I've never been a fan of this method - when the mayo cooks and the egg proteins coagulate on the surface of the meat, I find it kind of gross.
1
Thank you for explaining the magic of mayonnaise! My mom came across a Kikomann Soy Sauce ad in a magazine years ago that called for combining soy sauce, mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice, coating chicken breasts, and popping them under the broiler. A deceptively simple recipe that results in delicious, juicy, flavorful chicken. Since then, I have routinely brushed mayonnaise on chicken breasts -with excellent results- but it never occurred to me to try it on other proteins. Thank you for this fantastic article! I wish my mom and dad could have read it!
The idea of it is..yes, gag...but its true: it's great for grilled cheese. And also omelets and cakes.
1
Grittenhouse..so true about the difference between the mayonnaise brands. Thank you for breaking it down. Try the McCormack with lime, delicious and hard to find.
Olive oil based mayo is the way to go health wise.
Would love to hear your thoughts on cooking with Japanese Mayo vs. Hellman's American Mayo.
I’ve been coating fresh salmon with a schmear of mayonnaise along with a few herbs, salt and pepper for well over 25 years. It works well in the oven. Delicious! Thanks for expanding on this Kenji.
I have been using mayo to coat my chicken breast especially when I make chicken parmigiana!
We had rack of lamb for thanksgiving and it was slathered in a mixture of mayo, Dijon mustard and fresh chopped herbs absolutely brilliant. The same mixture on a spatchcocked chicken a la Jacques Pepin is to die for. Mayo is an incredible multi purpose sauce. I couldn’t make a grill cheese without it. Oh and crushed toasted sesame seeds mixed with mayo can be spread on just about anything for the umami flavor. Time for a KimChi hotdog!
The problem is that the best mayo in the world, Hellman's decided to "improve". It is now terrible. So now what?
@Richard Frauenglass Duke's for the win, if you can find it in NY
2
Ok - tried it tonight - the good - seems to work better than olive oil as you go to sear the steak...the bad...you taste it - leaves faint residue of sort of a tartar sauce. Sorry, swing and a miss for this BBQ'er.
2
Catching bluefish in the surf off of Nantucket on a September evening was a thrill that was always enhanced by slow roasting or grilling the fish after slathering it with mayonnaise, s&p, and herbs. I was taught this method by an old salt, an elderly friend who was a denizen of the island. A good size fish would feed several of us on a warm, Nantucket evening.
Thank you, Mr. Kenji-Alt. Now I understand what magic my old friend was up to.
1
I've been doing this to chicken and fish for forty plus years. Happy to trust J. Kenji on the use of it for beef also.
4
I'll do it again.
I've read about the the mayo thing for years and finally tried it a few days ago with half a boneless skinless chicken breast sliced in two after reading the article. I mixed a tbls or so of Dukes mayo with a tsp or so of Boar's Head dijon mustard with horseradish and some Nature's Seasoning and marinated for about half an hour. It made for a more tender and juicy grilled cutlet. Strangely though, the meat plumped up, not staying flat as usual. It was good leftover as well.
1
I am a mayo hater and I can always identify the taste in something even if I've been told there's no mayo. So, when the meat is cooked does it still have the mayo taste? I'm on board from the science point of view but no point in having a nicely browned piece of meat that tastes disgusting to me.
1
I'm always on the lookout for a different turkey recipe for Thanksgiving. Any thoughts on using mayo instead of butter to prepare the bird?
1
@Nicole We've been coating our Turkeys with (BestFoods) mayonnaise for over thirty years. We cover the turkey with the mayo, salt, and pepper. Then during the cooking time we baste with more mayonnaise. We normally smoke the Thanksgiving Turkey on a Weber Grille, but it works well in the oven, too. About once a week I cook a turkey breast in the oven to slice for sandwiches and I coat it with the mayo. I really keeps the meat moist, and browns the skin nicely. Try it, I think you will be pleased.
2
I've been using mayo on my fish before baking from last 6 years and always turned out good in taste. Never noticed Browning part though.
1
If you have not tried Duke's Mayonnaise you have to taste it. The Fresh Market carries it in SC. Every grocery in NC has it. It just tastes better. On the west coast the same family uses the recipe for Duchess Mayonnaise.
I've been baking fish smeared with mayo for years to raves.
Mix the mayo with a dab of mustard or finely chopped dill, smear with sides over cod, haddock, tilapia or other delicately flavored white fish, sprinkle with white pepper or perhaps some paprika and bake at 400 or 425 for about 15minutes until bubbly browned.
Fast, delicious, moist, intact, attractive.
