Making potato salad, should we make our own Mayo?

Hey all -

About to make some potato salad and was thinking about making the mayo myself. Does this create a problem if we end up storing the potato salad? Would the mayo break?

Does it make a huge difference in flavor?

No it won't break; yes, it can make a difference in flavor (especially considering the recipe you use), it should store almost as well as a purchased product that's been opened, and it'll take less time to make than it would to get into the car, drive to the store, and purchase a product laden with preservatives, flavorings, and who knows what else.

Nice!

Never made it before so it should be an adventure.

Any tips?

Room temperature egg yolks. Cold ones won't work so well.

It makes a big difference. I use a food processor, but it's easy to do with a whisk. Mustard helps it emulsify. Add the oil slowly and whisk continuously.

In the immortal words of Louisa Chu, try using bacon fat to make your mayo.
(disclaimer: I've never made mayo of any sort)

nr706 wrote:... it should store almost as well as a purchased product that's been opened.

My experience with homemade mayonnaise is that it doesn't keep very long at all. We were eating it and getting stomach aches shortly after until I realized it was the mayo.

imsscott wrote:My experience with homemade mayonnaise is that it doesn't keep very long at all.

I generally won't hold homemade mayo for longer than three to five days. If I make it, it's for something I'm serving that day or the next.

Best,
Michael

Thank you for the feedback everyone.

Made the potato salad loosely off the following:

Boiled potatoes, tossed with vinegar salt and pepper, cooled, folded mayo, bacon, green onions, boiled eggs, mustard, sweet relish juice, salt, and pepper into the mix.

Turned out pretty good, but will be excited to see how it tastes today.

I made a potato salad Friday from a Michael Chiarello recipe. It - the dressing - is just teriffic!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes ... 64,00.html

If you have a mild red onion, put in more than he calls for; the crunch is a great contrast to the potato.

Hi,

Potato salad is often dressed with hard boiled eggs. I have come up with a one-pot method for cooking the eggs and potatoes together. I fill my Dutch oven with one to two layers of potatoes. If I need eggs just for the salad, I will tuck several eggs amongst the potatoes. If I also want egg salad, then the top layer will be all eggs.

I fill the pot with water to above the top layer, then heat the water to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, I lower the heat to a medium simmer and set the timer for 18 minutes. Once the timer goes off, I remove the eggs and chill them asap. I bring the water to a boil to cook until the potatoes finish.

Lately, I have been using medium sized red potatoes that are almost done by the time the eggs are cooked.

I like this method largely because I have only one pot to watch as well as clean.

Regards,

I like homemade mayo because it's easy to make in the food processor (or blender), and I can add other flavorings while making it. A chipotle in adobo blended in after the mayo is finished tastes great. But it really does need to be eaten quickly. I haven't gotten sick, but the flavor seems to change for the worse after a couple days.

Cathy2 that's a brilliant trick! I always use boiled eggs in potato salad and you're right, watching one pot would simplify things. Thanks!

In my recipe I use half-regular, half-celery salt, shallots, and minced sweet gherkins.

I'm a huge fan of making my own mayo. My standard base recipe is two egg yolks + 1 1/4 cup oil, which consists of 3/4 c. of a plain oil like vegetable/canola, and 1/2 c. EVOO. I find that all ingredients (eggs, mustard, etc.) must be room temp.

Maybe everyone already knew this, but I just discovered a foolproof trick to emulsification when making it in the food processor: You know the white feeding tube? It should have a small hole at the bottom. After I've pulsed the egg yolks with whatever else in the plastic bowl and am ready to add the oil, I flip the switch to "on," and I pour as much oil as the tube will hold and continue adding until my 1 1/4 c. is incorporated (I usually eyeball the texture as well). The little hole in the feeding tube dispenses the perfect amount of oil into the plastic bowl to ensure that the yolks and oil are properly combined.