Chef Forum banner

Mayo

3K views 40 replies 16 participants last post by  cookware sets 
#1 ·
I have a stick mixer but I don't see myself making mayo. Always used Hellmans, never liked kraft until olive oil mayo showed up. Hellmans uses a mix of soy/olive oil says the label while kraft uses in order water, olive oil, canola oil, soy. I know this might be silly since both contain oil which isn't healthy but it's the amounts that matter. Face it these days nothing you eat is healthy the medical community believes. When I see people droping over holding soda, mayo or bacon I'll think about it.
 
#2 ·
This is a cooking forum.  We discuss how to make mayo.  How to make pancakes.  How to make food, not how to buy convenience food and how to reheat convenience food.  It seems an odd stance to take on a forum where the members feel passionate about real food and fresh ingredients.  I agree that the medical community is always evolving in what's right and what's wrong.  But I try to live up to my signature quote because I like how I feel when I eat real food, and because I'm a mother who needs to be around for my little boy as long as I can.  I want his future to be bright and healthy, I do not want his future to include pushing me around in a wheelchair and taking me from one doctor to another.  The medical community may be torn about what's healthy and what's not.  But your body knows what it needs, if one pays attention to how their body behaves and reacts to the food it eats then you know what you should be eating and what you should not be eating.  I'm no health nut myself, I like all the good things in life.  Everything in moderation, some things more moderately than others.  

You can't go wrong living by Michael Pollan's words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” 
 
#3 · (Edited)
Everyone at times uses convenience foods and the chefs here would know how to read a label and determine which ones are better than others. You make everything you eat from scrach, grow your own vegetables, raise your own animal's, I'm guessing no. Maybe there should add a thread discussion convenience food, we all use them.
One time I made a remake about canned tomatoes, well many said they use canned tomatoes and therd was nothing wrong with it. Well they aren't all prepared or canned the same so why not discuss which people find the best. You think no one here has a bottle of mayonnaise in the fridge, many brands not all the same.
 
#4 ·
I'm with Koukouvagia. I have to say, Mayo is the one thing I would never in a million years buy, I buy ketchups, I'm a bit lazy making BBQ sauces, I'll even use a stock cube, every now and again, but since mayo is comprised of oil, which uses an expensive amount, I would never risk eating something that can be bought at a fraction of the price of good oil. And for the record, you really don't need a mixer to make a mayo. A hand whisk and 3-5 minutes of not-so-rigorous whisking is all you need. 
 
#8 · (Edited)
Everyone at times uses convenience foods and the chefs here would know how to read a label and determine which ones are better than others. You make everything you eat from scrach, grow your own vegetables, raise your own animal's, I'm guessing no. Maybe there should add a thread discussion convenience food, we all use them.
One time I made a remake about canned tomatoes, well many said they use canned tomatoes and therd was nothing wrong with it. Well they aren't all prepared or canned the same so why not discuss which people find the best. You think no one here has a bottle of mayonnaise in the fridge, many brands not all the same.
Absolutely everyone uses convenience foods. Some are better than others and we all have our preferences. If you wanted to start a discussion about that then do that. Your OP was not clear about that, and neither was the title. I look forward to that kind of discussion, eventhough we've had it numerous times here on the forum.
 
#10 ·
I have a stick mixer but I don't see myself making mayo.
Why not? With a stick blender, you can make a cup of mayo in 10 seconds.
both contain oil which isn't healthy but it's the amounts that matter.
Good quality oil il is very healthy for you. Especially if you can choose the right quality oils and make your own mayo at home. When you purchase commercial mayo you don't get to choose which oil is used.
 
#11 ·
For starters Hellmans is not nearly as good now as it was before they had to change the recipe in order to eliminate transfat.

As for hm mayo separating, I made a batch that got kicked to the back of the fridge and sat there for months, at least 4.  It had still not separated, or really changed all that much.  I believe that particular recipe was tbls vine agar, tbls water, tsp Dijon, cup evo, large egg.  Stick blended it did come out about as thick as glue paste, just how I wanted it.

