Handmixer Mayo

Background: I love Duke’s mayo, but sometimes I like to make things from scratch just to prove to myself that I still can.

1. Get a stainless steel bowl with high sides.
2. Get a variable-speed hand mixer with a whisk attachment.
3. Get a couple eggs.
4. Get some Dijon mustard.
5. Get some white vinegar.
6. Get some grapeseed oil.
7. Get some salt.
8. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and put the yolks in the bowl.
9. Let everything sit out for about 30 or 45 minutes.
10. Start whisking the egg yolks until they are totally creamy.
11. Add a small dollop of Dijon mustard.
12. Add 3 drops of oil and keep whisking.
13. Add 3 more drops of oil and keep whisking.
14. Add 3 more drops of oil and keep whisking.
15. Keep doing step 12-15 until you have a thick, yellow paste.
16. Whisk in some vinegar and salt.
17. Taste and adjust vinegar and salt.

Why It Works:

1. The whisk is gonna fling mayo, so you want high sides.
2. A hand mixer–unlike almost every other mayo technique–will allow you to make mayo with any number of eggs, even one, because it can always reach the bottom of the bowl. Most recipes out there are limited by the height of the blades used. The ingredients must clear the top of the blade to get emulsified. Also, the hand mixer will incorporate more air, making for a lighter mayo.
3. See above. The number of eggs is going to determine how much oil you can use. The more eggs, the more oil.
4. Dijon helps with the seasoning and flavor, but it’s real job here is to help with the emulsification.
5. I like white vinegar because I’m trying to get as basic a flavor profile as possible so I can build on it.
6. I use grapeseed oil for the same reason I use white vinegar. Mayo isn’t made with olive oil, and the kind that is tastes weird. Mayo is made with canola oil, but grapeseed is a superior oil with a mild flavor.
7. I use Kosher salt because the grain size makes it easy to measure in my hands.
8. Save the whites for consommé, cookies, egg white omelettes.
9. All the ingredients have to be the same temperature or they won’t emulsify and you will have a gloppy texture that’s difficult to save.
10. They should start to stiffen up a bit.
11. We aren’t making Dijonaise. Just a dab is enough.
12. Adding a few drops at a time is how emulsions are done.
13. You are trying to break apart the oil droplets into tinier and tinier pieces so they can be suspended in water. If you pour a bunch in at once, you won’t have the force and water volume to break down the droplets small enough and disperse them far enough from each other.
14. I think that’s what’s happening anyway. I’m not a scientist.
15. How much oil you can add is dependent on how many egg yolks you added. If your mayo “breaks” (aka gets gloppy) after already emulsifying, then you went too far. If your oil never gets emulsified, then you added too much too soon. When you are in the emulsion zone, let taste and texture be your guide.
16. The vinegar is going to thin out the mayo a little, so make sure it’s thicker than you want before you add the vinegar. Salt to taste.
17. This is a good time to add any seasonings you might want.
18. Store in the fridge, but not as long as store bought mayo. Now you see why making a small batch with just one egg is sometimes better.

Mods:

1. Try using other oils if you want.
2. Add some steamed garlic.
3. Add Thai chilies, basil, mint, and cilantro to take it in a different direction.
4. Add some of those chipotles in adobo sauce you’ve been saving.