Thursday, July 19, 2007

Homemade Mayonnaise - The Recipe Video the Big Mayo Companies Don’t Want You to See!

A fan of the blog just wrote me asking for a mayonnaise recipe. I could have sworn I posted this clip a while back, but I guess not. It’s been on YouTube, but apparently never made its way over here. Or maybe I did post it and the IT guys at Hellmann's hacked into the system and deleted it from this blog for fear of its effect on their sales! I mean can you imagine if everyone knew how easy it was to make their own mayo? The whole mayonnaise industry would crumble. Of course, I have to give the standard “this is an old clip” disclaimer/warning; old equipment, bad sound, bad lighting, bad jokes, and some really bad singing.

Homemade Mayo is one of those indescribable culinary pleasures. If you have a stick-style or regular blender, you CAN make your own mayo! It’s so much cheaper, and way more delicious. You also get to decide what kind of oil you want, a nice fruity olive oil, or a lighter vegetable oil, or your own secret custom mix. Give this a try, it’s fun and you can taste something so few Americans ever taste…fresh, creamy, homemade mayo!



Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
1 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tbl white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil

128 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Chef! Are you still in NY? Mmmm....mayo and bread my favourite I like to toast the bread first. <3 Good bye good mayonnaise company. Mwahahahaa. I have a small question... do you have to have mustard? If not could you tell me some other alternatives. Thanks

Chef John said...

The mustard is option, but it adds a bit of heat and sharpness, and helps the emulsification. No real subsitute, but it still will work without it.

Anonymous said...

The US tablespoon measurement seems to be a lot more than the tablespoons I use here in Germany. Does anyone have a reference how those compare?

Chef John said...

a US Tbl is 1/2 fluid ounce or 15 milliliters.

logicalmind said...

How appropriate, just the other day I was making my standard coleslaw and ran out of jarred mayo. For a second, I thought about going to the store to get more but then realized I could more easily make my own.

Later in the day when my wife ate my coleslaw she said the coleslaw was amazingly good and what did I do different. Apparently homemade mayo makes a big difference in situations like this.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Chef,

it seems to be a similar size then. Perhaps the video made it look bigger.

I've found a nice conversion site though:
http://www.convertworld.com/en/volume/

Anonymous said...

Scott - Boston

Can't wait to try this. Any idea on how long it will keep? Also, I like Miracle Whip (hold the applause...), anyways, any special ingredient there to give my mayo the same zip?

Had your perch w/vinaigrette last night. Nice. Simple. Thanks.

Scott

Mummygirl said...

That's it. Goodbye Kraft. No more store-bought mayo for me!

Thanks so much, Chef!

Rob said...

In case you're worried about giving your guests salmonella, you can pasteurize the egg yolks following the procedure here:

http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Mayonnaise.html

Basically, you heat the yolk+acid mixture while stirring until it just begins to coagulate (at around 180 degrees), and then cool it off in a water bath and continue as in the video.

Anonymous said...

I think part of the difference is that 1) many mayo companies use whole eggs, that means with egg-whites, which give the mayo unpleasant taste 2) heat-treat their mayo to remove salmonela and extend the shelf-life, this alters the taste 3) add preservatives that can produce off-taste.

Even with preservatives: whipped oil (=mayo) stored on the shelf for weeks or even months will get noticeable rancid off-flavors because of the oxidation of unsaturated fats.

Chef John said...

a few responses to comments;

I'm not sure how long this lasts as I usually use the homemade for special occiasions and use it all and make small amounts. Do to the acid and salt, properly refridgerated it will keep for a week.

As far as samonella goes, Alton Brown (who I'm a big fan of) puts the odds of contamination at 10,000 to 1. So its up to you to decide if you want to goes through the extra step that Rob posted for us.

Thanks to all.

Anonymous said...

Homemade Mayo is great, especially on a good Po'Boy! The great thing about making you own homemade mayo is it allows you to spice it as you please, which is always nice.

Also a note on salmonella, you can buy pasteurized eggs in most grocery stores.

Jon Gales said...

You can also buy eggs already pasteurized. Just look around at your grocery. Probably not a bad idea if you're making a lot of mayo or egg nog.

Anonymous said...

I don't know what it is about raw egg yolks in salad dressings/mayo that bothers me. See I'd probably opt for the pasturized...

