Why Mayo is the World's Best Sauce | What's Eating Dan?

Dan dives into the science of mayonnaise and shows you how to make the best homemade mayo in just minutes.

Recipes:

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[stephaniecardinale]

I'm from upstate NY. In my house, Hellmann's rules. Kewpie is for dipping. And miracle whip is a crime against humanity.

[sameoldsteph]

I grew up in Rhode Island. My mom exclusively bought Miracle Whip so I didn’t taste real mayonnaise until I was a teenager, and it was life altering! I love all mayonnaise, but probably love Hellman’s the most.

[noercarr]

Grew up in the Midwest and ate Miracle Whip and tuna almost daily. Kenji taught me how to make mayo with an immersion blender and it transformed my cooking habits, I use it all the time now.

[VincentandCoBxl]

I am Belgian, and we are really serious about mayonnaise, which is the go to sauce to eat with our fries (who are not French! 🙂). Anyway, we are so serious about it that the composition of mayonnaise is regulated here : at least 70 per cent fat and 5 per cent yolk. That explains probably why we buy almost only local brands such as La William or Devos Lemmens. I never buy any, I always make my own mayo. I like to prepare it with 3 egg yolks for about a pound of mayo to which I like to add one egg white to make the mayo a bit more light.

[gish]

Grew up in Peru with home made mayo. Watching Dan bring Peruvian Cuisine to the mainstream almost made me cry 😂. Now in the US I'm a Kewpie or Dukes guy but still prefer it home made.

[davidbrandes]

To expand what Dan said about mayo in baking: while it may seem counterintuitive, if you think about it mayo contains all the helpful things for a cake. Egg, oil, salt etc but also the vinegar can react with baking powder in the batter and help with rising too.
Mayo can be used to searing meat too 😊

[themedchief]

I grew up in Poland and over there the preferred Mayonnaise is quite a topic ;) you're (mostly) either a "Kielecki" or "Winiary/Dekoracyjny" person and people can have quite strong opinions about it. After I moved to Germany I was quite disappointed with the mayonnaise here, but you can get polish mayo quite easily. One day I bought Kewpie in an asian store - it tasted great... then I found out that it was produced in Poland 😅 But you can also find imported japanese Kewpie here - it's a bit different, but also great. P.S. I like both Dekoracyjny and Kielecki ;) there are even memes about it and some polish public figures even take part in this "mayonnaise war".

[Yakena]

Dear Dan,
I grew up in France, in Paris, lived in New York for ten years and am back in Paris. My favorite mayonnaise is the brand Maille and called "Mayonnaise fine". It is amazing with a tiny hint of mustard and lemon. I also like the "Mayonnaise Fins Gourmets" by Maille because there is a little bit of grainy mustard in it. Hope you try this brand. For me, it is the best, comes from Dijon where mustard was produced in France.

[Vadered]

As somebody who is not a fan of mayo (or aiolis, though that garlic+olive oil+salt thing sounds alright), I have always struggled to understand why. Thanks to Dan, I can now put it into words: too many elephants. Thanks Dan!

[jimmybb]

I think it was a Chef John quote, herby paraphrased, with which I totally agree, : "Use any store-bought mayonnaise you want, as long as its name rhymes with Mellman's." I also agree with him about not using the low fat stuff. Ever. I grew up in Texas; my mom used Miracle Whip; I grew out of that.

[JudithHolt-lx]

I love Dan and all of his videos. This one is no different. Informative and enteraining!

[jwarren]

I'm not really a mayo fan. But the video was excellent, so I'm a Dan fan! My all-time favorite chef is Alton Brown and this video made me think of AB and Good Eats. Well done!

[RodXLeon]

I'm Peruvian and if I want Mayo, I always go for Moyonesa Alacena which is a Peruvian brand. They also do aji amarillo and our other staple sauces. They are often available online.

[steveraglin]

This veered just enough into science to awaken my nerdy side, then you flipped back to everyday terms and relatable recipes of merit. Thanks for another tasty episode, Dan!

[laurah]

North Carolina girl here and it’s Dukes all the way!! 💜💜

[quakerwildcat]

Grew up in Columbus, Ohio eating Hellman's, which remains my preference for store-bought mayo, but I never buy it anymore.
I make my own at least once a month using using eggs that I pasteurize with a precision cooker (sous vide). It's so easy.
A wide mouth mason jar is a little snug but a near-perfect fit for my immersion blender and a few week's worth of mayo.
I've experimented with flavors and the winning formula for me uses red wine vinegar (instead of lemon juice) and a generous bit of white pepper. It never occurred to me before, but perhaps this is closer to the Hellman's flavor of my youth.
From July to December, I eat a fresh salted tomato sandwich every day with my homemade mayo, and now I understand how it works. Thanks, Dan!

[menaimoore]

Born and raised in Gergia and grew up with Miracle Whip, but my preference now is Blue Plate. A close friend of mine from elementary & high school, his mom used mayo in her chocolate cake. DELICIOUS!

[ohger]

When I make my homemade salad dressing (oil and vinegar based), I whisk in a tablespoon of mayo then transfer to a cruet for serving. The mayo keeps the dressing mixed so no shaking is required. I also like the creaminess it imparts.

[elpabster]

Dan deserves an award for this video. Not a big fan of mayo so it took me 6 months to try the aji mayo recipes. Now I'm putting them on EVERYTHING!

[dgiles]

Duke's, all the way! Born and raised in Virginia, but have resided in North Carolina for over 50 years. Recently I discovered the McCormick brand "Mayonesa" with lime juice in the Hispanic section of the grocery store, and it's pretty wonderful, especially on a tomato sandwich. I think I'll be alternating between the Duke's and the Mayonesa from now on.