Homemade mayonnaise is easy to make. Learn how to make homemade mayonnaise that closely resembles Best Foods mayonnaise using simple ingredients.
I have been a Best Foods mayonnaise lover all my life. I heard about Dukes, tried it, and didn’t like it as much. A co-worker I knew, whose wife liked Best Foods so much, was anxious to return to the Midwest for her Hellsmans, not realizing that Hellmans and Best Foods are the same.
Who Invented Mayonnaise?
Mayonnaise is believed to have been invented in the 18th century by the French chef of the Duke of Richelieu. The story goes that the chef created the sauce to celebrate a victory at the port of Mahón, leading to its name “mahonnaise,” which eventually evolved into “mayonnaise.” It quickly became a staple in French cuisine and spread across Europe and the Americas.
Best Foods Mayonnaise, known as Hellmann’s in the eastern United States, has been a household favorite since the early 20th century. A German immigrant, Richard Hellmann, began selling his wife’s homemade mayonnaise at their delicatessen in New York. Its popularity soared, leading to the establishment of a factory to keep up with demand. Best Foods, a separate brand, gained prominence on the West Coast and eventually merged with Hellmann’s, ensuring nationwide availability.
Getting the Best Foods Flavor
It’s important to use certain ingredients when you are trying to get the flavors that made Mrs. Hellman’s mayonnaise so good. Remember, she was an immigrant from Germany and did not have much money for expensive ingredients. She relied on things like white vinegar, which she probably cleaned her house with, plain oil, and dry mustard she may have used to relieve a cold’s congestion.
Raw Egg Safety
Using raw eggs in homemade mayonnaise can pose a risk of Salmonella infection. To minimize this risk, use pasteurized eggs, which have been heated to a temperature that kills bacteria without cooking the egg. Additionally, always store your homemade mayonnaise in the refrigerator and consume it within a week.
As a mayonnaise enthusiast firmly in the Best Foods camp, I understand the importance of getting that perfect creamy taste. If you’re a fan of Duke’s or another brand, you can tweak this recipe to match your preference.
Making homemade mayonnaise is a rewarding process that provides a superior taste and texture compared to store-bought options.
You can use homemade mayonnaise in a variety of dishes, including sandwiches, salads, and even Popsicles!
Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe
Email Me the Recipe
Here’s a simple recipe to make your own Best Foods-like mayonnaise at home.
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup canola oil, (or any flavorless oil like peanut or safflower oil; olive oil for a flavored variation)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon *dry mustard, (Coleman’s is recommended)
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, (Pacific sea salt preferred)
- pinch white pepper
Instructions
- Mise en place
- 1 eggCrack one egg into the blender’s bowl. This forms the base of your mayonnaise and helps with emulsification.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juiceUsing a juicer, extract one tablespoon of lemon juice and add it to the bowl. Lemon juice adds a bright, tangy flavor and helps stabilize the emulsion.
- 1 teaspoon dry mustardAdd one teaspoon of dried mustard. Mustard not only adds flavor but also aids in emulsifying the oil and acid.
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegarPour in one teaspoon of distilled white vinegar. This gives the mayonnaise its signature tang.
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, pinch white pepperAdd ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt and ⅛ teaspoon of white pepper. Fine salt dissolves better in uncooked applications like this. If you wish to add additional flavorings like chipotle, garlic, or herbs, now is the time.
- 1 cup canola oilSlowly pour in one cup of canola oil. If you prefer a different oil, ensure it’s flavorless unless you want a specific taste, like olive oil.
- Place the stick blender at the bottom of the bowl and start blending. Slowly move the blender up as the mixture thickens, ensuring everything is well emulsified. You’ll see it turn into a thick, creamy mayonnaise.
- Taste the mayonnaise.
- Store the mayonnaise in the refrigerator for a few hours to let it thicken further.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Homemade Mayonnaise Like Best Foods Video Transcript
Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the Good
Plate’s kitchen.
Today we’re making homemade mayonnaise.
Similar to Best Foods.
I’m a mayonnaise person.
I love mayonnaise and I’m in the Best
Foods camp.
I know some of you are in the Duke camp or
other camp.
But we’re doing Best Foods.
And you know, you
can play with this until…
if you like Dukes, you can play
with this. I think it’s a little sweeter.
So maybe add sugar or something to it.
I’m not sure.
Anyway, here’s what we have.
We have Coleman’s mustard.
We have some plain canola oil.
The oil you want to use an oil that is
basically no flavor.
So peanut oil would work here.
Safflower oil would work here.
Any oil that doesn’t have any flavor.
Of course, if you want olive oil flavored
mayonnaise and you would use olive oil.
Distilled white vinegar.
This gives it the taste that you really
want.
It’s that… so other vinegars don’t quite
work as well.
I’ve tried red wine vinegar and the plain
distilled white is what you really want.
Yes, I know this says white cheddar.
It’s supposed to say white pepper,
but that’s okay.
That’s what that is.
One egg…
We’re using Pacific sea
salt because in it’s fine
salt, if you want to use
table salt, that’s okay.
But sea salt is better.
But you really want to fine grain because
this is not being cooked.
So the salt doesn’t really have a chance
to liquify.
So it needs to be as small as possible.
And of course, we
have here a lemon and a
new tool, which I’m
going to be trying today.
So let’s get started.
First thing, the egg.
Now I see now my
stick blender has a little
bowl for it that has… number on it.
And that’s really nice and convenient.
I’m going to close this up.
Set it aside until I need it.
So here we go.
One.
And you go.
Next thing we’re going to do is we’re
going to add a tablespoon of lemon juice.
So we’re going to try the new toy.
And I’m going to put lemon half in there.
Make sure that it’s like that.
Okay, press down.
See how nicely the lemon juice collects in
the bottom there.
Okay, so we only need a tablespoon for our
mayonnaise.
Here we go.
A tablespoon.
A teaspoon of dried mustard.
This is important.
It needs to be dry mustard.
But it needs to be dried mustard not
prepared mustard.
You need a teaspoon of that.
What mustard does, mustard does two things
in this instance.
It adds flavor.
And mustard mixed with its acid in oil.
will also help the oil and acid emulsify.
And that’s what we are doing here.
So we did that.
And then we’re going to add a teaspoon of
distilled vinegar.
Quarter of a teaspoon of salt.
And eighth of a teaspoon or a dash of
white pepper.
And finally, cup of canola oil
or whatever unflavored oil you have that
you like.
Okay, if you wanted to add other
flavorings to this like chipotle or garlic
or herbs or something else,
now would be the time to do this.
But we’re just making regular plain
mayonnaise.
So here we go.
This all the way down to the bottom.
And come on! Watch what happens!
You really do want
something that’s deep like
this because it helps
everything emulsify.
You see how nice that looks?
You see how thick and…
And now this is just.
.. I’m just going to leave this out.
Well, I’m not going to leave it out.
I’m going to put it in
the refrigerator. And
I’m going to put this
in the refrigerator.
And it will thicken up even more.
And when that happens, we’ll come back and
I’ll show you what it looks like.
Let’s taste it first.
Mmm.
That is really delicious.
That tastes just like Best Foods.
Yum!
Okay, the mayonnaise is done.
We’ve let it sit for a few hours.
And look, it’s so nice and thick.
It doesn’t even move.
Look at that.
Nice and thick.
Just the way we want it.
Oh, it’s just absolutely delicious.
You can’t get any better than fresh
mayonnaise.
And I hope we’ll see you next time on The
Good Plate.