But eating cookie dough, or cake batter ... no problem, never a second thought about pasteurization. (And there isn't the even the acid it these)

Makes no sense - can't explain it - just one of those funny food things like the veggies cant touch each other on the plate things.

Chef John said...

mmmmm.....raw cookie dough

I can explain the veggie thing though... you have serious phychological issues! ;-)

Thistlemoon said...

There is nothing better than making homemade mayo! If people knew how easy it is, there wouldn't be anyone to buy it anymore! When we teach people at the cooking school how to make it, they are always flabbergasted!

Welcome to The Foodie Blogroll!

Anonymous said...

My mayo broke, if thats possible...what did I do wrong????

Oh and a little factoid...folks here in Spain are bannanas for mayonnaise and many folks make their own but restaurants are not allowed to make their own mayo, they have to buy commercial product...go figure

Anonymous said...

hello chef thank you so much for posting this up! I actually have a lil problem on makin it,can you give me a step by step procedure on how ta make it on a regular blender? i've tried it exactly on the vid but it didn't work. Instead,it turned out all yellow..I really,really hope u can help me chef!

Chef John said...

for a regular blender its simple; add everything EXCEPT the oil to the blended. Turn on high and VERY SLOWLY trickle in the oil until its thick and all the oil is in.

BTW the only reason it doesnt work with the stick blender is if you move it up too fast. You have to keep in on the bottom and just give it a few seconds of blending at a time until it starts to emulsify. Then when its white and thick you can move the blender up.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Chef John. I followed your advise, and it worked like a charm.

I wish it had a longer shelf life. I might do an experiment to see if I can string it out for a few weeks.

Anonymous said...

Ok you've succeeded in making me a mayo "snob". The stuff from the store is a distant second place. I've tried in the past with mixed success at getting the emulsion, but the stick blender seems to make this foolproof.

Now...any Caesar dressing recipes. I've played with some online but something isn't "on". Maybe too much garlic or EVOO tending it towards bitter...not sure what I'm not liking. But since now I'm fearless about emulsifying I want to expand my creamy dressing repertoire.

Also, any comments about why one would use a whole egg vs just egg yolk in this type of recipe?

Thanks

Chef John said...

I'm a yolk guy. I know some use the whole egg, but I like the texture better without the whipped white.

try the ceasar recipes with a very light olive oil. Also, when you use the stick on the garlic it gets really strong. try adding it at the end already minced. then just a quick pulse.

Anonymous said...

For months I have watched this video again and again. Surely there must be more to it??!! I spent may cartons of eggs and litres of oil, but never with any success. I was wary.

Today was the day: the 10th of the 10th is Mayo Day from now on. Yay!!! IT WORKED!!!

If I could hug you, I would. Instead I'll send money. I'm sure that's good for you too.

Chef John said...

Well, I'd really rather have a hug...but I guess money is OK. ;-)

SM said...

chef john,

I've also done it with a whisk and a mixing bowl before.

Just as simple, yet more risk of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.

Chef John said...

I'll take the 20 second method thanks. Also, most newbies put in the oil too fast and disaster ensues.

Anonymous said...

Amazing, my first one broke, then i tried again and it was a success, great mayo for my tuna and spiral pasta salad :)

SheridanLA said...

Thanks for the video and the recipe, I just made a couple batches (had requests for some when I mentioned I was making it.) The immersion blending technique was insanely easy. This was my first taste of homemade mayonnaise, I am afraid you have ruined me for all others.

Anonymous said...

Please help!!

I keep trying this out but all that I get is a watery yellow mixture. Where as yours looks nice and thick and creamy.

I think that I may be using the wrong mesurments of oil.

What is "a cup" ? is it 8.4 fluid ounces? I am from Ireland so we dont measure in cups.

By the way, I love this site. Keep up the good work Chef.

Chef John said...

its 8 oz. Make sure you keep the stick blender tight against the bottom, and pulse for a few seconds at a time, until it starts to get thick. Watery happens when you mix in the oil into the egg yolk too fast.

One Three Day said...

So if I use a regular blender, do start from the bottom or the yolks first? thanks!

Chef John said...

add everything except the oil, turn on and slowly drizzle in the oil.

Anonymous said...

I made homemade mayo for the first time last week. I didn't even think about using my hand blender. I did it by hand with a whisk. I though my hand was going to fall off. Anyway, I'm going to try your method this week.

Anonymous said...

Is there any way to save a brikan mayo?

