that instead of mixing them in the blender. Add mashed garlic for an aioli, paprika and saffron to put on croutons for fish soup, the possibilities are endless. You'll never go back to the store bought stuff. It's good in the frigo for a few days after that.

By hand, use egg yolk only, and whip with a whisk while incorporating the oil. This takes a bit longer than blender method but it gives a very good result.

Edited to say when I make the mayo I don't measure the oil anymore, I just pour it in a thin stream until it takes on the consistency I want.

I add that we don't keep the store bought mayo at home. After getting used to the mayo I can make at home, I find that store bought mayo has an odd sweet taste to it that I don't like.

[francois]

Someone said that mayo can be made without a blender in 2 minutes?? HOW? It is a very slow process by hand, and I only did it a couple of times for fun.

Very easy, if you make a small amount. In large quantity, it is better to use a blender.

Put 1 egg yolk in a medium bowl. Add a pinch of salt and a bit of dijon mustard (about a teaspoon) Wisk briefly. (a trick that I read is to let them wait for a couple of minutes - while you measure the oil - for the mustard to 'cook' the yolk. I'm not sure if it really makes a difference but it made me more confident). Measure 2/3 cup of oil (I prefer grapeseed oil or peanut oil). I put a wet cloth on the counter to stop the bowl from moving all over the place. Wisk the egg yolk and add the oil slowly. The emulsion will make itself. When it gets thick, add a bit of lemon juice or wine vinegar (1/2 teaspoon, to taste). Slowly add the rest of the oil while wisking. Within a couple of minutes, it is done. If too thick (specially if you use it as a dip for fries or asparagus), 'whiten' it with a bit (a small teaspoon) of boiling water.

With a bit of practice, it is almost as fast as with a blender.

[arjay]

The other brands all seem to use at least some form of preservative. What kind of shelf life does this Duke's stuff have?

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I have kept it refrigerated for a couple of weeks with no problems.

rj

[Dani Mc]

I like to make my own. I don't use it too often, so its a fun project when I'm in the mood. Then I have a week of mayo-based bliss to look forward to.

mayo on fries and the Cook's Illustrated Tuna Salad Sandwich are the best.

I'm also guilty of eating it plain on toast.

And straight out of the jar.

Would NEVER do that with store bought!

[thecuriousone]

I'm with you. I was a Hellman's household untill I tasted Dukes. We are flying to Baltimore this weekend and my husband is on notice. There are two thing that must be purchased to be shipped back.

1. a case of Duke's

2. 20lbs. of white lilly flour.

Then we can do something like see the washington monument. Hey, first things first!............

No Hellman's.  Duke's!!!

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[stachichach]

So many posts on mayo....truely an interesting topic, but alas, nobody has mentioned Kewpie mayo? The japanese have it right, and this is the only store bought that I prefer. Slightly more eggy and sweet, that creamy yellow....it is the best out of those Telletubby like containers.

[Lan4Dawg]

No Hellman's.  Duke's!!!

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Amen! and Amen! Only a heathen would use some thing besides Duke's--unless it is home made. I do make home made on occasion but usually just grab the Duke's.

I might have told the story before but....we went to Charleston, SC a few years ago (fr/ near Atl) and just after we left the inter-state we passed a Piggly-Wiggly w/ a sign out front, "Duke's Mayonnaise $0.99 (w/ card)--limit 1 per customer. So the Fuss & I went in to the Piggly-Wiggly. We both registered for our cards and each bought a jar of Duke's mayo. We planned the rest of our drive to and from Charleston zigging and zagging across Socar purchasing jars of Duke's mayo. Yes, it is that good.

When she was a teen-ager the Fuss worked at one of those old-fashioned type pharmacies w/ the lunch counter in Covington, GA. Thursday was pimento cheese sandwich day. People would line up out side the store starting at 11.00am just for pimento cheese sandwiches. She and the others who worked the lunch counter would hand shred blocks of cheddar and blend it w/ Duke's mayo, pimentos, &c. One day they could not get Duke's and substituted another brand and had complaints all day long that the pimento cheese was not good.

[gariotin]

Well, here's a wierd factoid - we were a loyal Hellman's family growing up and my mom used it in everthing, including her award-winning potato salad. Only thing is...we kept it in the kitchedncupboard next to the peanut butter, etc. I never knew you were suppposed to refrigerate mayo until I went away to college!

Either there were more preservatives in it back then on the 50s and 60s (doubt it), or mayo has gotten a bum rap. All I know is that I keep it in the fridge when I buy it...only Hellman's, natch.

(This Duke's thing has my curiosity piqued - will have to buy a jar next time I'm in the South.)

Favorite recipe - guess this is mostly for New Englanders - during bluefish season, whisk together mayo and Dijon mustard and frost a generous amount onto the filets before baking. It sort of poofs up, makes a crust, and has a nice spiciness that goes great with the rich,dark fish. Yum...it's bluefish season right now...gotta go!

[FistFullaRoux]

All about the Hellman's or the Deep South (Winn Dixie store brand, I think) when I can find it. Kraft, eh.

Miracle Whip? Not even in the same category. It's like lumping it in with wallpaper paste or wire wheel polish, where it may find better uses than food contamination.

Odd uses? Mix it with some onion and seasonings to slather on a hunk o pork loin. If you are lazy, you can use the Lipton Onion Soup mix. I was skeeved out by the thought of baking with it, until I realized that it's oil, egg, and some flavorings like lemon. Not so bad once you get past the hot mayo idea. That said, it also could be used to hold breading on fried things.

