During my “fat free” youth and adulthood (right up until just a few years ago!!!), I would never have eaten mayonnaise … but now I couldn’t imagine life without it!

It is a fantastic condiment to have in the fridge as you can mix it with almost anything to get a very quick and easy sauce, dressing, spread, etc.

Mayonnaise is a fridge staple in our house along with pesto ( see here ) and veggie stock paste … with these three items I know I have the basics to prepare some sort of dinner for the family … whether it is steamed fish with a dressing of mayo mixed with some dill and thick yoghurt, steamed chicken breasts with pesto mixed with either mayo or yoghurt (or both), or a pasta dish using fresh tomatoes, water and stock.  These are just examples of what is possible, but you need the “basics” to make life easier for you so that you are not constantly running to the shops for provisions.

I used to be wary of making mayonnaise, but with the Thermomix I have never had a fail … big call I know, but if you stick with some basic principles you could do this too.

These are the “rules” that I work with in making mayo:

1.  I use a “light” olive oil … the first time I used extra virgin olive oil I couldn’t eat the mayo … and I couldn’t “save” it either!  It was such a disappointment and a waste!  The mayo was too “burnt” tasting which I later found out was to do with the oil working in combination with the yolk (it’s a “science thing” to do with emulsifying), so now I stick with a light olive oil (and this is the same oil I use when baking as I can’t use nut oils due to allergy in the family)
2. Use the freshest free range egg (organic if possible) you can get your hands on … the general rule of thumb for how long your mayo will keep is the “use by” date of your egg … make a note of that date on your container and that will give you a guide as to how long your mayo will last (in the fridge) … I usually get 4 weeks from my mayo, but we normally use it well within that time
3. You can’t successfully freeze mayo … if you do it will split when defrosted … it won’t be “off” to eat, but it won’t be lovely and thick either … you can still use it to make a thin sauce as the flavour will be there, but it won’t be any good for dressing salads
4. I only use the yolk and not the white (you can use both if you wish and that is known as ‘whole egg’ mayonnaise) … I freeze the white to use in baked dishes, and it means by organic $ goes further and that makes me very happy … you can freeze them in ice-cube trays knowing that each cube is an egg white, or in general 1/8th cup (or roughly 35g) is equivalent to 1 egg white
5. Use vinegar instead of lemon juice as an acid … I love lemon juice, but the acid content of lemons can vary from variety to variety, and from season to season … you need the acid to help “set and thicken” the egg yolk, so by using a vinegar (any vinegar you like, but I generally use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar) you are going to get a consistent result
6. Weigh your oil into a container using the Thermomix scales (either place jug on lid or remove ™ bowl and place jug on carousel) so that you get the right amount needed for the recipe (don’t assume a cup measure – which is 250ml – is the amount needed as oil has more volume than that … see pic to note what I mean)
7. Have everything at room temperature before you start … and
8. … always use your butterfly – I know there are many recipes for making mayo, some without using the butterfly, but again I have never had a “fail” when using it … if you are unsure of where to place your butterfly check the pics … note that the butterfly sits to the LEFT of the single blade that rises up from the shaft (three blades go down towards base of the shaft and one comes up) … if you put the butterfly in that position it will hold in place and not fly off

Once you have nailed making this basic mayo you will have the confidence to adjust the recipe to incorporate other flavours like lime, lemon, jalapeño peppers, miso, capers, etc. etc. to suit whatever dish you wish to create.  The list is endless … you must try this … I promise you won’t be sorry!

Mayonnaise

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Simple ingredients ... use whatever mustard you like, and freeze the egg white to use for another purpose

I used to be wary of making mayonnaise, but with the Thermomix I have never had a fail ... big call I know, but if you stick with some basic principles you could do this too.

These are the "rules" that I work with in making mayo:

1. I use a "light" olive oil ... the first time I used extra virgin olive oil I couldn't eat the mayo ... and I couldn't "save" it either! It was such a disappointment and a waste! The mayo was too "burnt" tasting which I later found out was to do with the oil working in combination with the yolk (it's a "science thing" to do with emulsifying), so now I stick with a light olive oil (and this is the same oil I use when baking as I can't use nut oils due to allergy in the family)

2. Use the freshest free range egg (organic if possible) you can get your hands on ... the general rule of thumb for how long your mayo will keep is the "use by" date of your egg ... make a note of that date on your container and that will give you a guide as to how long your mayo will last (in the fridge) ... I usually get 4 weeks from my mayo, but we normally use it well within that time

3. You can't successfully freeze mayo ... if you do it will split when defrosted ... it won't be "off" to eat, but it won't be lovely and thick either ... you can still use it to make a thin sauce as the flavour will be there, but it won't be any good for dressing salads

4. I only use the yolk and not the white (you can use both if you wish and that is known as 'whole egg' mayonnaise) ... I freeze the white to use in baked dishes, and it means by organic $ goes further and that makes me very happy ... you can freeze them in ice-cube trays knowing that each cube is an egg white, or in general ⅛th cup (or roughly 35g) is equivalent to 1 egg white

5. Use vinegar instead of lemon juice as an acid ... I love lemon juice, but the acid content of lemons can vary from variety to variety, and from season to season ... you need the acid to help "set and thicken" the egg yolk, so by using a vinegar (any vinegar you like, but I generally use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar) you are going to get a consistent result

6. Weigh your oil into a container using the Thermomix scales (either place jug on lid or remove ™ bowl and place jug on carousel) so that you get the right amount needed for the recipe (don't assume a cup measure - which is 250ml - is the amount needed as oil has more volume than that ... see pic to note what I mean)

7. Have everything at room temperature before you start ... and

8. ... always use your butterfly - I know there are many recipes for making mayo, some without using the butterfly, but again I have never had a "fail" when using it ... if you are unsure of where to place your butterfly check the pics ... note that the butterfly sits to the LEFT of the single blade that rises up from the shaft (three blades go down towards base of the shaft and one comes up) ... if you put the butterfly in that position it will hold in place and not fly off

Once you have nailed making this basic mayo you will have the confidence to adjust the recipe to incorporate other flavours like lime, lemon, jalapeño peppers, miso, capers, etc. etc. to suit whatever dish you wish to create. The list is endless ... you must try this ... I promise you won't be sorry!

Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Serves: 250ml jar

Ingredients

• 250g light olive oil (I use Bortolli “light” olive oil)
• 40g white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tsp mustard of choice (I use Dijon, grain or truffle … all are lovely)
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• sea salt flakes, to taste
• freshly milled pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Remove TM bowl from TM carousel and place jug directly onto carousel (or you can use TM lid)
2. Set scale and measure in 250g olive oil then put olive oil aside
3. Return TM bowl to carousel and place in butterfly
4. Add vinegar, mustard, yolk and a little seasoning to TM bowl and place MC in position
5. Start machine on speed 4 … allow it to run for 30 seconds or up to a minute
6. THEN SLOWLY, with MC still in place, start to pour the olive oil onto the lid allowing it to drip into the TM bowl … continue doing this slowly for the next 2 or so minutes until all the olive oil has been used up
7. Before lifting the lid scrape any excess oil from the MC and lid into the TM bowl
8. Lift lid, scrape the inside of it into the TM bowl, and check consistency of mayonnaise … scrape around base and sides, ensuring you collect any mix from the base of the TM bowl and move it around (some of the mustard or egg yolk may catch on the base so dislodge it before continuing)
9. Mix for 10 seconds on speed 4 then taste and season to your liking
10. Remix for a further 10 seconds on speed 4 to incorporate the seasoning before decanting into a glass jar and refrigerating

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