Chef John said...

you can add an egg yolk, and a couple tablespoons of water to a blender, turn it on high, and SLOWLY drizzle in the broken mayo.

Anonymous said...

Thanks. Unfortunately, I ran out of eggs.
Oh, well, tomorrow is another day, and eggs are cheap.
*throws second broken batch down the drain :-( *

Chef John said...

it only breaks if you go too fast! watch how I start it in the video again.

Anonymous said...

John,

The very first time I have tried your recipe, it worked!!!

But all the following attempts (2 bottles of oil and 12 eggs) have failed :(

What about the speed of the blender? Slow? Fast? Turbo?

Chef John said...

i use the stick blender, but any blender should have enough speed. Too fast pouring the oil usually is the problem

araun said...

dear chef john!

4 trys and no success! I worked very slowly. I think the problem is the shape of my blender or bin. Nothing is moving. No bubbles, no foam. No change after two minutes of pulsing or full speed. It feels as there would be only air under the blender. Bored or depaired, I start carefully lifting the stick and get the oilsoup...

BTW, I love your videos and your esprit!

Chef John said...

thanks, i have no idea, never heard of such a thing. nothing moving??? how is that possible?

Anonymous said...

thanks chisf u r the bosssssssss

Anonymous said...

OMG When i first tried it it was a yellow liquidy mess but then i added two tablespoolfuls of water and an eggyolk and restarted SLOWLY and it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU SOO MUCH
PS: my tuna salad came out just as good but knowing that i made the mayo makes it taste sooo much better

Anonymous said...

I failed miserably, using my Cuisinart immersion blender, following your directions meticulously. Or so I thought. Am I to hold the blender FLAT or at a slight angle on the bottom of the container? Do I use the highest speed? Do I pulse 2 seconds, then wait? Pulse, wait, pulse, wait? I saw white at the bottom but how long should this take before I actually begin moving the blender off the bottom of the container? Aaack! Disappointed! Really want to get this right.

Chef John said...

You had white! That means it worked, then what happened? You pulse just like I did in the video, that was in real time, check it out again. pulse in few second blasts until the bottom is thick and white. Should be flat on the bottom to start. then VERY slowly move it up to incorporate the rest of the oil.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, I see now. I am supposed to move the blender upward in tiny increments, keeping the blades within the emulsificated part the whole while, is that right? Will watch again paying particular attention to movement and timing. I think I moved the blender up too far, too fast, once the white began forming. Will try again. THANKS!

Anonymous said...

Well, I flunked again. This time, I watched carefully, did exactly as you suggested and in fact spent more time than necessary being diligent about not moving too quickly incorporating. I got "white" but it "broke" about halfway up the container. I give up.

Anonymous said...

@ anonymous:
same experience, as I said earlier. I do the Mayo now again old fashioned. First egg, mustard, then slowly the oil, that works. I'd like to watch Chef John doing the Mayo with my container and my blender..

ARAUN

Anonymous said...

Okay, I finally got it to work, but with some changes. Even had to repair the "broken" first batch but for what it's worth: I used Colman's DRY mustard, all canola oil (no olive oil) this time. Real sugar instead of Splenda. One, I have a feeling my stick blender is slower than John's. Two, I spent too long a time "on the bottom". The idea is to move up slowly as the bottom thickens, which may vary from blender to blender. Three, when the mayo "broke", I added a yolk and 1T. water. I pushed the yolk to the bottom of the container with the blender stick, then began again. When I could HEAR the blender slowing down, I moved it upward, slowly. I had been overworking the mayo the first two tries. Now I've got mayo! Next time, will add more vinegar. I used only half a T. It did need a little more "kick. Still, timing must be PERFECT on this or it will break in a heartbeat.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the step by step instruction for the homemade mayo, I Have a question. I used a blender for the recipe. can you stop the process by scraping down the size and then continue to add the oil. mine started to come together, but I stopped to scrape the sides down thinking this needed to be done to incorporate everything. but it then turned to liquid. any suggestions.Had to throw it away

Chef John said...

blender doesnt work as well for me. No need to scrape the sides until it's already thick and emulsified. Also, NEVER throw a broken may away, you can just whisk it slowly into a 1/2 cup of regular mayo and it will be perfect.

Brian Howard said...

This mayo is great! I recently ate at a friend's house (who is actually a professional chef, unlike me) and she made bacon-mayo. It was the best BLT I have ever had. To make "Baconnaise", would i substitute the olive oil for bacon fat?

