The Best Mayonnaise-Homemade

For your summer salads and picnics

Summer Family Picnic, 1956

Mama Nell, looking impossibly young, is on the right in this picture. My grandmother, next to her, probably made the cake.

Mayonnaise

Mama Nell liked to make her own mayonnaise, at least until Dublin stores started carrying Hellman’s. She would add the oil very slowly to the ingredients in the white glass bowl of the Mixmaster while it was running. Later she liked the convenience of blender mayonnaise. She never wrote the recipe down, but these recipes adapted from those in The Joy of Cooking sound like what she did. The oil she used was Wesson Oil, because back then olive oil was sold in local stores in very small bottles.

Place in bowl and beat until lemon colored: 2 egg yolks (medium speed electric mixer)

Beat in: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp salt

A few grains cayenne

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of sugar, if desired

Beat in, very slowly, 1 teaspoon at a time: 1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil (Or dribble into mixer bowl)

The mixture will begin to thicken and emulsify.

Combine in a cup or small pitcher: 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar, 2Tbsp. lemon juice

Have ready: 1/2 cup olive oil

Add oil drop by drop, alternating with the vinegar mixture.

Things to remember to make mayonnaise work:

Do not make during a thunderstorm

Do not have cold oil

Do not have your eggs too warm. (Not straight from the nest, in other words)

To fix curdled mayonnaise: Place one egg yolk in a bowl and stir constantly. add the mayonnaise very very slowly and then slowly until the mixture thickens.

Blender method, in brief:

Use 1 whole egg

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. salt

Dash cayenne

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup salad oil

Cover and blend thoroughly. With blender still running take cover off and add 1/2 cup salad oil and then 3 tbsp lemon juice until thoroughly blended.