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Homemade Mayonnaise

It’s all in the wrist.
difficulty:
yield:

1⅓ cups

time:

20 minutes

introduction

Poor mayonnaise. It didn’t make the cut as a mother sauce. It should have. It’s a proper emulsion with many culinary applications. Over the intervening decades, mayonnaise spread itself thinner and thinner before going full-blown commercial—where it has pretty much stayed. We love Hellman’s and Best Foods as much as anyone, but in some preparations, a good homemade mayonnaise makes all the difference in flavor and performance. It is a recipe every cook needs. This is ours—and it was inspired by Melissa Clark’s version in the New York Times.

Cooking Remarks

The mayonnaise remains appealingly neutral with only a small quantity of olive oil added as a finishing flavor. You can use a handheld mixer instead of a whisk to prepare the mayonnaise. The beaters will fit right into a 2-cup glass measuring cup.

equipment mise en place

For this recipe, you will need a digital kitchen scale, a 1-cup liquid measuring cup or small pitcher, a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, and a small whisk.

    • 6
      ounces avocado oil
    • 0.6
      ounce extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1.2
      ounces egg yolk
    • 2
      teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
    • 1
      teaspoon spring or filtered water
    • teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1
      teaspoon Dijon mustard
  1. In a 1-cup glass measuring cup or small pitcher, combine the oils. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, water, salt, and mustard. Whisk until the mixture is frothy, about 40 seconds. Now, while whisking constantly, dribble the oils into the yolk mixture one drop at a time until the mixture is thick and emulsified. Add the rest of the oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly. The mayonnaise will be thick and mounding, with a beautiful sheen. Cover flush and refrigerate for up to 5 days.