Mayonnaise is a thick, creamy sauce or dressing that is made of oil, egg yolks, lemon juice and/or vinegar, and seasonings. It's not the same as salad dressing, which doesn't contain egg yolks.
Ingredients
For the Mayonnaise sauce:
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups vegetable oil*
Preparation
Mayonnaise sauce:
1. Measure or carefully weigh all ingredients.
Preparation
2. Combine egg yolks, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, and water in small, stainless steel bowl. The container must be large to whisk the mixture as it is heated.
3. Place the egg yolk/acid mixture in a pan or container of water (such as a small double boiler) that is at a simmering temperature of 180 to 190F (82.2 to 87.8C). Heat the yolk/acid mixture to a temperature of 150F (65.6C). This will take about 1 minute. The mixture must be whisked constantly and the temperature measured frequently by using a tip-sensitive thermocouple thermometer. The thermocouple can be taped to the wire whip to give continuous temperature as the mixture is stirred. When a temperature of 150F (65.6C) is reached, immediately remove the pan containing the yolk/acid mixture from the hot-water heat source. Cool the egg mixture to room temperature [<80F (<27C)]. [The pasteurized egg yolks are very stable at this point and can be stored for 7 days at 41F (5C) if you want to make the batch larger and then store it. The pH of this mixture is 3.5.]
4. Place the pasteurized, acidified yolk mixture in a stainless steel mixer bowl. Add mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper.
5. Either an electric mixer or a wire whip can be used to create the mayonnaise emulsion. Begin beating with whip, or if a mixer is used, turn it to high speed and very slowly, almost teaspoon by teaspoon, begin adding oil. When the emulsions forms, oil can be added more rapidly.
6. Continue beating until all the oil has been added. The mayonnaise emulsion will become quite thick. (It can be thinned, if desired, by adding a small amount of wine vinegar or lemon juice or water.)
7. Adjust seasoning. If necessary, adjust viscosity with the addition of a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice.
Storage
8. Place mayonnaise in clean, sanitized storage container. Label and date product. By government standard, this product does not require refrigeration for safety. For quality, store in refrigeration unit at 41F (5C) or less. The shelf life will depend on mold contamination during mixing, but should be at least 4 weeks. Leftovers
9. For quality, do not add fresh product to old.
*Note: If olive oil is used, the mayonnaise should be used at once. It cannot be stored under refrigeration because olive oil will crystallize or solidify at refrigeration temperatures and the mayonnaise emulsion will "break" and separate.
