As you might probably already know, I am a big fan of homemade cooking and making meals from scratch. I feel like it’s one of the best methods of vetting what goes into your body. With store-bought items, you never know what exactly they contain and even if you look at the ingredients list then it might be difficult to recognize what each ingredient is unless you’re a chemist or a professional dietician.
And while preparing your own fish sticks instead of buying them is not something unthinkable, many people seem surprised that I even make my own mayonnaise at home. Especially since mayo has such a bad rep in the first place due to its fat content.
But I feel that as long as something is made with healthy natural ingredients then there is no harm in eating it! My mayonnaise consists of egg yolks, olive oil, mustard, lemon, whey, and sea salt. Are any of these ingredients inherently bad? Definitely not! As I always say:
”Everything in moderation”. There is no need to prohibit eating mayonnaise. It’s a great condiment that can be used in a variety of ways. Store-bought mayo does indeed contain many unnecessary preservatives but my homemade version is as healthy as possible.
Another great advantage of making your own condiments (not only mayonnaise) is that you can customize their taste to your liking. If you want to you can add some herbs to it or maybe even some spicy pepper for the hot food lovers out there. Instead of olive oil, you can use any other kind of oil (as long as it’s buttery). That can be sesame oil, macadamia nut oil, or even bacon fat! Work with whatever you have in your pantry at the time.
Homemade Mayonnaise
The key to a good homemade mayonnaise is the blending. Many recipe books I have read, including the Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, insist on using a blender or a food processor to reach the ultimate smoothness. Personally, I have never been able to. I suppose my food processor might be too weak. I whisk the mayo manually and while it can be quite tiring, I can control exactly how I want my mayo to look like. So try whichever method works best for you.
And just as a disclaimer, I am not saying that you need to make your own mayonnaise. This is all about balancing your free time and deciding what is best for you: spending some time in the kitchen or saving that time by buying mayonnaise in a jar. Obviously, if you don’t use mayonnaise that much anyway then store-bought might be better. Just remember to choose reputable brands and always take the time to check out the ingredients list!
Necessary equipment:
- a large bowl
- a whisk
- a glass jar with a cover lid
Ingredients:
- 4 egg yolks (room temperature)
- ½ t. of mustard
- ½ t. of sea salt
- juice of one lemon
- 2 cups of olive oil*
- 3 T. of whey
*For this recipe you should be using late harvest olive oil. It’s more mellow and buttery than early harvest olive oil which makes it perfect for mayonnaise. Early harvest oil is clearer and brighter which is good if you are preparing a salad dressing or a dip.
Instructions:
- Whisk all the egg yolks in a large bowl for about one minute.
- Add in the mustard, sea salt, and lemon juice. Continue whisking for another minute.
- Gradually, drop by drop, add in the olive oil while constantly whisking. Do it in a very thin stream. It should take you about two minutes to get one half of a cup in.
- Now you can add the rest of the olive oil in a more steady stream.
- Once you have done that, add the whey and whisk the mixture until well combined.
- Transfer your new mayonnaise into a glass jar and tightly screw the lid.
- Leave at room temperature for seven hours while the culturing process is happening.
- After seven hours pass, put the jar in the fridge. Once it is completely chilled, it will have that typical mayo consistency and be ready to eat.
Enjoy the taste of your homemade probiotic mayonnaise!