How-To Tuesday!

Welcome to How-To Tuesday! Every week we are going to post a “basic” cooking skill, technique or tip. Something easy to do that you can build on to make great things! We’ll do everything from how to hard-boil an egg to making simple vinaigrette. I hope these are fun and helpful!

First off: Homemade mayonnaise, it has become a slight obsession of mine. After finding out how easy it is to make and how much more tasty it is, I have forbidden the purchase of it at the grocery store. Even after my wife pleaded for just a small jar. Why buy it!?! You can make mayonnaise in about 5 minutes. Here’s how:

Classic Mayonnaise

Equipment needed: whisk + elbow grease or food processor (I prefer the food processor for this one)

Ingredients:

3 Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard or Vinegar
2 cups of Vegetable or Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the egg yolks and mustard into the food processor and turn on to blend for 30 seconds to one minute.

With the food processor still on, SLOWLY add the oil. I like to use a basic funnel for this so I don’t get the oil everywhere but if you have steady hands just pour directly into the opening of the machine.

You should see the oil and egg yolk starting to combine. BUT If you add the oil too fast it won’t get absorbed correctly and the eggs will split and you will be upset. ( I was….several times) After a minute if all is well you will see mayonnaise! (Don't be alarmed by the amount of mayo in this pic, I doubled the recipe!)

Stop the food processor, taste the mayonnaise, then season with salt and pepper. Turn the processor back on to mix for another 30 seconds. This recipe makes a little over 2 cups of mayonnaise and it will last about 10 days in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Trust me, this will totally amp up that potato salad you are supposed to bring to this weekend’s BBQ! Ina Garten makes our favorite potato salad to date, click here for her recipe.