Growing up in Argentina in a neighborhood full of immigrants, it was the fathers who usually made the mayonnaise on Sundays by setting a bowl between their legs to steady it, and whisking away with two forks.  If you were lucky you were one of the kids who stood next to him and carefully drizzled in the oil.  Then the family would have a “mayonesa” which was a meal of salads dressed with mayonnaise.  With little refrigeration available,the mayonnaise made by papá was eaten that same day.

Our household was a little different.  It was mother who made the mayonnaise using a beater.  Since it took two hands, one of us had to drizzle in the oil into the bowl. Wesson Oil came out with a  “mayonnaise maker” which was a tall bottle with a wire whisk complete with the directions for making the mayonnaise embossed and it was that my mother used for some of her mayonnaise making.

But oh, the drama of making mayonnaise.  The weather had to be just right, for one thing.  It would not “set” otherwise.  You beat too fast or beat too slow, your egg was not fresh enough or it was too fresh (our eggs came from our very own chickens).  Mother would say “Never mind” and put the mess aside and start over, then carefully, VERY carefully add the mixture which had refused to emulsify and we would end up with a very large bowl of mayonnaise.

It was with apprehension that I began my married life attempting to make mayonnaise.  As a June bride I had all summer in front of me which begged for mayonnaise slathered potato salad, not to mention BLT’s which absolutely could not be made with anything but homemade mayonnaise.  Lucky for me I found a Wesson mayonnaise maker in my mother-in-law’s kitchen and began my not too successful career as a mayonnaise maker.  But, just as my mother had, I sometimes encountered stubborn refusal of my ingredients to emulsify.

All of that changed with the appearance of the food processor. 99.9% of the time I get perfect results.  For the other .01% of the time I do as my mother did, start over and then incorporate the first batch.  I refuse to try a third time, though.

Ingredients:

1. 1 egg
2. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
5. 1 cup canola oil

Directions:

1. Place the egg, lemon juice, salt, and mustard in the food processor bowl and process for  30 seconds+.
2. Continue to process until all the oil is incorporated.  You should end with a little over a cup of mayonnaise.

Note: You can also use a blender to make your mayonnaise following the same directions.

Notice the little hole on top for the oil to be poured into and the directions embossed on the jar! Bless Wesson Oil’s pea-picking heart!