The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 999

processor makes thisprocess nearly foolproof). As the oil
falls into the bowl, the rapid action of the whisk quickly
breaks it up into tiny droplets, which are kept suspended
withthehelpoftheemulsifiersintheeggyolk.
Here’s what happens to that mayonnaise in the bowl as
youaddmoreandmoreoiltoit:
•Whentheoilandwaterisata1:1ratio ,oronewithless
oil, there is no possibility of a stable emulsion forming.
The fat won’t break up and get coated by the water, nor
will the water be able to suspend the fat within it.At this
stage,yourmayonnaiselookslikeathin,cloudyliquid.
•Astheoiltowaterratioapproachesa3:1 ,yourmixture
begins to resemble a mayonnaise, albeit one that flows
more like a vinaigrette. As more and more oil is
incorporated into the emulsion, the mayonnaise starts to
becomeopaque,becausethetinydropsofoilrefractlight
differentlythanaliquidmassofoil.
• As the ratio passes a 5:1, the mayonnaise begins to get
muchthicker—thickenoughthatthepeakswillholdwhen
you pull the whisk out of it. It seems counterintuitive:
mayonnaise is thick, oil is thin, so adding oil to
mayonnaise should make it thinner, right? Wrong. We
knowthatoildropletsinaseaofoilcanswimaroundand
floatpasteachotherquitefreelyandthatinanemulsion,
theyaretrappedinatightmatrixofdropletsseparatedby
water. In order to flow, that water needs to be able to
move freely around the system. As you add more and
more oil to the mayonnaise, the water separating each
droplet of oil gets stretched thinner and thinner, severely

limitingitsmovement.Eventually,ifyoukeepaddingoil,
themayonnaisewillstarttoturnfromcreamyandluscious
topastyandoverlythick.Tryitnow,anditwillcoatyour
mouth like candle wax—there isn’t enough water in the
emulsion to adequately coat each of the oil droplets, and
they end up spilling out and breaking.Your mayonnaise
turnsgreasy.
So,thekeytoanice,creamymayonnaiseistoadjustthe
ratio of oil to water until you get the exact consistency
you’relookingfor.SinceIalreadyknowthat,flavorwise,I
liketouseabout1eggpercup(see“HowMuchMayoCan
I Make from One Egg?”here), the rest is just a matter of
addingalittlewateradropatatimetothefinishedproduct
untilitthinsouttotheconsistencyI’mafter.
Foolproofing
The rate at which the oil is added is a key factor in
determining whether or not your mayonnaise will be
successful. Looking back at the metaphor of a college
mixer, imagine that only one or two MIT boys trickle into
that girls-college mixer at a time. The emulsifiers have a
fairly easier time of separating them from each other and
gettingthemintothemixofthings,completelysurrounding
themwithgirls.Asteadystreamofnerdsiseasytomix,so
long as they trickle into the party slowly. Now imagine the
opposite: a whole group of them suddenly shows up at
once, clinging tightly to each other. Suddenly it’s much
harder to get them to mix nicely. Not only that, but any
nerdswhohavealreadybeeninsertedintothefraywillsee