I tried making mayo for the second time today and couldn't get it thick enough. I used Dana Carpenders recipe and it tasted good, but didn't get thicker than the consistency of thick cream. I like my mayo more like thick yoghurt, almost enough to hold its shape . Any suggestions on what to try? This is the recipe , from 500 low carb recipes.

1 egg
1 tspn dry mustard (used 1 tspn wholegrain mustard , as I didn't have any mustard powder)
1 tspn salt
Dash of Tobasco (didn't use )
1 1/2 tb vinegar
1 1/2 tb lemon juice
1/2 to 2/3 C olive or other veg oil (used rice bran oil)

Blend everything but the oil
SLowly , in a thin stream add oil while blending.
When it is thick enough and the oil starts to collect on top, stop adding oil.

I don't have a blender and was hand whisking. Do you think it was the hand whisking , or should I have added extra oil? It has emulsified somewhat. It looks right and tastes good but it just isn't as thick as I like.

First of all, save the lemon and vinegar to add at the end, not at the beginning.

Second, dribble the oil in *very* slowly, almost drop by drop.

Third, mayonnaise often thickens up when you add more oil, even though that sounds wrong.

In my experience, hand whisking works better than a blender. You've got to really beat the hell out of it though, and resist the temptation to pour the oil quickly.

For other people reading the thread, I want to add that the egg must be at room temperature. That had nothing to do with your results, though.

I think you could use the original instructions, but have serious reservations about the sheer amount of acid to oil...definitely adding more oil and continuing would probably have done what you wanted, if you were "dribbling". I would definitely not be using 3 Tbsp of liquid acids to that amounnt of egg and oil.


ps: I have it in the back of my head that adding moisture (like the mustard and the acids) "retards" the emulsification somewhat...consider investing in a small container of the dry mustard?

Homemade mayonnaise... my favorite subject!

Adding a lot of acid (or any water-based liquid) will definitely make the mayonnaise thinner. But in my opinion, it tastes better that way. I add acid first because it gives me more volume to whisk at the beginning, but if I'm not sure how much I'll need, I start with a little and add the rest later. Homemade mayonnaise will never be quite as thick as what you get in the store because they add stabilizers like carrageenan. You could try using gelatin.

Adding more oil will definitely make the mayonnaise thicker. You can add quite a lot before it reaches capacity and "breaks."

When you say it emulsified "somewhat," I'm not sure what you mean. Sometimes it looks like it emulsified, but if you let it sit, it will separate. That's not really emulsified at all in my opinion. To "fix" mayonnaise, start with a fresh egg yolk and whisk in the "broken" mayonnaise, just as slowly as if you were adding pure oil.

Another way to make mayonnaise thick is to use thicker fat. I tried it with chicken fat yesterday - it worked all right, but I think the fat was a little old and didn't taste all that great. I often use lard - when I get very high quality lard, it makes a great mayonnaise.

I've discovered a secret with harder fats; They don't have to be completely liquid, as long as the mayonnaise is warm enough that they stay soft. Just drop in a small dollop and whisk it in a little at a time. I use this technique to emulsify fat into a stock-based sauce as well.

It stayed together, so I guess it was emulsified, just not as thick as I wanted. I'll try again, with a little more oil next time, then if that doesn't work, with just the egg yolk , not the whole egg. Thanks for your help!

Oh, I didn't notice you were using a whole egg. Blender mayonnaise usually uses whole eggs; I don't know why. But if you whisk it, you don't need the whites. They may even make it thinner, but I'm really not sure what their effect is. I don't use them because I don't like egg whites, especially raw.

Happy whisking! I've gotten big strong arms from making mayonnaise several times a week.

My homemade mayo's super easy...

3 eggs at room temp in blender
add a little fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt, mustard powder (and whatever else you're into..i use this recipe to make salad dressings, too)
blend for 1 min
SLOOOOWWWWLLLLYYY add 1.25 cups of oil (I use grape seed) and TADA!! Yummy mayo!

About how long does homemade mayo keep in the fridge? I made mine 10 days ago and I'm a little scared to eat it. I've only used about 1/4 of the recipe, which didn't have an especially high yield, or an especially fantastic flavor, either.

Maybe it's because I'm used to the flavor of Best Foods mayo. I buy a jar of Best Foods and it lasts me a loooong time - I've kept commercial mayo in the fridge for months with no problem.

Maybe I shouldn't bother making homemade mayo if I use so little.

I was following muffles thread back and thought I'd share my angle. I'm a newbie and have made one mayo that broke and didn't know how to recover, the next one broke and I did recover and the third one worked out great! I mainly use them to add to salads as dressing with some crumbled blue cheese. The first one I used canola oil but now have decided to use a fairly decent domestic (USA) olive oil. This is olive oil flavor but I love it!

I add one egg yolk, some salt, vinegar (not much but I'm a big fan) some liquid corse mustard and some ground pepper (cause I like it ) Start out with the liquids whisked really good then add drops of oil.whisk, drops, whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, now add a bit more oil, whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops,whisk, drops --- soon you'll get a feel how much oil can be added before breaking. The stuff below gets so think it's hard to whisk at the end. I could turn the bowl over and it wouldn't budge.

I've kept mine for 2 weeks no problem but I got thru it pertty fast if it's in there.

I now use this recipe with an immersion blender...a worthwhile new gadget. and I keep it longer 2-3 weeks with no problem. Whizz right in the same jar used for storage. Clean up a snap.

http://www.everydaymaven.com/2014/h...ake-mayonnaise/

Janet, that was the first idea I tried and mine broke but I was probably over anxious. I also DID NOT use the egg white, maybe that helps with the immersion blender method. Since I've got mine kind of dialed now with a whisk I'll probably "stick" <---- immersion blender joke there, to using it for now. I need to build my wrist strength, tricep bulk and patients and wait for the magic to happen. It is magical when you think about what's going on when you make the stuff. Science!

The stick blender or immersion blender is a tool I was given as a gift. It is the one electric tool I would keep if I had to sell all the rest.

Thanks for the link Janet, I will try it sometime!

Stick Frugality is my middle name, had been using a recipe very similar to this one, also with a whole egg so not to waste food. Made it in a food processor received as a wedding present (they don't make 'em like they use to), but clean up was always a pain just for one cup of mayo. When I finally broke down and bought the immersion blender, the heavens opened and the angels sang about new world of quick and easy clean-up. My triceps will just have to remain their flabby selves.

I have a stick blender so will give this a whirl.
Thanks for bumping this thread Thud, it was funny reading what I wrote back then!