All this discussion of fresh scratch made mayo made me go look it up. Doesn't look hard to make either:
http://www.simnet.is/gullis/jo/Miscellaneous.htm
The above is the site I got this from. (non-English language site)
OlÃusósa - Homemade Mayonnaise
makes 200-300 grams (7-10 oz.)
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
200-300 ml salad (or cooking) oil
1 pinch pepper (optional)
1/2-1 tsp sugar
1 pinch dry, ground mustard seeds (optional)
1-2 tsp vinegar* or lemon juice
*White vinegar can be used but will make the taste sharp. Flavoured vinegar, such as tarragon, makes the taste more mellow.
Mayonnaise can be made in a blender or a mixer, or by hand, using a whisk and a bowl with a rounded bottom.
Egg yolks and oil must be at room temperature. Mixing bowl/blender cup must be clean and dry, and also at room temperature.
Choose oil that has little flavour of its own.
Mix and stir the egg yolks with the salt until light and thickened. Add the sugar and the spice, if using (pepper OR mustard) and half the vinegar/lemon juice and mix well. Lemon juice is healthier than vinegar, and mayonnaise made with lemon juice is better in dressings meant for fruit salads.
Start mixing the oil into the egg yolks, first drop by drop, and then, when the oil begins to blend in, in a steady trickle.
Stirring must be constant, or else the sauce may separate. The mayonnaise should thicken bit by bit as more oil is added.
If it becomes thinner the oil and egg are not mixing, i.e. the sauce is separating. If that happens, stop adding oil, stir the sauce harder and add 1 tsp water or cream. If that does not thicken the sauce, there are two methods you can use to save the sauce:
a) take a fresh egg yolk and put it in a clean bowl, whisk with a little salt and then add the thin sauce in a steady trickle, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. The continue adding the oil until the sauce is the right thickness.
b) put 1 tbs. cold water and a bit of vinegar/lemon juice in a clean bowl and add the thin sauce in a steady trickle, stirring with a clean whisk. Then add the oil until the sauce is the right thickness.
Prepared, home-made mayonnaise should be thick, smooth and shiny. It keeps well in a closed container in a cold place for a few days. Must not be allowed to freeze and must not be kept in the coldest spot in the refrigerator because then it will separate when it is taken out for use.
When putting the mayonnaise away, smooth it into the container and put a tiny amount of water or oil on top so that a film can not form on top. Spices may be stirred carefully into the sauce before use, and for thinning, whipped cream may be mixed in.
The sauce must be thick if it is to be used for decorating food or in salads that will be used to top bread.
Sauce that will be used on food can be thinner and may be made using whole eggs instead of yolks, or eggs and yolks (1 whole egg + 1 yolk).
If you want to enlarge the recipe, follow these guidelines:
100 ml of oil should be used per each egg yolk, or 150-200 ml per whole egg.
The eggs can bind more oil than than, but then the mayonnaise will taste oily.
Sent in by Elena
Comment on making Mayo below
Homemade Mayonnaise
A couple of comments if you've never made mayo from scratch before. A lot of cookbooks suggest that an electric mixer, food processor, or blender are directly interchangeable with a balloon whisk and a bowl. Not really.
A balloon whisk will produce a thicker, creamier mayo. If you want a lighter, fluffier mayo then let the machine do it.
Also, if you've never made your own sauce mayonnaise before, use a balloon whisk the first time. Basically, you're making an emulsion like a sauce hollandaise. Adding the fat, in this case the oil, too rapidly, or beating too aggressively can cause the sauce to break. Some cookbooks refer to this as "turning", "curdling" or "separating", but basically what's happening is the emulsion is breaking down. Doing it by hand the first time gives you more control, and you'll have a feel for the changes in appearance and consistency you want when you do decide to let your appliances do the work for you. Your first time out it's also a wise idea not to try doubling the recipe. Any given egg can only bind with so much oil. Until you have a feel for what you want in a good mayo it's easier to work with smaller quantities. If you need more, repeat the recipe until you have the quantity you need.
Homemade mayo does have a couple differences, other than taste, when compared with store bought. It has a shorter shelf life in the frig because it doesn't contain any preservatives. The other thing to know is that it will not hold the way a store bought mayo will. It will separate because it doesn't have the stabilizers added to commercially prepared mayo. BTW, you can force Hellmann's or Best Foods to separate by lowering their temperature enough. It's the reason they tell you not to freeze their product.
If your homemade mayo does separate, don't worry. It's easy to fix. Remembering that emulsions form more easily at room temperature, let your mayo warm a bit. Then in a warm bowl beat together one tablespoon of any prepared mustard with one tablespoon of your mayo until the mixture is thick and creamy again. You can use whatever mustard you have handy. It doesn't have to be Grey Poupon. After the mixture has thickened, continue adding the separated mayo by spoonfuls beating after each addition.
Happy Sinko de Mayo!
Randall
(6/22/08)