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11 Things to Know About Mayonnaise

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1. The three building blocks of mayonnaise are

(1) raw egg yolks (!)

(2) vegetable oil

(3) vinegar

     Seasoning, mustard, and lemon juice may be added for flavor.

2. The source of the word “mayonnaise” is unknown, but one guess is that it is derived from moyeu, Old French for egg yolk.

3. Mayonnaise is made by slowly adding oil to an egg yolk, while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil. The resulting emulsion is what we spread on sandwiches and burgers.

4. Mayonnaise is mostly fat. a serving of one tablespoon (13 grams) contains 90 calories! No wonder “Hold the mayo” has become such a popular expression by weight watchers at fast food joints.

5. homemade mayonnaise will spoil after 3-4 days.

6. Contrary to popular belief , industrial mayo does not spoil if not refrigerated. Commercial mayonnaise is filled with acid and preservatives that can actually extend the life of salads by killing bacteria. The eggs used in prepared mayonnaise are pasteurized as well.

7. Hellmann’s (known as Best Foods west of the Rockies) is the leading US mayonnaise brand. It became part of multinational food conglomerate Unilever a few years ago. According to Unilever, it has over 50% market share.

8. Tartar sauce is mayonnaise spiced with pickled cucumbers and onion.

9. Thousand Island dressing is ketchup, pickle relish, assorted herbs and spices mixed into a mayonnaise base.

10. Ranch dressing is made of buttermilk, mayonnaise, and minced green onion.

11. In the Netherlands, mayonnaise, not ketchup, is the condiment of choice for french fries.

What to do at the supermarket:

If you can avoid mayonnaise, more power to you! Mustard can be used in many occasions instead of it. Also consider low-fat yogurt for some uses.

But if you do need mayo – try to use the smallest amount possible.

As for “light” mayo, with up to 60% less calories – unfortunately it just doesn’t taste the same. No amount of filler starches and fake flavorings can bring the same taste as real mayo. Just have it less often…

 

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  • mine

    My kids love hummus on their sandwiches instead of Mayo!

  • http://twitter.com/lauren_015 Lauren Smith

    and #12: It tastes effin’ terrible.

  • http://www.neighborhoodsquirrel.com Leslie Ruggiero

    I disagree!  The Helmann’s Light tastes great.  Been using it for years.  Don’t even miss the regular stuff.

  • Melissahouse114

    Soy bean oil is the main ingredient, and its in every jar. I cannot find it without it. 

  • http://twitter.com/AlmostAthlete Angie

    Everything in moderation.  I will never switch from real mayo, full fat ranch, or real butter.  No can do. 

  • Anon

    “If you can avoid mayonnaise, more power to you!”

    Why? It makes my salad-on-a-bun sandwiches taste fabulous, and a little fat is not a bad thing. “Don’t eat it out of the jar with a spoon,” sure, but “avoid entirely”? Mayo? Really?

  • Slimdi

    I use the Hellman’s with canola. Tastes fine. Any thoughts?

  • Kirsten Cowan

    Making my own mayonnaise has been a revelation. I buy good quality eggs – i use half olive oil and half sunflower for a lighter taste. by adding a bit of whey from yogurt, the shelf life in the fridge is extended to weeks if not months. i will never buy the disgusting congealed glop from the store again!

  • Kirsten Cowan

    Making my own mayonnaise has been a revelation. I buy good quality eggs – i use half olive oil and half sunflower for a lighter taste. by adding a bit of whey from yogurt, the shelf life in the fridge is extended to weeks if not months. i will never buy the disgusting congealed glop from the store again!

  • Peroua

    “As for “light” mayo, with up to 60% less calories – unfortunately it
    just doesn’t taste the same. No amount of filler starches and fake
    flavorings can bring the same taste as real mayo.” ?? But for mustard or yogourt instead of mayo it’s ok even if they don’t taste the same, obviously! Lack of coherence here. Also, of course mayo is mostly fat but could we say that most of it is part of the “good fat” family?
    Moderation of course! Not demonization!

  • Rhonda

    I can avoid everything and die anyway, so what the heck…I’m going for the mayo!

    • Brian

      I guess it doen’t matter what you eat then, because we’re all gonna die. It may may a huge difference in your quality of life though. (see a few other posts in this comment thread under the name “Brian.”

  • Brian

    Unfortunately, most brands of mayo are made with vegetable oil. Not really a good source of fat… my vote would be to make your own out of free range eggs and olive oil. Much healthier that way, and you would likely eat less of it because of the effort involved in making it.

  • Laffin1

    I will never give up my mayo!  Fat is your friend.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_R7AD4VDCURMCACQOITZPDSTCKM MichaelT

    Try Veganaise, it is really good.  Also the garlic aioli from Wildwood is extra tasty.  I’ve never gone back and I can put as much as I want on anything without the guilt

  • JR24

    Fooducate I am really disappointed in your posts the last few days!  First demonizing multivitamins, now mayo??  Everything in moderation is key, which is not what you’re preaching here.  The take-away from this article is “mayo is evil!” which it is most definitely not.  A little fat in the diet is good for you….we just need to think about a Tb or less on our sandwiches, not a serving spoonful.

    • Brian

      Everything in moderation may be a stretch. There really is no need for candy, soda (diet or not) etc. And some things like trans fats should be avoided completely. Mayo can be evil, depending on how it’s made, but is not necessarily as evil as it’s made out by the mainstream media.

    • http://www.fooducate.com/blog Fooducate

      Hey, you don’t need to agree with everything posted here. In my house we use mayo (real, not the light versions), but try to live by the closing sentences:
      “But if you do need mayo – try to use the smallest amount possible.”

  • Kohnertb

    Wow, apparently everyone using this app and complaining about not being able to use mayo is dumber than I thought. Yes we do need a little fat in our diets but that’s healthy fat like from avacados and almonds not lard and mayo you fat regards. No wonder America is so obese.

    • Brian

      America is probably obese from eating way too much sugar, refined carbohydrates, and fake, processed food. Fat doesn’t really make you fat. It doesn’t mean it’s always healthy, and the fats in most commercially sold mayo is not healthy for you, so the advice in this particular blog post is good. If you get fat from sources like what you said, avocados, and nuts (don’t overdo the nuts), along with other sources such as coconut oil, olive oil, pasture raised grass fed beef, free range chickens, it’s actually quite good for you. The main difference is finding fat from it’s most natural source, which means if it’s animal fat, it should be fed a diet that the animal is meant to live on, and if it’s from a plant, it should not have been denatured by excessive heat (ie: vegetable oils, canola, trans fats, etc.)

  • J in VA

    I make homemade mayo in a blender with farm eggs and half olive oil and half peanut oil. It lasts much longer than 3-4 days. I started when I realized that all grocery store mayo has soy bean oil in it.

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  • FrugalArugula

    I just make it myself, all you need is a hand blender and 10 minutes. Great on steamed artichokes with lemon and cayenne!

  • http://www.facebook.com/cactuswren Susan Cactuswren

    Three days and no “Pulp Fiction” quotes?  Fooducate commenters, I am disappoint.

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  • Steve

    fuck you

  • Pamjwm

    I came here looking for info on the Hellman’s Olive Oil mayo. The first ingredient is listed as “Canola and Olive” oil – how do they get away with lumping two ingredients into one? Just how much olive oil is in there? And also, they now claim the product is made with “free run eggs” but for some reason, I can’t help but wonder about these claims. I’d love to see you look into this product some more.