Ahhh, our beloved condiment–the preferred sandwich spread and base for dipping sauces worldwide. Let’s rethink things, shall we? Make you own, you say? YES!! Homemade mayo is much easier to prepare than you think! I got creative after deciding not to pay $5 for the dwindling 30 ounce (once 36 ounce) jar of the “Best.” Not only is the creamy stuff easy to prepare, but costs pennies to make. Not to mention it’s much healthier to consume. What’s “Calcium Disodium EDTA” anyway? And what’s with the big indentation at the bottom of the jar? I guess to fill in the 6 ounces that got taken from us? While I’m not on a campaign against the condiment companies, nor a self-proclaimed mayonnaise activist, I am into quality and quantity. Here’s some quality for you, not to mention an array of amazing flavors to accompany them.

Basic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1½ cups vegetable, canola or light olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt + pepper to taste

Directions:

Place egg yolks and mustard into the bowl of a food processor.

With the food processor running, very slowly pour a slow, steady stream of the vegetable oil into the egg yolks until the “mayo” forms. Add lemon juice and process just to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes about 2 cups of mayonnaise that will keep for about a week.

Variations:

Put about 1 cup of basic mayo back in the food processor, and for each of the variations below:

Garlic Basil Mayo:

Place a bunch of washed and dried fresh basil and 2 cloves of chopped garlic into food processor with the basic mayonnaise, then process until the basil is chopped.

Spicy Curry Mayo:

Stir in about 1 teaspoon each of curry powder and sriracha hot sauce. Season with black pepper.

Lemon Caper Mayo:

Add grated zest and juice of 1 lemon and about 2 tablespoons capers into the food processor with the basic mayonnaise, then process until the capers are finely chopped.

**Always start with your basic recipe—these are just a few more add-ins for a variation of tastes and flavors.

The list is endless! BBQ, add 2 tablespoons of your favorite prepared BBQ sauce. Honey Dijon, add 2 tablespoons of honey & 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Southwestern, 1 teaspoon each of cumin & chili powder. Italian, 2 gloves minced garlic & 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Greek, 1 tablespoon each, chopped fresh mint, basil, oregano, parsley, onion & garlic. Oriental, 1/2 -1 teaspoon wasabe powder.

Shall I continue? Let’s leave the rest up to your imagination, shall we?