2
These articles about meat eating - chicken, pig, cow or otherwise - are another case of head-in-the-sand, cognitive dissonance. You write about hellish fires in California on one page, caused by a man-made climate crisis, yet on the next page you write about the perfect slather for your chicken meat meal. About ten BILLION land animals are raised for meat, dairy and eggs in the U.S. every year. The pollution, the fecal waste, the methane emissions, the massive acreage of GMO crops that feed these animals, the millions of gallons of clean water that goes to livestock,the polluted water run-off from pig farms...and that is just part of the story. The tremendous animal suffering and brutality, the salmonella and ecoli, antibiotics and growth hormones.. you want to eat that? Go ahead and keep writing these useless articles with no connection to the crisis that we are in. The New York Times. It's not fun and games anymore. The FOOD section must change. Come on, you're better and smarter than this. You have to help lead the way.
The Humane Society of the United States. "Animal Agriculture & Climate Change." Web Accessed April 18, 2015. ↩︎
Natural Resources Defense Council. "Pollution from Giant Livestock Farms Threatens Public Health." Web Accessed April 18, 2015.
Koneswaran, Gowri, and Danielle Nierenberg. "Global Farm Animal Production and Global Warming: Impacting and Mitigating Climate Change." Environmental Health Perspective, 2008. ↩︎
12
Hear, hear.
Thank you for this. Could not agree more.
3
I tried this with Hellman’s mayo, on a grilled cheese sandwich. It cooked up beautifully, but it tasted awful! Too sweet. Yuck! I’m sticking with butter, at least for grilled cheese.
1
I discovered mayo on grilled cheese decades ago; I was out of butter. Now, I'm reading how it's "a thing". I'll give it a try on other foods now.
My mother in law used to add mayo to her brownies.
Eeeeew. Isn’t meat greasy enough to begin with?
1
Mayo? Heck no!! Everything's better with butter on it! Ask any celebrity chef around the world...BUTTER is the best flavor enhancer, hands down............
1
Back in the early 80's and living on Nantucket Island, mayo was a well known use for rubbing and and baking blue fish. Rub it and wrap in aluminum foil and bake. Yum!
3
I love chimichurri, and make it all the time. It's fresh, clean, and does taste better. I have taken the basic idea and changed it up - herb-wise.
Mayo out of a jar is processed; the more processing, the less healthy for you. If you need mayo, then make your own.
3
I have a secret ingredient. I have kept it under wraps for years but have now decided to share with the world: mustard.
3
There's no redeeming social value nor any revelatory recipe trick in this Mayonnaise Memory:
In a previous lifetime we got lost for a whole day driving in an open Jeep going North along the coast from Acapulco on a happy day. Looking for a nice restaurant. At long last found one called Adán y Eva, on the beach. Closed. The nice people opened it for us and started to heat the brick oven, which took forever. At long last I saw Eva coating the huge butterflied Huachinango with mayonnaise before seasoning it with some adobo. It then got roasted, and served with sautéed vegetables. And cold beer.
It was.. good.
For years I tried to find similar recipes with mayonnaise, and did find few. Never again matched the taste.
Must have been the beach. Or the sun. Or the century.
I'll keep trying, with Mr Lopez’ hints. Need more mayo.
4
and if you haven't tried Japanese Mayo, you cannot write intelligently about Mayo. It is a whole new, better in my mind, flavor.
2
I suspect this is not 'new'. My Dad always made grilled cheese this way. He owned restaurants and always learned from the cooks & chefs so he could step up in an emergency.
1
1) As a vegetarian, I haven't done this with meat, but I've been putting a little mayo on the inside AND the outside of my grilled cheese for years.
Wanna amp it up a little? Use bottled russian dressing.
2) Is this so far-fetched considering the number of baking recipes that call for brushing the surface with an egg wash before baking?
1
A great Chef de Cuisine at a world-class French restaurant who was a good friend in my youth once told me there are only two ways to cook a steak, Rare or Ruined. By Rare, he meant black & blue - Crispy on the outside but still purple & cool inside. He taught me two ways to do it. First, get the best quality sirloin (or other cuts as preferred). It should be well-marbled. Try to find prime (Japan & Venezuela produce some of the best)
Method 1: Get out your old, well-seasoned cast iron pan & heat on full (be aware that you are going to have to kill the smoke alarm several times). Optionally, you can sprinkle a little garlic granules on the steak. When it is as hot as you can get it, drop in a pat of butter & swirl it around. It will immediately start to brown. The butter facilitates the crisp surface. IMMEDIATELY put your steak in the pan. You want to cook it 1 and a half minutes on each side, 2 minutes if it is particularly thick. Take it out & let it sit to reabsorb any juices. It will be brown & crispy on the outside. Cutting into it, it should have an eighth of an inch of brown cooked meat around the edges & be blue or purple & cool in the center. You can salt & pepper to taste, but using ketchup or steak sauce is like putting ice cubes into a 25-year-aged Macallan Single Malt - a capital offense. Any cooking beyond that and the meat gets progressively more cardboardy & less flavorful.
