|
|
Mayonnaise
In cooking, mayonnaise is a thick, white,
creamy, cold sauce; an emulsion of fat (originally olive oil, now
usually other vegetable oils) suspended in a matrix of egg yolks,
flavored with vinegar or lemon juice, and seasonings.
Mayonnaise is made
by slowly introducing oil into the other liquids while whisking
vigorously to break up the fat into small droplets that will become
dispersed in the liquid. The egg yolks provide lecithin, which
stabilizes the emulsion. It is then seasonedd with salt and sometimes
other seasonings.
Mayonnaise is only
eaten cold, for instance on sandwiches (mainly in North America) and on
French fries (mainly in northern Europe and Canada). The French serve
it with cold chicken and, frequently in unassuming restaurants, with
cold, sliced, hard-boiled eggs. It is also often used as a base for
many other cold sauces with more varied ingredients. Aioli, for
example, is a garlic-flavored mayonnaise. Popular herbed mayonnaises
include tartar sauce. Many salad dressings are mayonnaise-based.
Homemade mayonnaise
can approach 75% fat before the emulsion breaks down; commercial
mayonnaises are more typically 65-70% fat.
Homemade mayonnaise
can also be made using raw egg whites, with no yolks at all, at least
if it is done at high speed in a food processor. The resulting texture
appears to be the same, and, if properly seasoned with salt, pepper,
mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, and a little paprika, it is
indistinguishable in taste from that made with egg yolks.
Since homemade
mayonnaise contains raw egg yolks, it poses a danger of salmonella
poisoning. At home, be sure to use the freshest eggs possible,
and thoroughly clean them before use. Some stores sell pasteurizedd
eggs for home use. You can also coddle the eggs in 170° water and
remove the hot yolks from the whites, which will have cooked slightly.
Homemade mayonnaise will only keep under refrigeration for three to
four days. A lower-fat version can be made with silken tofu.
|
|
| Commercial
Mayonnaise |
Commercial
mayonnaise producers pasteurize the egg yolks, or freeze
them, and substitute water for most of their liquid, or use other
emulsifiers.
Commercial products
typically replace much or all of
the egg yolk with water, requiring the addition of lecithin or other
emulsifiers from sources such as soy (some commercial mayonnaises may
thus be appropriate for vegans). "
Commercial mayonnaises
are more typically 65-70% fat.
Low fat" mayonnaise
products contain
starches, cellulose gel, or other ingredients to simulate the texture
of real mayonnaise.
Commercial mayonnaise
sold in jars was born on
Manhattan's Upper West Side. In 1905, the first ready-made mayonnaise
was sold at Richard Hellman's delicatessen on Columbus Avenue, between
83rd and 84th Streets. In 1912, Mrs Hellman's mayonnaise was mass
marketed and called "Hellman's Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise."
|
 |
|