Chef John said...

yes, but not all of it! I would google for a recipe with the ratio. I've never made baconaise, never seen the logic, since I prefer the pure mayo with the pure bacon.

Unknown said...

I have this recipe for a garlic sauce:

4 cloves garlic minced with
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 egg white

Can I use the stick method with this or does it have to be yolks not whites?

Unknown said...

My 1st 2 attempts failed. I tried various rescue methods, but nothing worked. I put the separated mayo in a jar in the fridge. Can it be used for anything?

Chef John said...

watch this, make this, and then whisk the broken sauce into it slowly at first. it will work! http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/06/is-aioli-greatest-sauce-recipe-ever.html

eky handayani said...

I don't have olive oil at the moment, can I just replace it with vegetable oil? So it will be 1,5 cup of vegetable oil... will it do?

Chef John said...

yes it will

Frieda Loves Bread said...

Found you through Pinch My Salt blog. Tried a "blender" recipe with 1 whole egg, 1/2 t. dry mustard, 2T. lemon juice, a little over a cup of EVOO in my food processor. I didn't use salt, as I'm on a salt free diet. It came together beautifully, thick and yellow, but tasted bitter. Should I try a different oil?

Chef John said...

you can google for science, but olive oils get bitter when over processed in a FP. That's why I use the very fast method in the video. Also, all EVOO can just be bitter to begin with. I prefer more veg oil.

Anonymous said...

I just couldn't put chicken on a piece of bread without mayo, but my mayo supply was gone and I live too far from the grocery store to justify a trip for 1 item.

I wish I had read the comments before I tried this with the only blender I have, the regular blender.

I've never seen the stick blender thing before, and didn't know there was a difference.

So I ruined 2 batches of mayo, THEN read the comments, and later found out that I should have added the oil separately and slowly...

Still I'm pretty discouraged and not trying this recipe again for awhile.

Unknown said...

Chef John my mayo didn't work, its totally a yellow wattery. Do you think it is because I used a blender? Can I fix it? I don't want to throw everything out....:(

Chef John said...

blender is a much different method. Put an egg yolk and a 1/2 tsp of Dijon in a blender on high and VERY slowly drizzle the broken mayo into it.

Razors Edge said...

Hey, this worked out real nice and its a good thing I kept the egg whites because it turned out very watery (but the color did turn correctly to white.) Once I tossed in the egg whites it came together very nicely, thick and beautiful.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/4603088585_360d2fa9ae.jpg

Anonymous said...

I am not sure what I am doing wrong I have read the comments and tried just about everything. Tried both types of blenders and the messed up mayo directions left in the comments too... I just keep creating more mess it seems and wasting...

I am using just Olive oil instead of a blend will that affect it? I really really want to figure out what I am doing wrong though because I don't like what they put in store bought mayo! Help?

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up!
And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! :)

Mike said...

Oh No! What happened? Followed your recipe, with the Cusinart blend stick, but the result is very liquid, like gravy.

Chef John said...

You probably didn't start it slowly enough. Watch the beginning again. A few pulses first.

Unknown said...

Hey chef


I know your mayo recipe calls for vegetable oil etc. I'm looking for one in my health food store but they don't carry the refined stuff. The canola is too strong and pure orange in color . The sunflower is way too strong in taste. Is grape seed or peanut a good choice?

Chef John said...

any light colored, neutral flavored oil will work. grape seed yes.

anne-marie said...

blow me down with a feather - i just tried this and it worked. I used to make mayo the hard way, gently stirring the mixture by hand, adding oil a few drips at a time, only to see the whole thing separate because the wind was blowing in the wrong direction ... thank you for demystifying home made mayo and taking the pain out of the pleasure ;-)

Anonymous said...

i followed the the recipe to the T, and it came out runny. did i not go slow enough with the submersion mixer? or?????

Chef John said...

yes, moved or pulled up blender too fast.

Paul in NC said...

How can I get more "zing" in the mayo so it is more like Dukes brand. Duke's is popular here in the South and any other brand is just bland after Duke's.
How much vinegar, mustard or spices can I add before it effects the emulsification of the mayo?
Thanks, your blog and videos are the greatest!

Anonymous said...

there is no olive oil in mayo

There is only one immersion blender: Bamix

There is no reason to not just use one whole egg

David said...

Awesome!!!! I have made this three times now - I will never buy mayo at the store again. Thanks Chef John!

