You need to shop for the ingredients for mayonnaise with care – see our tips.
Ingredients
- 2 large free-range egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 200ml cold-pressed rapeseed oil or mild vegetable oil
Method
- 1. Whizz the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar or lemon juice in a food processor, then add the oil in a confident, steady stream – you need keep up with the speed of the blades. It is ready when the blades leave a visible trail through the mayonnaise. Season to taste.
- 2. To make it by hand, it is best to get someone to help. One of you holds the bowl steady and whisks, while the other adds the oil in a gentle, continuous drizzle. Season to taste. Note: if it curdles, remove it from the processor or bowl and set aside. Add 1 egg yolk and whizz or whisk briskly, slowly adding back the curdled mayo. The new egg should bring it back together.
Nutritional info
Per tablespoon: 112kcals, 12.2g fat (1g saturated), 0.5g protein, 0.1g carbs, 0.1g sugar, trace salt
Chef's tip
EGGS: You need quality eggs. Even if you’re not concerned with animal welfare, it is worth buying free-range, organic eggs for the flavour alone. OIL: Olive oil and some nut oils can be too strong. The base for a mayonnaise needs to be mild but not bland. I love cold-pressed rapeseed oil, which has a gentle mustard-like flavour and a stunning golden colour. Things to know:
1. Sometimes mayonnaise plays up. You will know if you have curdled a batch because it literally falls apart instead of becoming the luxurious, wibbly-wobbly emulsion. The most likely culprit is cold egg yolks from the fridge and ambient oil from your larder. To cut a food science story short, when you make mayo you are trying to bind the fats in the egg with those in the oil. If one is cold and the other isn’t, it won’t work.
2. Unlike its commercial cousins, home-made mayo is a raw egg product, so chill it and use within 3 days.