Cooking basics - I made mayonnaise, why do we buy it?

[Daisy]

I'm addicted! I made my second batch of homemade mayo this week. It's so easy!!!

I may even try to use the immersion blender for other things. I haven't looked it up, but I imagine you can make whipped cream with it as well.

[Silverwood]

Bread and tortillas definitely. We do just about all sauces but soy sauce - dressings, bbq, ketchup, mustard, sweet and spicy chili sauce, hot sauce. We also do salsa, tomato sauce, a candied jalapano (which is the best thing I have ever eaten on anything), pickles, relish. Dried spice mixes seem like a no brainer to me, because the premade ones always taste vaguely of sawdust to me. Yogurt and ricotta cheese if I have too much milk, or it was on sale for a really low price. I used to do cider vinegar and hard cider, but don't currently have anywhere to keep them until we move to the new house. We don't do mayo, but that's just because I didn't grow up eating it and never really think about it.

We'll dehydrate tomatoes for sun-dried esque tomatoes and do dried mushrooms and hot peppers, because those are crazy expensive at the store. Dried apples, oranges and lemons end up in tea, as well as herbs from the garden like lemon balm and raspberry leaf. It's not the same as making some of the stuff above, but it works out well for us.

Oh! Hummus. Definitely hummus. I'm sure there's more, but I'm coming up blank now.

You are my hero. That is simply amazing.

[Conjou]

Do tortillas count?  Homemade tortillas are about a thousand times better than storebought tortillas.

+1! And I find that using coconut oil (solid) for the oil component makes them even more yummy.

[greyhuman]

Gatorade ++

Lemon + Honey + Pinch of salt + Ice = an organic Gatorade, homemade, works better than real Gatorade.

tried and tested.

[Dezrah]

I thought I was doing a good job making my own taco meat seasoning, but you guys are way cooler than I am.  This is very inspiring though because it shows me how much “low-hanging fruit” is still out there for us to improve our diet and finances.

Taco seasoning
Apply to browned meat (beef or turkey):
Chili Powder – lots
Garlic salt – 3 dashes
Crushed red pepper – 2 dashes
Cayenne Pepper Powder – 2 dashes
Black Pepper – 1 dash
Cumin – 1 dash
Coat meat, then move to edges of pan.  Add chopped onion, sweat, mix with meat.
   

[MicroRN]

Making mayo at home is almost always going to be more expensive than buying it at the store.  Someone pointed this out already, the cost of good, extra light olive oil (unless maybe you can find it in bulk, which I haven't been able to do) is always going to cost more than whatever garbage vegetable oil the mass manufacturers use.

That being said I made my own last night anyways because I need it for my ranch dressing.  Even if it ends up costing me something like $8/bottle (the ranch, not the mayo) I can't go back to store bought, homemade is just too delicious.

Can you make mayo with something other than olive oil?  I found a new grocery store a few weeks ago that had huge bottles of grapeseed oil for less than $10.  It was crazy.  How long does homemade mayo last?

As far as I know, just about any oil will work.  I've used avocado oil, and I even know of folks who have used bacon fat.  BACON MAYO.  Homemade will not last like commercial does though. 

One I don't get is people buying honey mustard sauce.  It's honey and mustard.  Takes seconds to mix up out of 2 basic ingredients.  Meanwhile the commercial blends have all kinds of extra ingredients, and usually very little actual honey.         

[horsepoor]

Gatorade ++

Lemon + Honey + Pinch of salt + Ice = an organic Gatorade, homemade, works better than real Gatorade.

tried and tested.

I believe a poster here said to use the "low sodium" salt because it contains potassium so it's a better electrolyte replacer than plain salt.

[Gerard]

I think most mayo-making countries avoid olive oil, 'cause it has too much flavour for the things you use mayo for. Or they use non-virgin olive oil 'cause it's the cheapest thing they have. If I use a mild oil, like canola, and use the egg white in something else (sui mai filling!), a cup of mayo costs maybe 60 cents here in expensive Newfoundland: 1 egg yolk, splash o' lemon juice and mustard, 150 ml oil, and some air.

Way less if you use leftover (liquid but cooled) bacon fat as your "oil", like Jennifer McLagan does. And then you can make the world's best BLT.

(I acknowledge that some people loathe canola oil, but I don't wanna get into another thread hijack here...)

[swick]

Thought I would mention, for the folks who are interested, there are two old HP Book cookbooks out there - "Make-a-mix Cookery" and "More Make-a-mix Cookery" that were published in the late 70's if you can ignore the bad photos some of the recipes are really handy. We grew up on the pancake mix, and a few other recipes as we did a lot of camping. You can usually find copies in Thrift stores for super cheap.

[Daisy]

I think most mayo-making countries avoid olive oil, 'cause it has too much flavour for the things you use mayo for. Or they use non-virgin olive oil 'cause it's the cheapest thing they have. If I use a mild oil, like canola, and use the egg white in something else (sui mai filling!), a cup of mayo costs maybe 60 cents here in expensive Newfoundland: 1 egg yolk, splash o' lemon juice and mustard, 150 ml oil, and some air.

Way less if you use leftover (liquid but cooled) bacon fat as your "oil", like Jennifer McLagan does. And then you can make the world's best BLT.

(I acknowledge that some people loathe canola oil, but I don't wanna get into another thread hijack here...)

O - M - G. Bacon fat as the oil in the mayo?!?!? I'm trying to eat less meat, but this sounds so decadently delicious. Has anyone tried it? Doesn't bacon fat harden up after cooling?

