Everything You Can Do With Mayonnaise

If you don't like mayonnaise or use it enough, you need to give it a chance: it is really a supporting ingredient you might barely notice but makes all the difference in flavor.

Here are all the delicious reasons why you need to use mayonnaise more plus recipes which are sure to convince you that it's a good idea to have it handy in the kitchen. 

Photo by Patrick Martires

1 Mayonnaise can add an umami-packed element.

Every dish deserves more umami. When using Japanese mayo in particular, you lend a creamy, umami-packed ingredient that easily melds into the rest of the recipe. Don't want to spend on Japanese mayo? Simply whisk in a large egg yolk and a pinch of MSG to 1/2 cup real mayonnaise to increase its richness.

This katsu burger recipe uses Japanese mayonnaise together with earthy, sweet, and spicy wasabi for that umami-packed kick that sets this burger apart. It's a great contrast to the Panko breadcrumb-coated beef patty.

Photo by At Maculangan

2 Mayonnaise brings together a sandwich.

If you taste the mayonnaise and it starts becoming the star of your sandwich, it's not the mayonnaise's fault. It's yours! You probably put too much of it! What you should do is simply apply a smear of the creamy condiment onto your bun or sandwich slice.

Don't slather, don't dollop, and don't be too generous. A small amount of mayonnaise brings together a sandwich. It's the difference between random ingredients stacked together and a cohesive sandwich whose flavors come together.

To see what we mean, check out this ham and garden-fresh deli sandwich recipe. This quick 20-minute recipe uses mayonnaise mixed with store-bought pesto for an explosion of an herby, complex flavor.

Photo by Miguel Nacianceno

3 Mayonnaise adds moisture to overcooked chicken.

Everyone's been there. Overcooking chicken can lead to meal that's dry and tough to eat. You can save dry chicken by shredding the meat and then making it into a spread. By stirring mayonnaise with the chicken, you add moisture and creaminess back to the meat that masks its texture. Check out this chicken bacon spread which can be your new favorite palaman.

Photo by David Hanson

4 Mayonnaise can temper spicy dishes.

If you're cooking for a party and you really want to make your signature spicy wings, what will the non-spicy eaters on your guest list eat? We easily solve that problem: bring out the mayonnaise and make a quick dip.

Creamy mayonnaise can help temper down the heat. The fat molecules in the rich mayonnaise grab onto those spicy compounds, so it doesn't linger too long in your mouth, preventing the spiciness from making its presence felt longer than necessary. 

See what we mean with these delicious, hot glazed wings recipe. Every delicious, flavorful, crunchy, and tender bite of chicken pack heat. To temper that, a blue-cheese mayonnaise-based dip is served along with it so anyone can eat more chicken!

5 Mayonnaise is an easy sauce base.

A fancy tartar sauce, the extremely versatile and easy garlic mayonnaise dip, Thousand Island sauce, and sriracha honey dip are only the beginning. There are so many ways to play with mayonnaise!

Dips made with mayonnaise are especially great for fish sticks, croquettes, and fried fillets which just beg to have something tangy to pair with it. 

Photo by Kai Huang

6 Mayonnaise-based dressings make salads irresistible.

The contrast between crunchy leaves and creamy, decadent mayonnaise is one that's too easy to love. It's part of why Caesar salad is a time-honored salad classic. It's also the ingredient that can easily transform chopped up, boiled potatoes into the irresistible potato salad. The mayonnaise is the perfect ingredient to make all the flavors come together into one cohesive-tasting dish. 

Photo by Miguel Nacianceno

7 Mayonnaise can easily be made at home.

There are rumors going around that mayonnaise is hard to make. This cold emulsion can be made easily in a blender! Make sure to measure your ingredients properly and slowly drizzle in your oil as your blender whirs. This will ensure that the oil will emulsify with the egg yolk.

No blender? No worries. You can also easily make it with a whisk and some elbow grease. Slowly drizzle oil in as you continuously whisk. To keep your bowl stable, all you need is a right-sized pot and a kitchen towel. Lay your towel onto the pot, covering all edges. Then, place your bowl, whose bottom should fit snugly in the pot. With this trick, you won't need someone to hold your bowl as you whisk and drizzle oil.

8 Homemade mayonnaise can be easily fixed.

Did your mayonnaise break while making your homemade version? Here's a quick fix: add hot water! Sometimes, a cold emulsion can break. That's okay. Fix it by using this trick for too thin mayonnaise as well: Just add two tablespoons hot water and a little bit of your broken mayonnaise and whisk until incorporated. Add in the rest of your mayonnaise and whisk until well combined and the mixture is again a creamy consistency. Add a little bit more if needed but don't add too much! 

Make the most of your homemade mayonnaise with this steamed fish made to impress. 

Pro-tip for Parties: Are you making the mayonnaise sauce or dip ahead of time for a party? We advise you to use store-bought mayonnaise as your base instead of a homemade version. While homemade mayonnaise is delicious, this homemade version does contain raw egg yolks which will make it spoil much, much faster than store-bought mayonnaise. That's because prepared or commercial mayonnaise uses pasteurized ingredients which are less prone to spoiling. The citric acid used also helps preserve the spread, too. Use Japanese mayonnaise if you like your mayonnaise to be less sweet.

Mayonnaise may get a lot of flak, but we think people need to embrace this extremely useful ingredient. A little of it goes a long way! It's the perfect creamy ingredient to hold a cornucopia of flavors, making every recipe as amazing as it can be. After all, a little creaminess doesn't hurt. 

ALSO READ: