Have you ever looked at the ingredients in store-bought mayonnaise?  Soybean oil, corn starch, sugar, and some things I can’t easily pronounce.  Even the health-store brands have some ingredients in there I’m not happy about, like canola oil.  Even though I don’t use mayonnaise on a regular basis, my condiment of choice for homemade baked fries is (spiced-up) mayo, Western European style, so I decided it was time I started making it on my own.  This mayonnaise recipe is super-easy to prepare, contains only pronounceable ingredients, and lasts about a month in your refrigerator.

This recipe makes quite a bit of mayonnaise!

I must admit, I tried this recipe with olive oil too.  I wouldn’t recommend it, the strong flavor of the olive oil was overwhelming.  I adjusted to the taste eventually, but grapeseed oil is ideal because it’s odorless and doesn’t have a detectable flavor.  This is a basic recipe for mayo, but I encourage you to create “gourmet” versions by adding fresh garlic/herbs/spices.  Then you can be fancy and call it aioli.

Since this mayo doesn’t stay fresh as long as store-bought mayo, make half this recipe if you know you’re only using a tablespoon here or there for sandwiches and such.  I make the full recipe when I plan on using a sizable amount (for mayo-based salads, etc.), then I have enough left over for those yummy pommes frites!

Basic Homemade Mayonnaise

yields 2¾ to 3 cups

3 pasteurized eggs (or ¾ cup egg substitute)

1¼ teaspoons dry mustard

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)

1½ cups grapeseed oil

Add all ingredients except oil into high-powered blender.  Blend on high, slowly adding oil through top of blender.  Once all oil is added, mixture should be thick.  Turn off blender and stir in any oil sitting on top.  Store in glass jar(s) in refrigerator up to one month.