[Gerard]

O - M - G. Bacon fat as the oil in the mayo?!?!? I'm trying to eat less meat, but this sounds so decadently delicious. Has anyone tried it? Doesn't bacon fat harden up after cooling?

It only hardens up if you put it in the fridge. I found an online version with some details/discussion (below), but I recommend the book (called simply "Fat") if you can find it. Actually I recommend every single thing McLagan has ever written!

Bacon Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk
¾ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt & pepper
½ cup liquid Bacon Fat

Combine the egg yolk, mustard, and lemon juice in the small bowl of a food processor or in a blender and process to mix. Season with salt & pepper. Have the bacon fat liquid, but not hot. With the machine running, gradually add the bacon fat until the mixture starts to stiffen and emulsify, about 2 minutes.  Once it starts to emulsify, you can add the fat more quickly. If the mayonnaise is too thick, just blend in 1 teaspoon of boiling water to thin. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Jennifer continues with, “This mayonnaise is good in any sandwich, especially those made with eggs or grilled vegetables. It is also good stirred into warm potato salad, and I’m sure you can find other uses as well. The recipe makes only a small amount, about enough for 4 sandwiches. It’s best to use it all up at once. Any leftover mayonnaise must be refrigerated and the bacon fat will turn solid.”

(I copied this from http://eatstayfarm.com/2011/08/a-perfect-blt-sandwich-from-fat-by-jennifer-mclagan/ )

[SisterX]

We made fajitas yesterday and when we were at the store, we forgot to buy more tortillas.  So for the first time ever, I made my own!  Just regular flour tortillas, not anything fancy with masa and lard, but still.  Quite tasty and I'm proud of myself.

[garth]

O - M - G. Bacon fat as the oil in the mayo?!?!? I'm trying to eat less meat, but this sounds so decadently delicious. Has anyone tried it? Doesn't bacon fat harden up after cooling?

It only hardens up if you put it in the fridge. I found an online version with some details/discussion (below), but I recommend the book (called simply "Fat") if you can find it. Actually I recommend every single thing McLagan has ever written!

I have both "Bones" and "Fat" on my shelf. Very good books.

[BooksAreNerdy]

You can absoloutly make whipped cream with an immersion blender! Butter as well! Have a very large jar though and only fill 1/3 full or you will have a great splashing mess!

We currently own a hobby farm and have a milk cow, two veefers, a half dozen hens, and until last week 25 meat chickens. :) we make a lot of our own food, but cheese is one that is too time consuming, even with fresh milk right in front of me.

I did pesto this summer, used high quality oil, and almonds instead of pine nuts. Plus fresh garden basil. I made it in my mini food processor and then froze it into silicone muffin pans. I think they made one cup servings. Once melted, just add butter and cream and you have the most decadent sauce ever! Yum!

[aj_yooper]

I needed mayonnaise for dinner tonight, and had none.  I made it!  An egg yolk, a bit of dry mustard, lemon juice, tiny pinch of salt, and lots of light olive oil, all whisked together in a small glass mixing bowl.  Took maybe two minutes?  Delicious.  I felt very badass  ;-)

We'll be trying this soon.

[1967mama]

Stir fry sauce! Yum ... Have some cooking now with mixed veggies. Also marinated the salmon in it.

6 cloves crushed garlic
3/4 cup soya sauce
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons corn starch
3 tablespoons cooking oil

I tried many recipes before settling on this one. It's excellent and my family loves it!

[Astatine]

I made pesto a few times over summer when our basil plants went nuts and grew fast. I can't remember the exact ingredients but it was something like:

Shit-ton of basil leaves (a cup or more?)
Parsley (about 1/4 of the amount of basil)
Olive oil
Garlic clove
Salt
Parmesan cheese
Lemon juice
Pine nuts

Used the mini-food processor attachment to our stick blender. I either cooked with it straight away or put it in the freezer.


I haven't made mayo yet. I really like the German-style we buy and hubby doesn't like mayo, so it's hard to get motivated to try.

[Threshkin]

I believe a poster here said to use the "low sodium" salt because it contains potassium so it's a better electrolyte replacer than plain salt.

Low sodium salt?  What will they think of next?  Dehydrated water?

[horsepoor]

I believe a poster here said to use the "low sodium" salt because it contains potassium so it's a better electrolyte replacer than plain salt.

Low sodium salt?  What will they think of next?  Dehydrated water?

NaCl is only one kind of salt, it's just the one that's known as "salt" in common language.  Salts do not automatically contain sodium. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_(chemistry)

[Spruit]

Tzatziki (the Greek cucumber salad): Greek style yoghurt (the thick kind, with 10% fat), grated cucumber (moisture pressed out through a seeve), dill, parsley and garlic. Mix together and enjoy (with falafel for example).

Egg salade: boiled eggs, chopped chives, little salt and pepper, few spoons of mayonaise. Voilà, homemade preservative-free egg salade. Nice on a sandwich.

Chocolate milk (handy for the lactose intolerant): 2 teaspoons of cocoa (the pure kind, not the instant stuff), half a teaspoon of sugar or honey, dash of lactosefree (nut)milk. Now stirr this thoroughly so al the cocoa is mixed with the milk. Fill mug further with milk and heat it in the microwave or on the stove if you like.

Lactosefree butter, aka ghee or clarified butter: heat full fat butter till the foam starts browning, than pour the melted butter through a coffee filter into a jar. Keep jar in the fridge and it will last a very long time (a year maybe?).

Pectin juice, to thicken jams and jellies that contain little natural pectin: I use apple peals and cores and/or the white part of citrus peels. A great way to use up the waste materials of making an apple pie or orange juice for instance. Also a way to use any apples fallen off early (more pectin in unripe apples!).