People are often quite surprised to learn that I make mayonnaise from scratch. I guess we have forgotten that real mayonnaise was not always from a bottle on the supermarket shelf. It’s a forgotten kitchen skill that need to be revived. Especially since the recipe is simple and quick tastes so much better than bottled. Plus homemade cultured mayonnaise is actually good for you and not a guilty indulgence.

What’s wrong with store-bought mayonnaise?

Let’s look at the ingredients. Best Foods Real Mayonnaise, a standard for many homes and restaurants, lists these ingredients: soybean oil, water, whole eggs and egg yolks, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, calcium disodium, natural flavors. It’s shelf stable before opening and lasts almost forever once it is opened and refrigerated. I know this to be true, I used to eat this stuff. The Lowfat Best Foods Mayonnaise (and supposedly healthier version) has high fructose corn syrup and a slew of other horrid ingredients to consider.

No wonder mayonnaise has such a poor reputation. I could write about 5 pages on what’s wrong with these ingredients. But I’ll just point out a few larger sticking points. First, soybean oil – Yikes – this stuff is almost guaranteed to be GMO (genetically modified) and should have a skull and crossbones next to it. Read more about the issues with soy here. The eggs are not organic or pastured – same for all the other ingredients. And of course we all know about the health benefits of calcium disodium, sugar and “natural flavors” (Not).

I had forgotten that Best Foods calls it “real” mayonnaise on the label. That made me smile when I read it. It’s sadly funny how the term “real” is so easily abused by commercial food manufacturers to promote their highly processed food-like products.

My solution? Make your own! Use high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients that WILL eventually rot in your fridge, Be suspicious of food that never goes bad. If it doesn’t decompose, then it’s not alive. (The only exception I know to this general rule is raw honey).

Are you ready to make Magic Mayonnaise? Once you start making homemade cultured mayonnaise, you are going to want to eat all the time!

Here are some of our favorite ways to use truly REAL healthy mayonnaise.

Need more inspiration? Check out the Real Mayo Recipe Roundup below this list.

1. Dip for artichokes
2. Condiment and/or sauce for any fish, burger patties, chicken, meatloaf, etc…
3. Mix with egg, salmon, tuna, chopped chicken/turkey or sardines  or a combo of these to make a salad. Serve with cucumber slices or over a bed of arugula.
4. Mix with salmon roe and wrapped in nori sheets (seaweed wrapper)
5. Base for salad dressing
6. Base for dips
7. Grain-free crab cake recipe (recipe in my book)
8. Caesar Dressing (recipe in my book)
9. Cultured Deviled Eggs
10. Potato Salad
11. Lisa’s Oliveh Salad (mix homemade mayo, chopped pickles, capers, hard-boiled eggs and cooked chopped chicken with salt/pepper to taste)

Real Mayo Recipe Roundup

Try some or all of these delicious recipes from some of my favorite food bloggers. These gals know how to cook!

• Probiotic Potato Salad from KerryAnn at Cooking Traditional Foods
• Probiotic-Rich, Purple & White Fingerling Potato Salad from Lydia at Divine Health from the Inside Out
• Curried Deviled Eggs from Lydia at Divine Health from the Inside Out
• Salmon Dip from Michaela at Vicariously Vintage
• Ranch Dressing from Michaela at Vicariously Vintage
• Better Than Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing from Jessica at Delicious Obsessions
• Easy Cauliflower Dressing from Jessica at Delicious Obsessions
• Simple Creamy Salad Dressing from Jessica at Delicious Obsessions
• Egg-Free, Soy-Free Mayonnaise from Adrienne at Whole New Mom (in case you can’t eat eggs but want a real food version to replace the commercial soy products).

Are you ready to make your own? Do you have a favorite recipe using homemade mayonnaise? Share them in the comments sections. I would love to hear from you.

This post is part of the Traditional Tuesday’s Food Carnival.