On Emulsion (Mayonnaise)
- Howie Bulka
- Jul 8
- 6 min read
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Howie's Missive
On Emulsion
Having solved all the world’s problems in the past years’ missives, I feel I’ve earned a respite from ruminating on world affairs. These cold dark days of winter are an opportune time to turn one’s gaze inward, which I do eagerly, having learned long ago that a contented heart is most often found in one’s own backyard. This is a good time, I think, to bring Howie’s Recipe of the Month back to its humble intents, focusing on matters more culinary than controversial. So, in January I’m going to ask you, dear readers, to join me on a journey to a place far away from the craziness and cruelty of the daily news. A place where everything makes perfect sense. I will be your guide as we explore the Land of Food Science, contemplating the miracle of emulsification, a fundamental process at the heart of so many yummy things. There will be stops along the way. A moment to marvel at Hollandaise sauce and mayonnaise, a journey to that secret place where oil and vinegar come to mix, and finally to our destination, Howie’s Recipe of the Month for January, Mayonnaise
Let’s begin our journey of scientific discovery in my refrigerator. Amidst the riot of condiments, capers and cornichon you will find a jar of Best Foods Mayonnaise. It could just as easily be Hellman’s, Kraft, Duke’s, Kewpie, the national brands, or any number of specialty or in-store brands. Americans love mayonnaise and we use it with abandon. Mayonnaise is used as a spread for burgers and sandwiches, in dips and dressings, as a binder in casseroles. It is the foundational ingredient of Ranch Dressing, Tartar Sauce and Thousand Island dressing. If you request a side of mayo in any restaurant in America, they will have it. Mayonnaise is the number one selling condiment in America. By dollar volume, twice as much as ketchup. Mayonnaise is our most loved emulsion and It’s easy to understand why. Mayonnaise, like Hollandaise sauce, whipped cream, peanut butter and other culinary emulsions are wondrously creamy and smooth with a luxurious mouthfeel that is simply irresistible. I can’t imagine a tuna sandwich without it.
What better way to understand the mechanics of emulsification than by making one? Let’s get our hands dirty, figuratively. To make a pint of Mayonnaise, place three egg yolks in a large bowl. Add three tablespoons of water, a dollop of mustard, a squeeze of lemon (or wine vinegar) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly add twelve ounces of salad oil to the yolk mixture in a slow stream (begin with just a few drops at a time), whisking vigorously and constantly, until all the oil is incorporated. Low and behold Mayonnaise! Lovely pale yellow in color, smooth and creamy, unctuous and firm enough to hold a peak. A remarkable transformation, you must agree.
So, what just happened in that bowl? Simply stated, we used egg yolk and a bit of elbow grease to force oil to bind with water, two ingredients that normally repel each other.
We created an emulsion of oil (fat) in water. Cool! Now let’s dive a little deeper. Oil and water are immiscible; that means they do not mix. Intermolecular forces keep fat and water from forming a homogenous solution. Oil is non-polar. It has no electric charge. Water molecules are polar and, like a magnet, have positively and negatively charged ends. Without a molecular charge to attract them, oil and water stay to themselves. No matter how hard you whip them, they will quickly separate. The magic in the mix is the egg yolk, which like a lot of proteins, contain natural emulsifiers, in this case lecithin and lipoproteins, that are amphiphilic, that is they have a water-loving (hydrophilic) head and an oil (fat) loving (lipophilic) tail. They are the glue that binds. Imagine a chain of oil and water molecules held together, with links of lipoproteins. More correctly, imagine lipoproteins surrounding water molecules so that they cannot coalesce, merge back together, and remain small enough to be held in suspension indefinitely in the oil.
Hollandaise sauce is another common culinary emulsion. To make Hollandaise, melted butter replaces the salad oil, but the fundamental process is the same as for mayonnaise. Likewise for French style vinaigrettes, where Dijon mustard, which contains lecithin a natural emulsifier, replaces the egg yolks, enabling oil and vinegar to bind. Making Beurre Blanc, the white butter sauce that revolutionized modern French cuisine, requires the cook to ‘Monte au Beurre’ or mount with butter, by adding cold butter bit by bit into a warm reduction of wine or stock to create and thicken (emulsify) a sauce.
In classic French Cuisine, Mayonnaise and Hollandaise are two of the six ‘sauce meres’ or mother sauces, from which many other sauces are derived. A quick review of Escoffier’s ‘Le Guide Culinaire’ offers a staggering number of variations. Add a bit of chopped pickle, capers and fresh dill to Mayonnaise and you have Tartar Sauce. Add a bit of ketchup to your tartar sauce and you have 1000 Island dressing. Replace the salad oil with olive oil, add minced garlic and voila! Aioli. A dollop of Hollandaise on steamed asparagus is delicious.
Add fresh tarragon and a splash of vinegar to Hollandaise and you have Bearnaise Sauce to serve alongside grilled meat. A soupcon of tomato paste turns Hollandaise into Sauce Charon, an old school accompaniment to grilled fish that will blow your mind. I could go on.
Before we bid farewell to the Land of Food Science, allow me to introduce one of its most solid citizens. Harold McGee is the author of ‘On Food and Cooking’, the seminal work on the science and lore of the kitchen. First published in 1984, On Food and Cooking’ was largely rewritten into its current format in 2004, which is when I discovered it. It is recognized as a foundational text, translating complicated science into language a household cook can understand and put into practice. If you have enjoyed our little foray into the Land of Food Science and would like to dive deeper, On Food and Cooking is a place to start. It’s a fun read.
How to Make Mayonnaise
If you have never made mayonnaise from scratch, you will find that there is a world of difference between prepared mayonnaise and scratch versions. They are so different in fact, that it makes sense to think of them as different ingredients with different uses. When it’s time to slather Mayonnaise on a BLT, I always reach for the Best Foods. It’s perfect, right? But when it’s time to dip and devour a steamed artichoke, scratch mayonnaise is the correct choice. When I put mayonnaise on a burger, Best Foods. When I put curry mayonnaise on a salmon burger, it’s homemade. Tartar sauce made with prepared Mayonnaise is best known as a condiment for fried fish. With a bottle of hot sauce alongside, it is indeed a marriage made in heaven. But when it’s roasted salmon, served with a simple salad and some crusty bread, homemade tartar sauce makes a simple weekday dinner into something sublime.
Mayonnaise
Yields app. 1 Pint
100 g Olive oil
300 g Canola Oil (or other neutral oil)
3 Egg yolks
50 g Water
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Wine vinegar
Dash Tabasco
Salt To Taste
Combine the oils in a measuring cup.
Place the egg yolks, water, mustard and vinegar into a food processor.
Work the mixture briefly to combine.
With the machine running, add the oils in a very slow stream. As slow as you can pour it in a continuous stream. When all the oil has been added, the mixture should be thick and creamy, the consistency of, well, mayonnaise.
Season with salt and Tabasco.
Tartar Sauce
Yields app. 1 Pint
300 g Homemade Mayonnaise (recipe Follows)
100 g Hard cooked egg, chopped
100 g Dill Pickle, chopped
Big Pinch Fresh Dill, coarsely chopped
40 g Red onion or Shallot, minced
40 g Caper, drained and chopped
Half Lemon, juice only
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Scale all ingredients into a small bowl. Combine well.
Adjust salt, pepper and Lemon juice.
Refrigerate. Best if prepared a day in advance.
Editors Note
To Our Dear Readers,
It's been some time since a Recipe of The Month has been published, let alone within its given month, for that we humbly apologize and thank you for your continued interest. Recipe of The Month will be returning to a semi-regular cadence in the coming months, including a dutiful distribution of our backlog of recipes. One of the upcoming missives is my new favorite, you're in for some good reading!
Admittedly we've shaken things up a bit. The editor, yours truly, has a full time job, which has taken him away from his ROTM duties. Thankfully, with the help of a new social media hire (A beloved former wait-staff member) and some barking at from his dear father, I'll be getting ROTM back on track in due time! To the whole one of you that reads the editors note, thank you. There's some yummy things ahead. As always I encourage you to try out the recipe, write in if you have questions or comments, and go forth with kindness.
Back Again,
L.B. The Editor.
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