On a trip we took a while ago I did grab a small jar of Hellmans at the last minute for a picknick.

Rick
 
#12 ·
I'm planning on hand whisking a batch of mayo for a salad challenge entry, probably Monday, not tonight.

Home made mayo is one of those things that is just like the store bought stuff but completely different.

mjb.
 
#15 ·
I'm a little confused. I love making home made mayo but it never takes as little as 10 seconds! I always mix everything except the oil first, then stream the oil in a little at a time while whisking or mixing all the while. Am I wasting time?? Can I just throw everything together and mix it up?
 
#16 ·
@JayCobb1045

Mayo is an emulsion. You really need to add the oil slowly, otherwise it will break or separate. If your using Olive Oil like I do, especially Extra Virgin, you really need to do it

by hand with a whip. If you use a machine it will have a bitter taste.

BTW

I have a jar of mayo and miracle whip in the ice box. The neices and nephews know the difference and yuk! the homemade mayo.
 
#18 ·
50 or so years ago  I used to make my own mayo but those days are over. My opinion is Hellmans is the best. It all but built a huge multi million dollar company called UNILEVER

It is consistent  in color, flavor , and texture. Open the jar and that's, it clean and efficient .

I do not normally recommend any set name brands, but the he two I always recommend are Hellmans Mayo. and Heinz Catsup. These two brands have built up years of consumer trust.. I do not like Kraft because like their cream cheeses as they constantly try to figure out ways to make it cheaper. A brand called Blue Plate is fairly good but sweeter then Hellmans. Duke is another quality brand. I wont mention Best brand because that is Hellmans .
 
#19 ·
@JayCobb1045

If you use a machine it will have a bitter taste.
I don't doubt your sensitivity here, but I personally am not able to detect that using a stick blender.

It does take more than 10 seconds to make mayo, but using an SB and taking it slow its about 5 min, mashing garlic, squeezing a lemon and portioning mustard included. Made some last night while throwing together a turkey salad.

Rick
 
#20 ·
Thanks guys!  To be clear, I use store bought mayo all the time - I favor Dukes and Hellmans.  I was really just curious about technique because the time estimates and the way some of the posts were written seemed to imply that you could just throw it all together, blend it and BOOM - mayo.  As I said above, that didn't seem right to me and I've certainly never been able to do it that way so I was curious if there was a shortcut I was missing.

As for the home made vs. store bought debate, I really use them for different things.  I tend to use store bought when I'm looking for something to bind chicken salads, tuna salads, etc, or when I'm making mayo based dipping sauces.  I use home made when the flavor of the mayo itself is central.  Certain sandwiches that have very few ingredients which are milder in flavor really benefit from that brighter home made mayo flavor.  Shrimp rolls and lobster rolls are good examples of that.  I guess I'm saying when the sauce is intended to stand out on its own, I prefer home made, but when it's a vehicle for other flavors, store bought does the trick for me!
 
#21 ·
I don't doubt your sensitivity here, but I personally am not able to detect that using a stick blender.

It does take more than 10 seconds to make mayo, but using an SB and taking it slow its about 5 min, mashing garlic, squeezing a lemon and portioning mustard included. Made some last night while throwing together a turkey salad.

Rick
Rick,

I you have really good EVO you probably won't want to waste it on mayo. I always have a good first press at home. Something like Cassini.

If you make a mayo using a SB, you can take a little mayo in your mouth and slowly swallow and you'll taste/feel the bitterness in the back

of your throat. May just be me though, but I also enjoy sipping a little shot of EVO./img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif
 
#24 ·
I'm also in the neutral oil camp.

Mayo made with olive oil taste nasty, very bitter and clumps in the refrigerator because of the high mono and saturated fat.

I always have a jar in the fridge but will make handmade for special occasions.

Luc H.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top