In the United States, Hellman’s mayonnaise is the most popular brand of mayonnaise. Kraft’s mayonnaise comes in second. I too was once a fan of Hellman’s, that is before I woke up one day and began to question the ingredients. If you have ever bothered to read the ingredient list then you’ve had to ask yourself where this whitest color comes from, right? Well I did! Come on, mayonnaise contains eggs and egg yolks which are yellow, therefore, it can’t be white in color! They have to use something, like a bleaching agent or colorant(s) to make it as white as it is.
The ingredients listed on the jar are as follows:
soybean oil, whole eggs, vinegar, water, egg yolks, salt, sugar, lemon juice, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA
Soybean Oil
First, soybean oil is one of those fats that is a “polyunsaturated fat”. This is a fat that is prone to oxidation (rancidity) which leads to the creation of free radicals which are known for their role in aging and diseases, like cancer and heart disease. Additional information about polyunsaturated fat can be found at www.westonaprice.org. Also, most soybeans sold in this country are GMO’s (Genetically modified organisms). For more information about GMO’s check out the following links! It’s a real eye opener! http://www.responsibletechnology.org/ or http://www.seedsofdeception.com/.
Natural Flavors
The word “natural” is the most abused word in the food industry and can be used on anything and everything. Just because it says it’s “natural” doesn’t really mean that it is. Natural products can contain GMO’s, chemicals, pesticides, etc. It encompasses hundreds of chemicals.
Calcium Disodium EDTA
This is used to preserve food. EDTA is short for ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. It’s a chelating agent synthesized from ethylenediamine formaldehyde, water and sodium cyanide. It’s also used in the recycling process to recover lead from used lead acid batteries as well as other things. Don’t just take my word for it, look it up!
In fact, if you where to began to pay attention to all the ingredients on every item you purchased and began to look each of them up, you would be amazed at what you are putting into your body. This is the reason I don’t buy processed food.
I’ve tried several recipes for “mayonnaise”. The ones that call for whole eggs and egg yolks come out a pale yellow in color but are too thin. It’s best to use egg yolks only to get that nice thickness of mayonnaise that we’re all used to. The French invented mayonnaise and it was by accident at that. The chef was sent to make a sauce but was out of cream so he used oil instead. What he ended up with was a thin version of mayonnaise. Even today, all French mayonnaise recipes I’ve come across uses at least one whole egg and Dijon style mustard instead of dried ground mustard. The batch I made that came out to thin is from a French recipe that I’ll not use again.
Can you quest which one is made using whole eggs? If you guessed the one on the right you are correct! Now, if you do make a batch that comes out to thin, don’t toss it out! You can still use it for making tuna fish, egg salad, chicken salad, etc. , just use less of it. 
Can you tell which one of these is made using whole eggs? It’s the one on the left! In this picture, it looks as if it is white puts it’s not. It is a pale yellow. Real mayonnaise, using egg yolks is yellow, like the jar on the right. Think about it for a minute. Egg yolks are yellow, ground mustard seed is yellow, extra virgin olive oil is yellow, some are green. So how on earth can it be white? It can’t unless you add a coloring agent of some source.
How to make mayonnaise! It quite simple really!
Makes 1 1/2 cups
- 3 pastured egg yolks (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon organic & non-irradiated ground mustard seed
- juice of half organic lemon (1 tbsp)
- 3/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup organic sunflower oil or organic sesame oil
- pinch of Realsalt
Directions
- Using a mixer like Kitchen Aid, using the whisk attachment, add the egg yolks and mustard, and beat till well mixed.
- Begin to add the oils very slowly, just a trickle at a time, about 1 teaspoonful. Be sure that each drop of oil is thoroughly whisked in before adding the next drop. If you add the oil too quickly, the mayonnaise will split or curdle. (If this does happen you can mix another egg yolk with a little mustard and slowly whisk this into the split mixture. It should re-emulsify.) Once you have 1/2 of the oil in you can very slowly add the remaining oil in a slow trickle.
- Season well with salt and pepper and whisk in enough lemon juice to taste.
- If it’s too thick, stir in a little filtered hot water, a tablespoon at a time till you reach the right consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning again, adding a pinch of sugar if necessary to balance out the saltines and acidity.
You can use just olive oil but I find the taste to be a bit overwhelming so I use half olive oil and half sesame oil.
Spoon the mayo into a jar that has a lid and ring. Store in refrigerator.
