Homemade Mayonnaise - The Super Simple Way

I am going to apologize now for the poor pictures.  It was a combination of trying to adjust to my new camera and take pictures while making the mayonnaise. 

 

First I am taking part in a Nothing Extra Challenge with some online friends.  This is different from a No Spend Challenge in that you try to purchase nothing if a substitute is available.  I thought for certain that I had an extra jar of mayonnaise in the pantry.  Therefore I did not purchase mayonnaise when it was on sale earlier this month.  My current jar of mayo is nearly gone, and I cannot bear to pay full price for it.  That was the kick I needed to try making my own. 

 

I have lived my entire life thus far thinking that mayonnaise was nearly impossible to make at home.  If one did make it, the process was very precise and the slightest misstep would ruin the very delicate process.  Anyone else feel this way?  Do you want to know what changed my mind?  The instructions found here.  I had all of the ingredients on hand.  I did not use pasteurized egg yolks.  This is a choice since I personally know the hens that lay my eggs, and I am very certain that they are fresh.

 

While I started with the recipe and instructions referenced above, I was not crazy about the mustard taste of the mayonnaise.  I had a second recipe bookmarked and decided to use the method from recipe one and the ingredients from recipe two.

 

 

I dumped all of the ingredients in a 2 cup measuring cup.  You want to use a container with narrower sides.  A wide mouth pint jar would have been perfect, but I did not have one.  I inserted my immersion blender and pulsed it on high a couple of times.

 

 

You can see that immediately a layer of mayonnaise forms in the bottom.  Once this happens lift the immersion blender up slightly and pulse a couple more times.

 

 

I know that picture is super bad, but I hope you can make out the thin layer of oil that remains.  At this point you want to stop blending.  I did not personally experience it, but apparently if you keep blending the emulsion will break and you will end up with a runny mess.  I simply used a spoon to stir in the last bit of oil.

 

 

This looks similar to the store bought stuff, but the color and taste are a bit different.  Since mayo is usually not eaten straight up, the flavors are fine.  I do think I will decrease the amount of vinegar and lemon juice to 1 ½ teaspoons each.  I found the flavors a bit strong for my liking.  The mustard batch of mayo will not be wasted.  I plan to use it in potato salad since I add mustard to that anyway. 

 

I am not sure I will always make mayonnaise myself.  I would not use it in a potluck dish.  Just because I am okay with eating my hens’ raw egg yolks does not mean everyone would be.  I am just amazed at how very simple it is.  If this is something you have wanted to try, I highly encourage you to do so!