David said...

Awesome recipe. I have made this three times already - it makes every sandwich taste better. Planning on using in egg salad this afternoon. Thank you Chef John!!!!!!

Eliz said...

I have a question.. what kind of olive oil do you use? I'm not very food savvy (for instance, I couldnt tell you the difference between extra virgin and virgin or if there are any other varieties or if it even matters) and the olive oil that I have now has a strong, overpowering... flavor/odor that I dont find too pleasing. Could you recommend a good (affordable) olive oil as well as white wine vinegar?

Matthew G. said...

I finally nailed it! It took me three attempts.

It is the bee's knees.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever tried to add melted butter instead of oil, do you think it would create the same emulsion effect? Let me know:D

Veronica said...

Weee!! I had to try now when I finally had everything around. Amazing method, worked first time around. A little bit too much vinegar for me, so I just made a new batch with less. Then I mixed the batches!! Haha. I have way too much mayo now, but somehow, that's not a problem, is it ;) ?

Steph said...

After two or three failed mayo attempts in the past that resulted in oil all over the kitchen I thought I would try again today. And it worked! It came out runny at first but I took your advice and added an egg yolk and drizzled the runny mayo on top and it came out perfect! My first mayo and I am so proud and there is no one home to share it with...oh well, more for me!

Anonymous said...

Chef John.. my mayo was bad :(
I followed the measurements and pulsed it right and it was too runny! what did i do wrong?

Chef John said...

Please see above comments for people with similar issues. You went too fast.

Aaron said...

I'm using the braun multiquick stick blender and realise that there are no holes where the blades are.

I'd pulse slowly...eveything seems fine...then suddenly it will start to suck in the oil from above very quickly.

Any experience with such an attachment? Can't seem to find one with holes for the one I'm using. Would prefer not to get whole new set =\

Anonymous said...

Thanks Chef. My first attempt worked. I could hear and feel the stick blender working harder as emulsification took place, then it was a quick matter to incorporate the rest of the oil.

Anonymous said...

What if I can't get white wine vinegar? Any good replacement? I can't wait to try this!

Anonymous said...

What if I can't get white wine vinegar? Any good replacement? I can't wait to try this!

Anonymous said...

Oh Chef John, Thank you! Made my first batch just now to put on homemade rolls with baked chicken and its just as creamy and delicious as you promised.

Diva CocoPimptress said...

Second attempt. so close. it was white. it was thick. then a pop and everything fell apart. before this happened, i've noticed the lemon flavor was too much. I see how I can fix my broken mayo (WHEW)- but I really need to fix that lemony taste. Any suggestions??

Chef John said...

Can't fix the lemon. unless you make another batch with no lemon and mix the two.

Anonymous said...

Love your demo for this and can't wait to make some! How long will the left over mayo keep in the fridge? Thanks!

Nancy Sokoloski said...

On the comment about raw yolks, wouldn't the lemon juice and vinegar sort of cook it? Like ceviche, raw fish made with lime juice? Nancy

Gladys in Newfoundland said...

HI Chef John,
I can't have reg. mayo because of the lemon.
So I've been sticking to mustard till I saw your site.
Can I forgo the lemon?
If so,do I double up on
the white wine vinegar.
Also can I add pepper?
Thanks

Chef John said...

Of course, you can adjust anyway you want!

Anonymous said...

I really want to try this--what kind of immersion blender are you using? I don't currently own one, but I would also like to try making "bullet-proof coffee" and one is needed to make that too, so I'd like to get one. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

What kind of immersion blender is that? I need to get one.....

Anonymous said...

So I decided to brave this... At first it broke. Or should I say, it never really formed properly! I decided to try to "fix" it one time... and was able to get it to work! *happy dances* It tastes a little strange with the extra egg, and I used only EVOO as well so that's a bit strong, but at least I got it to work. The rest is fine tuning. ^_^ Will have to get lighter tasting EVOO (hopefully there is such a thing) and a better stick blender for next time!

cookinmom said...

Hi Chef! Just made your mayo however, it seemed very heavy and greasy (greazie). Could it be the humidity here in Fla? It rained all day here. Can I blame it on that or my fault as we are in air conditioning?

Chef John said...

Not sure! Those factors should not affect mayo.

Anonymous said...

Mayo 2, Taylor 0. I give up.... FOR NOW!

Anonymous said...

