very method that I witnessed on that infomercial all those
years ago: using an immersion blender. By placing the egg
yolks and other flavorings (usually mustard and lemon juice
along with a splash of water to lighten the texture) in the
bottom of a tall, narrow cup and carefully pouring oil on
top, you create two distinct layers: water-based liquid with
the fat floating on top of it. If you then slowly plunge the
head of the blender to the bottom—into the water part—and
flip the switch, you create a vortex that slowly but surely
pulls the oil down into it, so the oil is fed into the blended
egg yolks in a slow, steady stream. Before your very eyes,
you see a creamy mayonnaise forming, starting from the
bottom of the container and slowly working its way toward
the top. If you don’t own an immersion blender, get one, if
only for this purpose!
Foolproof Mayo Without a Hand Blender
OK, you’re stubborn and you flat out refuse to buy an
immersion blender. What then? Well, you could make your
mayonnaise by hand (it’s really, really tough), but if you’ve
got a food processor, you’re in luck. With enough practice,
you can easily make mayonnaise in the food processor by
dumping your eggs and flavorings in, then slowly trickling
in the oil with the machine running. Problem is, it doesn’t
always work, particularly for small batches. The egg yolks
ride up the sides of the processor bowl, which makes any
attempt to form an emulsion with them an exercise in
futility. But is there a foolproof way, one that ensures that
the oil and the egg yolks all mix up nicely?
As I was scraping down egg yolks from the sides of my