7 Things You Didn't Know About Mayonnaise

Since I've brought you collections of wisdom on the other members of the core condiment family, ketchup and mustard, I thought I'd provide you with 7 new ways to use mayonnaise.

  1. Artisanal mayo is on the rise in a big way — I interviewed Elizabeth Valleau of Brooklyn's Empire Mayonnaise boutique and discovered that nearly anything you crave (except whiskey) can be use to flavor mayonnaise, and that egg freshness is so essential to a tasty batch that she can't eat regular Hellman's. Or whatever that West Coast equivalent is. Second Best Mayo? Use a fine artisanal mayo like Empire's on a sandwich or like a finishing butter on a piece of meat or fish. You can order Empire's famous flavored small batches here.
  2. While we do have a great recipe for totally homemade basil pesto mayo, I'm not above squeezing them both out of the tube onto a sandwich and mixing them right there on the bread. The important thing is that they both get on my sandwich, not just one or the other, particularly where poultry or cured meat is involved.

  3. Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise is intensely flavorful, super creamy owing to its higher yolk content and really, really loves it when you blend it with well-drained kimchi.
  4. Olive oil-based mayonnaises (Hellman's is actually pretty good) takes just as well to very finely grated orange or lemon zest.
  5. The crew at Momofuku loaned us their signature Redeye Mayonnaise recipe — a cracklike blend of coffee and Sriracha that elevates the humble roasted ham to haute cuisine status.
  6. Pimento cheese mayonnaise. Now hear me out. Instead of making the pimento cheese the star of the sandwich, something you should do frequently, occasionally make it a backup singer. It'll still get plenty of cheers. Double the amount of mayo the recipe calls for and use this non-processed cheddar spread on a BLT, roast beef or tuna sandwich.
  7. Kind of a cop-out here, but consider not using mayo at all, especially if you're in a rut. Greek yogurt is and always will be a viable substitute in many applications, and you can gussy it up the same way.

Now get out there and make a sandwich proud.

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