The Egg Hack That Will Fix Broken Mayonnaise

Making homemade mayonnaise is one of those rare kitchen tasks where you can see the chemistry of cooking come together right before your eyes. Two seemingly un-mixable things — oil and water content from eggs — are whisked together to become a whole new creation. In scientific terms, this is called an emulsion. However, sometimes things go awry, and your mayonnaise can break.

Broken mayonnaise means the emulsion has separated. This can happen because you added the oil too quickly or even mixed your mayonnaise for too long. Regardless, the result is an unappetizing mess with globs of separated oil instead of a smooth, creamy consistency. Fortunately, the solution for broken mayonnaise is pretty simple. While you get ready to make mayonnaise, take one extra egg out of the refrigerator. You don't need to separate the yolks, just set the extra egg off to the side. Think of it as an insurance policy. 

If your mayo begins to break, it's time to cash in on that insurance policy. Separate the yolk from your extra egg and place it into a small bowl. Add a dash of lemon juice to the egg yolk and whisk together until it becomes creamy. Slowly add this mixture back into your broken sauce. You can also combine one teaspoon of mustard with some of the broken sauce — just one tablespoon will be enough.

As long as your extra yolk was also at room temperature, that should do the trick! You've now rescued your broken mayonnaise and are back on the road to having a delicious homemade condiment that will outshine its store-bought counterparts any day.

Once you've perfected that quick fix, you're on your way to mastering homemade mayonnaise. From there, you have full control over what goes into it and what doesn't. No chemical stabilizers or questionable oils are needed. Plus, you can flavor it with fresh herbs and spices to suit your personal tastes. Try adding some fresh basil pesto or Dijon mustard! However you amp up this versatile condiment, it won't last as long as store-bought mayonnaise – one to two weeks in the fridge, or up to a month if you've used pasteurized egg yolks. Chances are, you'll prefer the taste of homemade mayo over what you can buy in grocery stores, so it won't last that long anyway.