How to make mayonnaise

Written By Unknown on Sunday, July 3, 2016 | 7:58 AM

commercially produced mayonnaise bears about as much resemblance to the homemade sauce of the same name as instant coffee does to a single-estate espresso pre-treated by civet cats. It's like an oven chip, or a jar of pesto – perfectly acceptable when needs must, as long as no one's pretending it's anything like the real thing.

Even the proudest fans of this pallidly gelatinous product can't deny that, however fancy the label, it can't cut the mustard when it comes to basic tasks like slipping silkily over some Jersey Royals, or partnering a plump brown crab. The jar I have in front of me, the own-brand of a terribly respectable supermarket, lists 10 ingredients, including wheat glucose-fructose syrup and colouring. Real mayonnaise requires just three: egg yolks, oil and vinegar.
With typically Gallic temerity, Michel Roux even claims, in the excellent yet largely forgotten 80s television series The Roux Brothers, that mayonnaise is very simple to make – although, watching Albert whip up a batch in under a minute, I realise that simple does not always mean easy.

Mayonnaise is an emulsion of oil in water (egg yolks being half water). As any cookbook will tell you, it's important to add the oil very gradually, and beat well between additions, to avoid overwhelming the yolk and curdling the mixture. There are few more dispiriting culinary experiences than staring at a bowl of greasy ribbons after 10 minutes of hard graft with a whisk.

Classic method

As my control mayonnaise, I'm using Michel Roux's recipe – he's French, after all, and he seems to know his eggs. Put a large mixing bowl on a damp tea towel, to give you a firm base, and then add two egg yolks, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk together, and then pour in 250ml groundnut oil in a steady stream, whisking continuously until you have a thick, glossy sauce. Add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar to the mix and check the seasoning.

Adding the oil

This is not as easy as the brothers make it look and to prevent the sauce curdling, I resort to adding the oil drop by drop for the first few minutes, as advised by Delia. (If your mayonnaise does turn on you, I can confirm from first-hand experience that it can be rescued by starting again in a clean bowl, and beating the curdled sauce, spoonful by spoonful, into the new mixture.) Food writer Harold McGee, who has looked into the subject with typically scientific thoroughness, claims that the oil can be added in doses of up to a third of the volume of the yolk itself – "for a whole yolk, that's a teaspoon at a time," he advises. Daringly, I give this a try, and find he's right, although it's difficult to pour out in such quantities, and fiddly to measure them.

Quick mayonnaise

Two quite different methods are suggested by Delia Smith and the chef Theo Randall. Delia's 'instant mayonnaise' uses two whole eggs and a food processor – the eggs are mixed with salt and mustard, and then, with the motor still running, one adds the oil, and then the vinegar. As she observes, the result is less thick then a classic mayonnaise, but it is a wonderfully quick and reliable recipe if you haven't got the time or the inclination to wield a whisk for 10 minutes. (I've never had much success making mayonnaise with an electric whisk or a food mixer.)

Very slow mayonnaise

Randall, meanwhile, an award-winning Italian chef who can be assumed to know a thing or two about oil, suggests using a pestle and mortar instead of a whisk. I break the egg into the pestle, add the mustard, salt and lemon juice, and pound 'vigorously' until 'pale and creamy'. I'm red in the face, and ready to add my oil, in a slow trickle. Half an hour later, by now firmly ensconced in front of a programme on American teen moms, I'm still going. Eventually, I achieve a respectable sauce-like consistency, and quit while I'm ahead. It can be done – but really, what's the point?

Which oil?

Now I've established my method, it's time to turn to ingredients. There's a tendency these days to assume that olive oil, with its healthy reputation and 'authentic' Mediterranean heritage, is always the best choice, but Nigel Slater says this can be bitter, and I notice that Michel Roux suggests using groundnut oil instead, although, he says, you can add a little extra virgin olive oil at the end if you like, just for flavour. Theo Randall, however, and Elizabeth David herself, stand by an all-olive mayo (although David concedes that it is best to choose "a mild, fruity" example, "as in mayonnaise its flavour is accentuated"). I buy an oil which declares itself to be light, and experiment, but I find the flavour harsh and overpowering. Add a dash or two of your favourite extra virgin at the end instead if you prefer an olive flavour.

Which acid?

Michel Roux also suggests two different acids: warm wine vinegar, or cold lemon juice. McGee debunks the idea that the temperature of any liquid you add at the end will make a difference to its texture, but whatever you use will, he says, help thin the mixture, as well as, in the case of the acids, helping to stabilise it. Whether you, like Michel himself, enjoy the taste of lemon juice, or like Albert, prefer vinegar is up to you, just as the kind of mustard you add, and whether you want to include a little garlic, is a matter for personal preference: personally I think lemon goes better with olive oil and with fish, whereas the vinegar matches well with salads.

Even if you're not the Michelin-starred father of a MasterChef legend, real mayonnaise is much easier than most of us realise. The only skill you really need is patience. And a strong whisking arm.

Felicity's perfect mayonnaise

2 egg yolks
Generous pinch of salt
250ml groundnut or sunflower oil
25ml extra virgin olive, walnut or rapeseed oil
1 tbsp mustard of your choice (or 1tsp mustard powder)
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

1. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before starting. Place a damp tea towel beneath a large mixing bowl, and add the egg yolks. Beat well with a whisk for a couple of minutes.

2. Add the salt and beat well for 30 seconds until the yolk is thick and sticky. Begin to pour in the neutral oil in a very thin stream, or drop by drop if you're the nervous type, beating all the while – don't be tempted to rush this, or your mayonnaise will split. As the mixture thickens, you can start to add it more quickly.

3. Once your mayonnaise is near the consistency you want it (and you may not need to use all the oil), switch to the olive oil. Once it is all incorporated, beat the mayonnaise for another 30 seconds until thick and glossy, and then add the acid, mustard and garlic (if using) and mix in. If you would prefer a thinner mixture, add a little water as well.

4. Stir in any further ingredients, such as chopped herbs or anchovy essence and cover and keep refrigerated until you are ready to eat.

Are you a mayonnaise fan – and if so, which do you really prefer, the jarred stuff, or homemade? What's your favourite flavour, and what are the secrets to success?