Mayonnaise is a very versatile sauce and can be used to enrich and flavor any dish, from fish and shellfish to appetizers, side dishes, and even meat. Let’s see how to make it using extra virgin olive oil as its main ingredient.
Mayonnaise Making Tips
Mayonnaise is a savory sauce consisting of an emulsion of simple ingredients: egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, water, and salt (sometimes a pinch of mustard).
Preparations
Place the egg yolks and salt in a bowl. Using a whisk or electric mixer, begin mixing to incorporate the salt, adding a drop of water at a time, stirring constantly. Gradually, or rather, drop by drop, add the extra virgin olive oil, which should not be too aromatic. Stir, whisking constantly. The result will be a thick, creamy sauce. If it becomes too thick, add a little lemon juice; if it is too acidic, add a little water. Store in the refrigerator at 4°C.
Tasty and versatile
Why do egg yolks, water, or other liquids bind with oil to form a creamy consistency? Normally, water and oil repel each other. Surfactant molecules are responsible for this sauce, known as mayonnaise. The lecithin in egg yolks and mustard creates these bonds, while the acid in vinegar or lemon juice stabilizes them. Finally, the water helps prevent the mayonnaise from becoming too thick or too acidic. Acids also alter the color of the yolk, making it less intense and whiter.
Why does mayonnaise curdle?
Mayonnaise curdles for two reasons, and these problems often occur simultaneously.
1 – The first reason is that the ingredients may be too cold: the result is excessive viscosity that prevents the formation of microbubbles of oil. The recommended temperature for oil is 30°C, the same temperature as egg yolks.
2 – The second reason is the mistake of pouring the oil too quickly: the surfactant molecules struggle to distribute themselves over a myriad of microbubbles of oil rather than a limited amount, resulting in the mayonnaise falling apart.