Is it safe to heat mayonnaise?

[Ivegotaheadache]

I ate something that someone had cooked using mayonnaise which was then put into he oven, I thought it was very nice but another friend mentioned that you can't heat mayonnaise because of a risk of food poisoning.

I tried to look it up but the advice is conflicting so I thought does someone know for definite?
Thanks.

[Juwesm]

Don't know for definite but sounds like absolute bunkum to me. Where is the risk of food poisoning in thoroughly heating a mixture of eggs and oil?

[diedandgonetodevon]

Don't know but my best guess it is to do with heating, but not thoroughly cooking, raw egg which could cause any nasties to multiply...

[JazzHands]

I am sure you can put things with mayo in the oven!

In fact I've got a feeling we did a recipe the other day that called for it...

Wot juwesm said

[Juwesm]

That makes sense DAGTD - so maybe a problem with warmed-up home made mayo, but probably fine with Hellman's in the oven!

[Ivegotaheadache]

It was definitely Hellmans!
It was at a Pampered Chef party and that recipe is in their book so I can't see that they would include it if it was dangerous.

But I was speaking to another couple of friends today and they also said you can't heat it up.

I hadn't heard of it tbh, but I thought it might be along the same lines as leaving a sandwich with mayo in it out all day or in the sun - bacteria would multiply ect (though I don't know if that's even true!)

[Juwesm]

You probably wouldn't want to leave a sandwich with anything on it out in the sun all day! I put mayo on things like a BLT and that gets nicely warm and runny (which is part of the fun)! What exactly do people think will suddenly happen to mayo which is heated? If it's been in a hot oven, it's not going to be full of bacteria!

[JazzHands]

Hellmans is pasteurised. Using it in a recipe which means cooking it in the oven will present no probs at all.

Maybe people have been put off by the fact it goes clear when heated and they have interpreted this as "off"?