Mayonnaise – from Scratch

If you have chickens you probably have a good supply of eggs. One of the many things you can make with them is homemade mayonnaise. When I was in high school there was this guy from France that was staying with us. He thought it was so strange that Americans bought mayo and kept it in the fridge when it was so easy to make fresh. Egg yolks contain a natural emulsifier called lecithin. If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients of processed food you might be more familiar with soy lecithin, which is also a emulsifier. After learning more about soy, I’d much rather use the lecithin in my hens’ eggs.

Ingredients

1 egg
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cup light flavored oil (don’t use olive oil as the flavor is way too strong. We use safflower oil)
salt to taste
any spices or herbs to taste (optional)

Process

1. In a bowl whisk the egg with the lemon juice.

2. While whisking, slowly add oil in a steady stream until the mixture thickens.

3. Add salt and any herbs or spices to taste.

Because mayo has a fairly high acidity, it doesn’t harbor bacteria very well. Store it in your refrigerator and use it within 5 days.

I also like to add a clove of garlic and chili powder or hot sauce.

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