Marvelous Homemade Mayonnaise ?There’s a first time for everything! I’ve never made mayonnaise before. In the movie Julie and Julia, about a blogger cooking all of Julia Child’s recipes from her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, there is a scene where she is preparing fresh mayonnaise. If she can do it, I can do it! I love watching that movie, especially the lobster killer part. I jump( and scream) every time !
My mission was to eventually create a caper and herb mayonnaise to accompany a sandwich featured in the Washington Post recently. While looking for that recipe to. find what herbs were included on Pinterest, I ran across a few recipes to make your own mayonnaise. One pin included a video showing how to do it which was posted on a New York Times page for making homemade mayonnaise by hand. It looked simple enough! You can look at that video of how to make and watch how I did it since I can’t take pics without a couple more hands: I need those for whisking. The texture can be seen from my final result. My coloring appears lighter than hers perhaps because she used olive oil ands canola instead of just canola as I did. I understand safflower oil can be used also, but I haven’t tried that yet.
Emulsifying the oil and egg was a science experiment in action. This means these two components, which ordinarily don’t combine well, become one mixture through vigorous whisking which suspends one liquid throughout the other I regards to the mayonnaise, the oil and lemon juice aero those two components. With the addition of the emulsifier contained in the egg yolk, the continued whisking brings structure to its final form.
Look at how perfect that turned out! Oh, and it tastes so perfect! I am impressed with myself! 
Rating
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 cup
- 1 egg yolk - I used an extra large egg
- 1 t. water
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 t. Dijon mustard
- 2 t. fresh lemon juice
- ¾ c. canola oil or 6 T. each of canola and olive oil
- All ingredients must be at room temperature before beginning the process. They should be out at least 1 hour to reach room temperature.
- Separate egg yolk from egg white.
- Place egg yolk in metal bowl. Place 1 teaspoon of water within the bowl.
- Whisk briskly until frothyin texture while tilting the bowl toward you. To provide support, you may want to place bowl against your abs while whisking.
- Add salt, lemon juice and mustard.
- Continue to whisk briskly until you see it begin to thicken.
- Begin to slowly drizzle in the oil and whisk as it is being added.
- Continue to whisk until all of oil is incorporated. The mayonnaise should resemble a much thicker texture than when you began to add the oil. It should hold its form.
Thank you so much for sharing. I am trying to make everything from scratch. I just started doing my own dressings and have a goal to make my own bread too. I’m getting there little by little hehe. Now does it have to be canola oil? I’m not a bit canola oil fan because of health aspects so I was just wondering hehe 🙂
Hey, Jess,
I’ve seen recipes using olive and safflower oil or a combination of the two. I haven’t tried those yet, but probably will in the near future. I have a few dressings to post soon so be on the look out for them?.
And also, how long will it last in the fridge?
Most resources indicate about a week. However, I found a Food Network youtube video on mayonnaise (and mustards) recorded by Alton Brown. (Search “mayonnaise Mayo Clinic Alton Brown” and it should pop up.) The science behind cooking is amazing! They discuss why you leave it out for a few hours after you make it before refrigerating it to keep the salmonella away. ?
i make mayo all the time. a little trick that has been a lifesaver is that only the egg needs to be room temp (and the oil, but who keeps oil in the fridge?) … if you are in a hurry, just put the egg in a glass of lukewarm tap water for about 5 minutes and it warms it right up.
also, i put everything in a wide mouth pint jar, and use an immersion blender. *so* fast!
i just love seeing people make their own mayo. it’s so much tastier, and cheaper, and better for you than the store bought stuff. great post!