The Gift of Mayonnaise

Since I caught the 'cooking bug' a number of years back, Christmas time has been a great way of stocking up on kitchen tools, gadgets, and things I wouldn't usually buck up, or actually decide to purchase. My Mom, a continual culprit of yuletide silliness, came through with a few gems this past year. One of which is an old school mayonnaise maker she found at a flea market.

An idiot proof way of making arguably the greatest condiment around. The directions are sketched into the front, the handle on the top is pushed up and down to mix the ingredients into a lovely, emulsified bliss.

Not entirely complicated here folks. You need:

An Egg
2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice (or vinegar)
1 Teaspoon Prepared Mustard
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
Dash of Pepper

After blending all of these ingredients together, vegetable oil is streamed in through the top of the maker while moving the 'mixer thing' up and down until the desired thickness is achieved. Voila.

This recipe lends itself to endless creativity. I have added roasted garlic cloves, and spicy sriracha so far. Basically anything you like in flavored mayos would work (pesto, curry, chipotle, etc.). Thinner mayo is a great salad dressing, thicker is better for sandwiches and dips. One major thing that separates this concoction from it's blue-lidded, store purchased counterpart is that it only last for about a week in the refrigerator. It is dead easy to make though....if you have the right equipment. Otherwise the old whisk and bowl will have to do. Either way, you'll be happy with the results!