Makin' Mayo

Making your own homemade mayonnaise is not that hard.  But why bother when you can pick up a jar of mayo at any grocery store?  Well, I can make the claim that my mayo is made with the freshest and healthiest ingredients and without chemical preservatives and artificial flavorings.  That’s a fact, and I think that matters.  I can also claim that it tastes better than any commercial mayo on the market.  That’s an opinion, so try it and then judge for yourself.  It’s not difficult or complicated.  It doesn’t require equipment or ingredients that you don’t already have... probably.  It is far less expensive than any comparable product – oh, even any inferior product – available at your grocery store.

So, here's what you need:

You need oil.  Make it light-tasting olive oil.  Not extra virgin because that is going to taste too strong.  And not seed oils like “vegetable” oil, canola oil or corn oil because those things are bad for you.  (We can talk more about that at another time.  For now just take Granny’s word for it.)

You need a large chicken egg and it must be room temperature.   When I tried making mayo with a cold egg, it didn’t emulsify and I ended up with some pretty decent salad dressing once I added some garlic and a pinch of dill weed.  (Granny doesn’t waste anything.)  I know a lot of people are squeamish about unrefrigerated eggs, and in that case I would recommend using pasteurized eggs.  But I have never had a problem using regular eggs that rested on my kitchen counter for an hour or two.  Just saying.

You need acid.  I recommend citrus vinegar you can easily make yourself.  But any kind of vinegar or even lemon juice will work.

You need some salt and some dry mustard.  

You need an immersion blender.  If you don’t have one, how do you get by?!!  Seriously, I use mine every single day.  And I’m afraid it’s crucial to my method of making mayonnaise.  But they were making mayo long before the things were invented, so if you don’t have an immersion blender, I encourage you to look into other methods and give it a try.

You ought to have a Pyrex 2-cup glass measuring cup, but it’s not absolutely crucial.  If you don’t, just use a bowl.

You need a clean glass jar, some spoon measures, a Sharpie pen and a rubber spatula or spoon.

Now here is what to do:
Pour 1 ¼ cups of olive oil into your Pyrex measuring cup or a glass bowl.  Crack an egg right in there.  Add 2 tablespoons of your citrus vinegar.  Add ½ teaspoon each of salt and dry mustard.

Place your immersion blender upright into the cup or bowl.  (Some people even do this right in the container they use to store their mayo.  If your container is the right size for that, go for it.)

Without moving the blender, begin pulsing.  Pulse, pause, pulse, pause, pulse… be patient at first.  After about a minute you will begin to see some emulsification, i.e., some white goop oozing out.  This is good.  Keep pulsing, keep pulsing… the emulsion will start growing.

When you are left with mostly mayo and just a little oil at the top, THEN you can start moving your blender!  Blend, blend, blend for a few more seconds until all the oil has been incorporated.  And you’ve got mayo!  Really good, really fresh, really healthy, real mayo.  Simply spoon it into a clean jar. 

Now note the expiration date stamped on the carton your egg came from.

Add a week, and note that date on your mayo jar.  This is my suggested expiration date for your mayo.  (If it lasts that long; mine never does!)  

Homemade Olive Oil Mayo from grannyfab.blogspot.com
Ingredients:	Instructions:
1¼  cups light-tasting olive oil (extra virgin not recommended) 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar (citrus vinegar works best.) 1 egg ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon dry mustard	1.    Assemble your ingredients and bring them to room temperature.  (This is crucial.) 2.    Place all ingredients into a large Pyrex measuring cup (preferable) or a bowl. 3.    Position your immersion blender (a.k.a. a stick blender) into the bottom of the container and begin slowly pulsing. 4.    Pulse the ingredients until they form into a thick, white substance from the bottom up. 5.    Once most of the oil and other ingredients have formed into mayo, blend away until all ingredients are incorporated, and the mixture thickens.
Note:  You can also try pulsing the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.