Homemade Mayo

I have searched high and low for a mayonnaise recipe that I could make at home using normal, everyday ingredients that I have on hand.  Most of the recipes were the same - an egg, some seasonings, and oil.  The problem turned out not to be the ingredients - it was the method.  Each recipe said to s..l..o..w..l..y drizzle the oil into the egg while it was blending (or mixing or processing - depending on the machine you happen to be using).  Each time I tried this method, I ended up with a messy, separated goop that hardly resembled mayo.  So I tried an old method that my aunt told me about when I was younger.  We have been eating homemade mayonnaise using this recipe and method for over a year.  (Bonus: my kids can't even tell the difference between store-bought and homemade.)  Maybe this will help someone else out there.  **The bonus on this recipe is that it uses the WHOLE EGG - so there's no waste or trying to find something to do with a leftover egg white.

The tools:

• A hand mixer (though you could use a blender or a food processor)
• A measuring cup
• A jar with lid (or something to store your homemade mayo in)
• Measuring spoons (not pictured as they are optional)

The ingredients:

• Oil (canola, vegetable, olive - the choice is yours.  However, your mayo will take on the taste of the oil if you use a strong-flavored oil.
• Egg(s)  - the basic recipe is 1 cup oil to 1 egg, but you can change it depending on your preference
• Vinegar - this makes the mayo last longer - use at least 1/2 Tablespoon per cup of oil
• Salt, to taste
• Seasonings - this is where you can get creative.  I use prepared (store-bought) mustard but that's only because I haven't made my own mustard yet.  You could use any combination of mustard powder, paprika, onion powder - anything really.  If you want to experiment, add the seasonings at the end so that you can taste it as you go.

First, I crack the egg and drop it into the jar.  I like using the hand blender because I can mix it in the wide-mouth jar (pint size) and then put the lid on and store it right in the same jar.  Less mess to clean up.  With the egg sitting on the bottom of the jar, I add the oil.  All at once, dump it right on top of the egg.  The egg will settle at the bottom of the oil.  Then add the vinegar and salt and mustard.  I just squeeze the mustard until it "looks" like the right amount.  Again, if you want to experiment, I would add the seasonings at the end so that you can taste it as you go along.  Once everything is in the jar, insert your hand mixer and holding at the bottom, do short bursts of mixing.

You can see the egg mixing with the oil (the term is emulsifying).  As you are mixing, you can increase the length of the bursts but you still want them to be relatively short.  When the jar is about 1/2 mixed, you want to pull up the mixer and incorporate the oil that is resting on the top.  Just keep pulsing the mixer until all the oil is mixed in.  You can taste it at this point to see if you need to add anything else.  When you are done, put the lid on with the date and put it in the fridge.  It will be soft at first but it will solidify as it chills.  It will last about a week but we usually use it all before that.  Not only is this free of chemical preservatives and stabilizers, but it costs less than store-bought and tastes great!  DH says that the only difference is the texture - homemade is creamy and store-bought is whipped and almost gelatinous.