Edited to add: And I also do the thing with the fries. Mix a bit of catsup with it though. Kind of like a low-end remoulade sauce.

Edited July 31, 2006 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[Felina]

I allways make my own. I hate any kind of mayo found in stores. It's enough to read the ingredients... yaaak!

Homemade is the best! You can make it as yellow as you like and season it as you like.

I make my own with one simple yolk and two boilled. I like to put from the start allot of salt, few drops of lime/lemon juice and some yellow tasty mustard. With the mixer and maximum two cups of sunflower oil I have the best mayo ever.

I use to taste a bit from time to time to see if is ready - I love this!

I usualy use it in potato salad or "beuf" salad. If I have to much, then I can leave it in the refrigerator for few days.

Edited August 1, 2006 by Felina (log)

[gini]

I don't actually eat that much mayonaise. I don't put it on sandwiches or hotdogs or burgers. With fries, prawns, or white asparagus though, I'm there. In those cases, homemade all the way. On a BLT though - Hellman's.

[Hiroyuki]

Being Japanese, Kewpie and Ajinomoto are the only brands I know. I prefer tart Kewpie mayo. I like to eat some kinds of sansai (edible wild plants) with mayo and ponzu and one kind with mayo and miso.

In Japan, there are mayo geeks, called mayolers (sp?), who are eager to put mayo on just about anything.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Most of our (hubby and I's) family prefer Best Foods(Hellmans). My sister prefers Kraft. My hubby prefers Best Foods as well.

I generally don't like mayo, but I like the vegan mayo-like substance that I get at Trader Joe's for my son who is egg allergic (a canola based Reduced Fat mayo).

My in-laws are mayo geeks... they dip most veggies in it. Artichokes, Brocolli, Cauliflower, Asparagus. Makes me cringe just watching them.

[dividend]

Hellman's Light for me. I grew up on the stuff, and other mayo just doesn't taste right. Especially Miracle Whip. BLECH. I didn't taste it until I was in middle school, and I remember my reaction being, why would you want mayo to be sweet? I still feel that way. (Of course, I feel the exact same way about BBQ sauce too.)

I've never made my own mayo, because I live by myself, and I don't think I could justify eating enough of it before even a small batch went bad. So Helman's Light it is. At least until they start putting HFCS in it, in which case I will cry.

As for usage, I love mayo on hamburgers. Especially the thin steakburger kind. Nothing beats a smear of mayo and grilled onions. I grew up eating pressure cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts dipped in mayo, and canned peach halves, with a scoop of cottage cheese and a dollup of mayo on top. I also like mayo sitting on my plate next to an omelette as a sort of ghetto hollandaise.

Edited August 3, 2006 by dividend (log)

[beandork]

I'll add my voice to the Kewpie crowd, that stuff is white magic. In chicken hamburgers it raises them to a new level entirely.

I use hellmans though for doing my poor man's version the blumenthal salmon: I mix vanilla essence in with the hellman's mayo, flambe salmon in sambucca, and serve with asparagus and coriander seeds. The hellman's mayo works brilliantly with the vanilla. It's not as awful as it sounds.

[Kris]

I grew up in a Hellmann's household! One time when I was a kid, my mom ran out of mayo and needed some for her potato salad. She sent my dad to the store and I tagged along. Well the store brand was on sale and dad picked up a jar. I admonished him that mom only used Hellmann's. He ignored my warnings and brought it home anyway. Mom was annoyed but used it for her potato salad anyway. The salad had the consistency of glue.

I use Hellmann's too. But I confess that upon tasting a delicious macaroni salad made by a late co-worker of mine I use Miracle Whip in very limited quantities. It's too sweet to use by itself, but for macaroni salad, chicken salad and deviled eggs, I use a half Miracle Whip, half Hellmann's combo. For all other applications, it's Hellmann's only.

[jayt90]

I had a delicious sandwich with Hellman's today. Two thick layers of Mayo spread on a roll, with sprats (20 to a can!) fresh tomatoes and lettuce and herbs from the garden. My own home made mayo is inconsistent (although I like the recipe above from Felina and will try it) but I can always depend on Hellman's.

[Sony]

Currently on Duke's withdrawal since I moved from North Carolina....

however.....

a ray of hope.....

I've been eating light mayo for a while now, enough so that real mayo is like drinking whole milk after regularly drinking skim. Decadent, something occasional, and something that I want to be worth it.

Anyway, that leads me to my most recent prepared mayo purchase. Wegman's store brand light mayo. It's now tied with Duke's Light version for my favorite prepared mayonnaise. It has a nicer texture than Hellman's Light (my previous jarred purchase)- more creamy- and I actually had to check the label to make sure I'd bought the light version!

Downside is that it does, in fact, have a few extra calories, a few extra milligrams of sodium and and extra half-gram of saturated fat per serving compared to Hellmann's or Duke's. However, I like that Wegman's recipe uses sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. (I'm not anti-HFCS, but I find myself preferring things made without them from a taste standpoint. I'd probably prefer if it just weren't sweetened at all.... )

Also, their jars are a full 32 ounces still, not a downsized 30 ounces. Which means that a jar will last me even longer- especially since I'll be spreading it a little thinner (for health reasons....but more importantly, because it tastes rich enough so that I don't think I'll miss an extra dollop/schmear )

ETA: I have no vested interest in Wegman's.... I just like one of their condiments.

Edited May 28, 2007 by Sony (log)