How to make the perfect mayonnaise with the best EVOO

Much has been written about mayonnaise, a popular sauce that many dare to make at home and that, even in the best families, sometimes turns out to be a disaster. But you don't have to get bad blood and immediately start preparing another one in the event that the sauce does not emulsify well.  

It seems that the origin of this cold emulsified sauce made with egg, oil, lemon and salt dates back to Menorca in the 18th century, where the first recipe books began to refer to it as "good allioli". It soon passed to France and, at present, it is very popular all over the world and although there are many who dare to prepare it, not everyone goes overboard. Here are some tips to prepare a perfect mayonnaise.  

Extra virgin olive oil, please

The flavor of extra virgin olive oil gives the mayonnaise an extraordinary touch of class. The problem is that many people are used to the taste of industrial mayonnaises, made with sunflower oil, and sometimes find it difficult to adapt to the more intense, but certainly more interesting flavor of extra virgin olive oil. In addition, extra virgin olive oil, with its floral and fruity nuances, is wonderful if we want to make an herb mayonnaise, for example.  

The egg, at room temperature

One of the mistakes that we usually make when preparing homemade mayonnaise is that the eggs are too cold, so that when they come into contact with the oil, the resulting sauce does not fully emulsify. For the mayonnaise to be perfect, the eggs must always be at room temperature. Another option is to cool the oil (we can put it in the fridge for a few hours before making the mayonnaise so that it is at the same temperature as the egg).

The blender, always at the base

The truth is that preparing mayonnaise, in principle, has no secrets. It is about keeping the mixer at the base of the bowl, with an egg inside, and beating without moving it, adding oil little by little and stretching as it sets. It is recommended to add a touch of lemon or vinegar. It is essential to have good kitchen utensils, in this case a mixer with stainless steel rods that allow mixing at low speed.  

We will already have a perfect, healthy and homemade mayonnaise, to accompany any dish! Now all that remains is to enjoy it and be very careful with its conservation, since the raw egg can contain salmonella. Therefore, we must always consume it fresh out of the fridge and refrigerate it immediately if we want to keep it. In no case should we leave the mayonnaise jar on the table for diners to serve themselves, much less when temperatures are high, as they favor the proliferation of bacteria.