How To Make Mayonnaise

I have always made mayonnaise successfully by hand and the couple of times over the years I’ve tried making it in a food processor I’ve managed to curdle it.  I’m not sure how making it by machine saves time unless you’re making catering quantities.  The trick, whether by machine or by hand is to be more careful in the beginning of it, pouring in a thin stream of oil and later once the mixture has emulsified you can add the oil in larger quantities and it will be fine.  The way I make it was the way I first learnt how to do it, and that is to keep a thin stream of oil continuously pouring while whisking non-stop with a large ballon whisk.  It never fails.

Watching the initial whisking of the oil into the yolks it appears impossible that this liquid mixture will turn into a thick solid one, but about a quarter of the way through it it does, like magic.  The emulsification is possible from the protein and lecithin in the yolks and the phospholipids in the ground mustard, and if making a garlic mayonnaise, then there is also phospholipids in the garlic.  These act as stabilisers and so do the gums present in mustard and garlic.

Above: Roasted Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise.

Below: Roast Fennel Mayonnaise.  Made with two Florence fennel bulbs. Recipe here.

Making Mayonnaise

Add the yolks and mustard…

…salt and pepper…

…and vinegar or lemon juice.

Blend with large ballon whisk…

until they are blended.

Now trickle in the vegetable oil in a thin stream while at the same time whisking continuously.

It’s hard for me to use one hand to whisk, one hand to pour the oil and another to photograph, it’s that missing third arm.  Pretend  I’m continuously whisking here.  You can already see the mixture changing colour and thickening.

Keep going and now it’s becoming more like mayonnaise…don’t stop whisking…

…halfway now.

…nearly there

And whisk until you can no longer see any oil on the surface of the mayonnaise, it has been completely emulsified.

And stop!

If you put in the fridge it will thick up more.

Half Quantity Mayonnaise

This mayonnaise recipe is half the amount of oil of the one above and here I’m using 2 yolks.

I’ve also changed the oil by adding just above 50ml of extra virgin olive oil to the flavourless sunflower oil.

Use teatowel under bowl if it moves around when you’re whisking.

For a simple mayonnaise add fresh herbs I have, parsley, chives and basil.

If I were to serve the mayo with fish I would also add small amount of fresh dill.

Mayonnaise

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon of mustard
• half tablespoon of vinegar (clear colour) or lemon juice
• 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• pepper to taste (use white pepper if don’t want the black specks showing which I don’t mind)
• 500ml flavourless vegetable oil like sunflower or corn oil* (see note below about olive oil)

Half Amount Mayonnaise

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoon of mustard
• 2 teaspoon of vinegar (clear colour) or lemon juice
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• pepper to taste
• 250ml of flavourless vegetable oil*

 

In a large wide bowl with plenty of room to whisk a large ballon whisk in, add the egg yolks, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Whisk these together until they’re combined.

Put the oil in a jug.   With one hand whisking continuously start pouring the oil into the yolk mixture but in a thin stream .  Don’t stop until all the oil has been used up.  Be more careful in the beginning with the trickling of the stream of oil, toward the middle onwards you can add the oil thickly.

* You can make it using olive oil but it makes a very rich mayonnaise, too rich for me.  Mixing in a portion, up to half of the oil with extra virgin olive oil is a good compromise.

 

Related posts: