Notice: Array to string conversion in /homepages/39/d825246014/htdocs/app826711063/wp-content/plugins/google-captcha/google-captcha.php on line 614
We’ve been on again, off again with making our own mayonnaise over the years. It’s not that hard, but buying mayo from the store seems so much easier… thats my habit talking, right? I am not in the habit of making my own mayo so it seems easier to buy it from the store.
In honor of Plastic Free July, I’m working to eliminate all single use plastic from the condiment shelves in my refrigerator and pantry. I’ve already switched to homemade mustard (earlier this month as part of my plastic free July challenge to myself) and homemade ranch dressing (weeks ago because I ran out and wasn’t ready to go to the grocery store). Both of these are insanely easy to make yourself and taste so much better that I’m never looking back!
But… what about mayonnaise. There’s the raw egg factor… and the fact that the homemade version spoils much more quickly… and… and… and…
The whole point of Plastic Free July is to make intentional changes to your habits throughout the month and find creative, new ways to eliminate single use plastic from your life. So, homemade mayo, it is!
Here are a few ways I’m addressing the above concerns:
- I have my own chickens and am fully in charge of the handling of the eggs. I know how they’ve been collected, washed, and stored, so I’m comfortable eating them raw occasionally. You obviously have to make your own choice about eating raw eggs. I’ll offer you the following articles from Forbes and Elaine Gottschall B.A., M.Sc, author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet.
- Alternatively, you could follow a recipe like this one from Cooks Illustrated, that involves cooking the eggs.
- I only make about a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise at a time. Many recipes make too much for us to eat in the recommended 4 days or less that you should keep your mayo in the fridge, so I created a scaled down recipe.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Ingredients
1 egg*
1/2 cup mild tasting oil (we usually use Grapeseed oil, but use whatever you have/like)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon mustard (consider using homemade!)
salt to taste; start with 1/2 teaspoon
Assembly
Place everything except the salt in a pint jar (or the container that came with your immersion blender)*
Blend on high speed, starting with the blender at the very bottom of the jar. Once the ingredients start to emulsify, slowly lift the blender up to make sure all of the ingredients get incorporated.
Add salt and blend everything together one more time.
Do you make your own mayonnaise? Is your recipe different than mine? Share your recipes, tips, and stories in the comments below!
*Recipe Notes:
- You want your egg and oil to be at the same temperature, so you’ll want to leave the egg out of the fridge for a bit or run it under some warm water.
- You can certainly whisk by hand, but you probably need to add the oil a lot more slowly