My broken Mayo has become a wonderful hair mask! Tad bit smelly though. :)

Celebration Cakes said...

This is amazing¡ I decided to try this with a couple of left over egg whites, and it was still delicious, I will never buy another jar again.

Thank you so much for this video.

navalperson123 said...

I found the flavor and odor screamed OIL! OIL! OIL! when I made this with canola. Threw it out and tried again using 2/3 canola, 1/3 olive oil - but that was even worse. So I tried again using very inexpensive "Extra Light Olive Oil". The result was heavenly - Extra Light seems to be very neutral which is exactly what makes a great mayo IMHO. The cheap stuff worked well: Bertolli ($8) and Safeway house brand ELOO both made spectacular mayos.

Menimitz said...

Just tried to make this twice. I think I was going to fast. I won't be beaten mayo! Just giving up for tonight...

If I screw up on my third try I will try to revive the broken mayo with one of the techniques above.

philogaia said...

It worked, it worked!!! I've been stalking this recipe for at least a year. Keep watching the video and thinking, "This just can't work." Now I had a impetus to try. I decided I will no longer eat vegetable oils (industrial processing, too high in omega-6) but there is NOTHING on the market with the kind of oil I want to eat. So if I'm going to use only my homemade mayo it would sure help if it were easier to make. I did a half batch and used half olive oil and half coconut oil that I heated until it just barely melted and then cooled it with the olive oil.

It came out rich and thick and yellow. The taste is amazing. I'm adding a little whey drained off of yogurt to ferment it lightly and extend the shelf life. But then I just used half of it to make cole slaw so there isn't much left anyway. I'll probably use it inside a week. Why did I ever doubt you, Chef John? You've never steered me wrong.

Unknown said...

Chef, I made my first batch today! Love the taste with 1/2 the vinegar. Mine came out a little thinner than expected. Not as in the mayo broke thin (I've seen that already once today) but just subtlety thinner than expected. Tablespoon thin, not knife spread thin. Would using a bit less oil firm it up next time? I have it refrigerating now hoping that will solve it

Anonymous said...

I'm desperately seeking some advise here. I've been making homemade for years and now it will NOT thicken. I've tried mixer, 2 different food processors I have and blender. Everything is at room temp. I know how to make it. What gives? Could cheap eggs give bad results? What about humidity or the area you live. I did move and that's about when it started happening. HELP.

Chef John said...

Sorry, I'd love to help, but none of the factors you mentioned would cause a breaking mayo. Only adding oil too fast breaks a mayo.

Cereza Kind said...

Dear Chef John,

First of all. I love you man

Secondly, I only have rice wine vinegar in my cupboard right now... do you think that would work instead of white wine vinegar?

Unknown said...

Third time I have made your recipe and third time it has worked a treat, thanks Chef John!

Unknown said...

Hello Chef John,
Thank you, thank you! It worked like a charm and tastes great.
I did have to adjust one thing, though. I didn't have any vegetable oil in the house (hardly ever use it) but I did have coconut oil so I melted it down to liquid form, mixed it with olive oil and poured that VEEEERRRRY slowly into the other ingredients with my hand mixer and viola, great tasting (and healthier) homemade mayo minus the store bought additives.
I also added a touch of minced garlic and that added a really nice kick of flavor. I'll be making hamburgers this week. Can't wait to try my own take on mayo on those toasty buns!
Thanks again for the great information...

Fabio Krandle said...

I try this now for over 4 years and it still doesn't work. I blame you Chef John. You have created a super villain. I curse all the mayos around the world: Mayo shall make you fat while it tastes delicious!

Unknown said...

My current score:
Mayo 4, Peter 0
I can get it 95% there, then blamo, gooey mess. Tried the recommended blender recovery, no go, more wasted expensive eggs and oil. Getting a little testy now because I'm so close.
Sweaty around the collar in Maine.
Peter

LARS said...

I don't know why this recipe isn't working for others! I tried this today for the first time, exactly how Chef John explain in his video and it was like magic! So cool, so easy and the best mayo ever! I have been a fan for years and have never been disappointed. Thanks Chef John!

452 Productions said...

How long will this keep in the refrigerator?

Jim AW said...

I'm confused. I've used this recipe successfully several times and I love it! I rarely ever buy mayo any more. The problem is that once in a while it doesn't work. It remains a liquid and never coagulates. I don't know why. I can't think of anything I'm doing differently. All I can do is throw it out and start over.

beemo said...

