homemade mayonaise: cooking the eggs? page

[Brent*]

So I have never made homemade mayonaise, so am wondering if I'm supposed to cook the egg yolks? I'm refering to the directions on how to make them on p.63 of 'primal blueprint quick and easy meals.' I assume I don't cook them so am wondering if it is really healthy to eat raw eggs? Also, what type of oil do I use? just says 1 cup oil.

Thanks guys!

[Diana Renata]

1) No, don't cook them.

2) Eating raw eggs is fine. Even conventional eggs you only have a 1 in 10,000 chance of getting salmonella. It's far less if you use good pastured eggs.

3) I use olive oil (mild which is unfortunately very processed than other olive oils, but it's better than store bought mayo.)

[Brent*]

I always hear conflicting opinions on raw eggs. Some say it is fine others say it is too dangerous. Does Mark Sisson approve of them (as well as the rest of the paleo community)? So if you eat eggs raw should they be cage free, organic, grass fed, etc? Or does the chances of getting salmonella stay the same no matter what kind of eggs you get?

for the oil, I thought canola oil was used most times? Oh well, I'll try olive oil and see how it tastses.

thanks Diana

[Diana Renata]

I would say if Mark didn't approve of raw eggs, he wouldn't have included a homemade mayo recipe in his cookbook.

Yes, cage free, organic, pastured eggs are better than conventional ones. As I said with conventional eggs your chances of illness is 1 in 10,000. In local pastured eggs it is far less.

Feel free to experiment with different kinds of oils.

[dkd2001]

Raw eggs do pose a certain (very small) danger of salmonella. Know your source if you choose raw.

Or you can coddle them -- I got this from the Joy of Cooking, I believe -- with a room temp egg, put in a small bowl and fill with near-boiling water and leave for 1-2 min depending on size of egg (longer for larger). The white should still be mostly clear and the yolk still raw-appearing. You should also wash the shell to be sure it is clean before cracking any egg if you are worried about salmonella or other infections.

That said, I don't bother and have never had a problem. I have used raw chicken, duck and turkey eggs in mayo for years.

As to the oil -- Primal doesn't recommend canola oil at all. I often use olive oil (light is okay) but it does impart an olive oil flavor to the mayo which may not be what you desire at all. I read a recent post on MDA that said safflower or sunflower (cold expeller pressed only) would be an okay substitute with little added flavor.

If you want to specifically add flavor, I have used up to 1/4 of the oil substituted with bacon fat (at just liquid temperature and added carefully to avoid any "cooking" of the yolk, which makes a great tasting mayo.

Also, don't add the lemon at the beginning (I add it about 1/3 in) as it can curdle the yolk. Sometimes the mayo gods just won't be on your side and your mayo may separate -- temperature, humidity, whatever -- but for the most part it works great and is SOOOO much better than the store-bought stuff that pretends to be mayo. I generally use a blender recipe -- much easier. My wrists won't hold up to a whisk for that long!

Enjoy your tuna salad, waldorf salad, BLT without the bread, tartar sauce (just add dill, chopped pickle and capers) or whatever.

Remember, your mayo won't last forever. Use it up within a week or less -- which shouldn't be a problem.

[bloodorchid]

that's why an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice is part of the recipe, to kill the ooglies (what i read on a food site, who knows)

but get a MILD OLIVE OIL. TRUST ME ON THIS. or just use butter or melted coconut oil. i far prefer those to olive oil

extra virgin just makes it all taste rancid

[Dr. Bork Bork]

I've never gotten sick from raw eggs (have you ever gotten sick from cake batter or cookie dough? They both have raw eggs).
Just make sure you're crackin on a clean counter

I've used avocado oil for making mayo & liked it a lot better than olive oil.

[Brent*]

hmm, I'll have to experiment with different oils. Any specific brands of olive oil you guys suggest? Id prefer it didn't taste like olive oil. Any idea what oil they used in traditional mayonnaise (i dont have any on me so can't tell you from the ingredeints list).

thanks guys

[Brent*]

so is avocado oil something you buy I take it? haven't seen it out there

[bloodorchid]

store bought mayo uses soybean oil, and yeah avocado oil is something buyable

*dreams of raw brownie batter* thanks doc