Using Fancy Oil In Homemade Mayo Is A Disaster Waiting To Happen

While concocting your own condiments might seem like a pretty high-level kitchen project, mayonnaise isn't actually that difficult to make as long as you have the right recipe. Basically, mayonnaise is an emulsification of two ingredients that don't really get along with each other. In this case, eggs and oil. That doesn't mean that there aren't mistakes to avoid. For one thing, don't over-beat your mayo. Once it gets too hot, or simply too over-processed, the emulsification that turned the egg yolks, oil, and acid into something smooth and spreadable can reverse itself, leaving you with a lumpy, liquidy mess. For another, if you dump the oil in too quickly the emulsification won't take place at all.

One of the worst mayo-making mistakes you can make, however, involves using the wrong kind of oil. Anything with a strong flavor, like sesame or extra-virgin olive oil, may tend to overpower the mayonnaise, while the latter, if unrefined, might even cause it to separate. Virgin coconut oil will result in coconutty-tasting mayo, which may work in a tropical-flavored chicken salad but might be a bit weird with tuna. Coconut oil-based mayo, too, will tend to harden up in the fridge. Oh, and this should go without saying, but you might want to sniff or taste the oil before mixing it into your mayo so you can be sure it hasn't gone rancid.

Okay, so now you know which oils to avoid for your mayo-making, or are, at least, forewarned, since you can feel free to use them if you don't mind a strongly-flavored (and perhaps oddly-textured) sandwich spread. You might even opt for a flavor-infused oil, but only if you're absolutely certain you want that particular flavor for all of your mayonnaise applications. If you want mayo that tastes like, well, mayo, and not a particular oil, a neutral-flavored oil is strongly suggested.

Refined, light olive oil can be used to make mayonnaise. Avocado oil, which does not taste strongly of avocados, would be another good option, along with canola, grapeseed, safflower, or sunflower oil. You can certainly go for the budget choice with vegetable oil, too, or you can go with a blended oil such as one made with olive oil and vegetable oil. Whatever you choose, mayonnaise is a simple recipe with very few ingredients, and choosing the simplest oil is probably your best option. Wasting perfectly good eggs, after all, is no yolking matter.