The Best Time To Add Lemon Juice When Making Homemade Mayo

Sure, you can buy your mayonnaise from the grocery. But since you're reading Tasting Table you already know (or are open to the idea) that anything made at home is often superior to the store-bought variety. This is especially true of mayo, a simple emulsion that is a cinch to make at home (unless you're really into commercially added preservatives and stabilizers like sodium benzoate and sorbates — in which case, you do you). There are only a couple of tricks to making mayonnaise at home (try our recipe first!), and one important trick is knowing the right time to add the acid — in this case, lemon juice and a bit of vinegar. The answer is after the eggs, salt, and dry mustard have been whisked (or processed) until smooth, but before the slow addition of oil.

Classic mayonnaise, while simple to make, is not a throw-and-go recipe. If you don't do things the right way, in the right order, you won't get an emulsion; you'll get a yucky blend of raw eggs, citric acid, and oil. It's important to incorporate the acid before the oil, as this creates what's known as the "acidic base." Keeping this in mind while making mayonnaise, magic will happen and you'll be rewarded with that luscious, thick sauce that's not only beautiful on its own but is the basis of all manner of variations and dressings. Let's talk about that (literally) transformative process known as emulsion.