I ran out of store-bought mayo yesterday so I tried this ... I used a bit too much mustard and the wrong kind to boot, but the result was still very nice. Great technique. However I must confess that IMO nothing beats the famous brands.

BTW, those famous brands of mayo go extremely well with kimchi. Try this combo on a piece of toast.

One more thing: Please investigate a member of mint family called "Perilla" -- it is sublime with pork. You will find it easily in Korean grocery stores in San Francisco; Koreans call it 'gennip' -- hard g, linger on the double n, "neep", and don't release the final p with little puff of air as we do in English. Genn-neep. 깻잎 [hope you can see the Korean characters -- if not just see the wikipedia page for Perilla] -- you want the fresh leaves of course. Just take a leaf and wrap it round a bit of cooked pork & desired garnish. The etiquette is that you then stuff the whole thing in your mouth -- no biting off a chunk!

Unknown said...

I Really Love this video, this is one of the best videos i have saw on the internet. Regards girl uvula

C. Fuzzbang said...

Add this to the list of mayo recipes that don't work for me. I've tried to make mayo probably 20 times and it never works. The emulsification process I think is little understood by chefs and at this point I'm going to talk to scientists to figure out what's going on.

Rev. Fr. Robert Bower said...

My first attempt broke. I don't have enough oil to try a second attempt, so I will try after going to the store. It started out ok but broke after the emulsion started forming at the bottom.

Here is my question. My immersion blender is a 3 speed Kitchen Aid, which speed should I use? I am thinking that may have been the issue.

Thanks.

I love your videos.

eddie said...

OMG - this is the creamist mayo ever and tastes so good . It is rich baby ! The stick blender made all very easy. I used the pasturized eggs.

Tarjei T. Jensen said...

The taste of this mayonnaise is close to the Norwegian mass produced Rémoulade made by Mills (which is pretty good).

Our traditional mayonnaise (also made by Mills) is a lot less acidic. I would consider replacing either the lemon juice or the vinegar with water. And possibly replace the remaining tbsp acid with two tsp acid and 1 tsp water.

Tarjei T. Jensen said...

If the mayo breaks, add a teaspoon of water when you try again. And be reasonably accurate when measuring the oil. If you are sloppy with the oil, add at least a tablespoon of water.

You can try to remove most of the mayo, add a teaspoon or a tablespoon of water and pour in the broken mayo while you blend. That should fix it.

As Chef John has pointed out, it is the oil that breaks the mayo. Too much oil relative to the water in the blend will break it. Or in case you pour in the oil, pouring too fast will break it.

Adventurous people might try to only use only one yolk and replace the second with a tablespoon of water. Or perhaps two to be safe.

Basil said...

Fix a not working mayo.

Did two things,

A) realised my eggs and oil were potentially too cold and added a tablespoon of hot water.

B) When still no result I got out one more egg yolk and went the oldfashioned way and slowly poured in the failed mixture with the egg yolk and blender chugging away.

Results was not perfect as per usual, but definately saved the batch and I used it as a spread anyway so flavour was good!

Unknown said...

Help!
I have just spent way too long trying to make a jar of mayonnaise, which I have done successfully in the recent past...I started with the whisk, no dice, never thickened up. Started fresh with the hand mixer--same thing, looked emulsified but never thickened up. Then I tried you method with an immersion blender, same thing-looked promising but stayed liquid.

That's 5 eggs and a quart of oil down the drain. (sad face)

I followed all the directions on the recipes to the letter. What's going wrong here? Is it just a bad Mojo day?

Thanks--love your recipes and vids!

Cory said...

Hi Chef John!

I've been looking for animal fat mayonnaise recipes and would love to see your version of a duck fat mayo (quackonnaise?) ... perhaps even with duck eggs?

Love your show and always looking forward to watching you work!

Cory

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John. Thanks for making my life easier and also delicious.
About the Mayo, I've tried twice; first time was complete failure. Second time much much better. one of my questions: my stick blender has two settings on it: low and high (or 1 and 2). This first try I had it on the lowest setting; turned out really bad. Second try used high; much better results.
I'm assuming that a higher speed is a good thing? Should it be on pulse through out the whole process?

Things really start falling apart (no pun intended) when you start talking about moving the blender around a bit. Are you keeping the stick at the bottom when moving it around? I maybe lifted it up....

Any info is appreciated.
Judy