Why can't I make mayonaise?

[Fluffycloudland77]

I did the BBC good good recipe.

2 egg yolks
200ml oil
1tsp vinegar
1tablespoon mustard. Hand blender method.

It's the consistency of condensed milk. I poured it down the sink in a fit of pique.

Is it because my hand blenders a £5 one from Argos?.

I think far too much mustard.

You need a very narrow vessel to blend In, start with the egg yolks ,a little mustard and vinegar then whisk and pour the oil in very very slowly.
I still f**k it up half the time.

Mine always fails if i put the vinegar in with the egg yolks. I just put eggs and mustard then the oil and vinegar to taste last.

Can I use a liquidiser?

I followed the BBC good food recipe to the letter & watched the video while I did it. He got Mayo, I got a jug of bleugh.

I'm the same. I'm looking for a new stick blender with close fitting jug on Black Friday partly for this reason (also because mine is 25 years old and blunt).

Mayo is actually the only homemade thing I'm not keen on. Homemade pesto, houmous, salsa, all great. But I find homemade mayo a bit meh. I honestly prefer Hellmans.

TBH I wouldn't bother if I wasn't allergic to sulphited products like lemon juice, sugar syrups & cows milk.

For someone who hates cooking anyway having to cook from scratch every night is torture.

I can buy organic Mayo but it's so expensive.

Try it with a whisk instead of a stick blender.

Are you using powdered mustard?

When I did make some, I made it in my magimix using the recipe cook let that came with it. The texture was fine.

Recipe book.

No, I'm using ready made mustard 😔

The recipe used pre-made mustard.

I can make mayo about 50% of the time. Same recipe every time. Same equipment. No idea why sometimes it doesn't work! Its a black art.

When I add the oil I start with literally a couple of drops, whisk it in and very gradually increase the amount with each addition. Hand blender works fine for me.

stick blender works well
a food processor at a push
the oil needs to be cold
I prefer using whole eggs

Keep in mind that homemade mayo is not like store bought, it has a softer, more gel-like consistency. Jar mayo has stabilisers which give it more body and a predictable consistency, that's why it's often used in restaurants. I make it and consider it a success if it is thicker than salad dressing, but it will never be white and stiff like the kind in a jar.

As pp say upthread, it is a dark art, like choux (which turns into crusty pancakes 50% of the time).

PS. Didn't mean for that to sound so poncy ('Do keep in mind that...")!
The first few times I made it I thought I'd failed, and really the condensed milk consistency sounds about right.

Go slower as you add the oil, it sounds like it isnt combining properly. Its literally a drop and then whisk for a min. You can go a little faster towards the end

possum I talk like that anyway.

My mother can make perfect rice every time with no measuring & she can make mayonaise. She is obviously a witch. There's no other explanation.

Lol, it is mainly my writing/email manner but I am a bit of a prat in person too.

We sometimes buy la di da mayo (Abel and Cole) and it is just as wobbly and odd as my own, which I took as confirmation that I was crushing it in the mayo stakes but now I hear your mum does a legit thick version I am questioning my abilities.

I have only managed to make mayo successfully when using a balloon whisk. Blenders can be too powerful, apparently. There's an explanation for it but I've forgotten!

So frustrating. Last time I tried it was gelling beautifully, then collapsed at the last minute to spite me.

I can make it but only that recipe in a jam jar one, I use a cheap stick blender and add garlic or mustard (it tells you when to add it in the recipe)
http://thehealthyfoodie.com/fail-proof-home-made-paleo-mayo-whole30-compliant/

However I can't make an omelette look good to save my life. My mum can't make scones and she makes the best cakes ever
My scones are perfect and it infuriates her

Use 1 egg yolk, add the oil really slowly, and only add half the vinegar at the start, and the rest halfway through. It's definitely an art, but it's worth getting the hang of.

Jam jar? Narrow vessel?

It depends what you blend it in op, it needs to be narrow!

Not sure if your blender came with a little pot to blend in?

Use that or maybe try a narrow bottle /jam jar.

OP am I your mother?

I actually make it in the small bowl of the food processor but as a PP said I literally add the oil a drip at a time running it on full
power for a minute or so then a teaspoon at a time. Once it’s ‘caught’ and is thickening you can start to add it in a thin stream.

If I’m feeling stressed I make it with a fork the old fashioned way!