Homemade Mayonnaise (by machine)

A time-tested recipe for mayonnaise without a whisk.

Painting by Made in Mississippi

Today, I overcame my inability to make mayonnaise by machine. It's all thanks to Whitney Ferre and her mom Susan Gilbert who taught me the secret to small batch mayonnaise.

Use the whole egg.

Previously, I used only 1 yolk and it did not provide enough mass to reach the blade in a food processor and produce the necessary emulsification. If you use the whole egg, it does--and it did.

This recipe comes by way of Whitney's Grandma Gilbert. Susan emailed, "Grandma got the recipe from a friend of hers named Virginia Snell, long deceased. The original recipe called for garlic powder, MSG and ground pepper. I dropped the MSG right away and I usually opt not to use the pepper because I don't like little black spots in the creamy white mayo."

And creamy it is. It is also tangy from the distilled white vinegar. You could substitute lemon juice, red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar, or cut the vinegar to 2 tablespoons if you prefer. But, do you really want to mess around with a classic like this?

It is also supremely flavorful with onion, garlic and mustard powder. An all-purpose spread for sure, it's also a head start for making your favorite homemade creamy dressings--from caesar to blue cheese to ranch.

"I think I’ve only purchased one jar of mayonnaise in 43 years of marriage, right after a move," Susan wrote, "and I ended up throwing it out!"

I hope to follow in Susan's (and Whitney's, Grandma Gilbert's and Virginia Snell's) footsteps--in more ways than one.

Classic Mayonnaise
Makes 2 cups
1 whole large egg
2 small garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 small onion
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
dash Tabasco
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 cup vegetable oil

1. Put the egg, garlic, onion, vinegar, tabasco, salt and mustard in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender.
2. With the machine running, slowly drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil in through the feed tube or the opening in the blender lid. When the mixture thickens, gradually drizzle in the rest of the oil.
3. Store the mayonnaise in a sparkling clean jar in the refrigerator.