1
One of my favorite easy fish preparation is baked Orange Roughy topped with mayo, a good Parmesan, salt and pepper. Heaven! Also good with Tilapia, but oh, that delicate Orange Roughy is delicious prepared this way.
2
will try it with Kewpie (Japanese) mayo - I dislike American mayo but Kewpie is delicious.
1
Kenji, I'm a little surprised you're surprised. Surely you're aware how the Chinese cooks have co-opted the classic technique of velveting by using mayo instead? Every "Glazed Prawn with Walnuts" dish has been made with either Miracle Whip or kewpie mayo for decades now. Works with chicken, pork, and fish, too.
I confess I hadn't thought of using it on steak, tho. I do like that mayo/sous-vide trick!
Always enjoy your columns!
1
Yuck. No egg. Canola oil is all that is needed, if you want a coating. Steak Marinades are made with oil and vinegar for obvious culinary reasons. No egg needed or wanted. Yuck.
3
This article is troublingly similar to one written by Noelle Carter for the LA Times on June 8, 2017, “Why You Should Be Grilling With Mayonnaise.”
3
@Beth -- same fundamental points -- entirely different style and examples
2
Would Light Mayo have the same effect? Hellmans has 3.5g total fat per serving.
2
Mayo has been one of the things I’ve detested all my life. It’s not the fatty consistency. It’s the taste and smell that make me gag. A sourish smell and taste. I always make sure my burgers have NO sauce. And no mayo on any other sandwich.
Not on artichokes. Not on fish and chips. Not on nothing. Gag.
I’m glad it works well for some people. Each to their own. I LOVE butter and it browns fine. Or butter mixed with extra-virgin olive oil for grilling, or pan roasting at a high heat.
I highly respect J. Kenji López-Alt. But we part ways on mayo.
4
@Jet Phillips -- I absolutely agree with you - completely - and my husband tried this with steak last night - and it was fabulous - with no whiff of mayo anywhere - go figure
2
In 1975 a chef in a Cape Cod seafood restaurant told me to smear mayo on swordfish or bluefish, then broil. I have not tried it on meat though.
1
Can you use "lite" Mayo
1
@Steve
Why not try it on a grilled cheese and see for yourself?
I am late to the party, having heard a tip from a friend this summer that mayo makes it easier to toast cheese sandwiches without burning them. It somehow does not surprise me to see an article on mayo's splendid grilling properties --- there so often seems to be a kind of cultural osmosis at work (aka "great minds think alike").
1
When making moussaka, instead of frying eggplant slices, coat with mayo and then bread crumbs or seasoned flour. Bake until brown at 350, proceed with rest of recipe. So much less mess. And delicious
5
I almost grill bluefish with a coat of mayonnaise. Family and friends who claim they loathe bluefish are taken aback when they try it. Many ask for the recipe.
3
“Always” not “almost”. Fat fingers.
1
I have been putting mayonnaise on salmon for grilling for years and it works very well.
1
Hold the mayo (not really).
This article proves a theory that I've long held...that even the most seemingly mundane subject, one like...well...mayo comes to life when well written.
The main ingredient in any good writing is passion because the passionate person shares generously the minutia and details that lend a sheen to the subject.
I've never thought much about mayo either way, but I read this aloud to my husband (busy cooking dinner in the kitchen) and we both relished every word. Thanks for the mouthwatering tips and even better the buffet of words.
5
If you're new to Kenji, you have a lot of great food writing and content available to you! Check out any long form recipe of his from serious eats/the food lab!
5
For those who have been using this on fish with teriyaki, to you coat both sides of fillets or only the flesh side? And what ratio of mayo to teriyaki sauce?
This sounds like a particularly useful method for cooking shrimp, as they cook and overcook very quickly, and getting a good crust is tricky. Bon Appetit has an excellent spicy basil shrimp recipe that I am going to try using this method. I love the recipe but its hard to brown the shrimp and most of the marinade comes right off.
1
@Seth Berg I am very familiar with that shrimp recipe and agree it is quite difficult to get the shrimp to crust without overcooking them. Let us know how it turns out with the mayo trick.
1
You seem to misrepresent mayonnaise. It is egg-based, with vinegar and oil, not just oil and egg white. In fact, it is more often egg yolk only. There is also a huge difference between brands, where Hellman's has more egg and also mustard, and one like Kraft has less egg and no mustard. Miracle Whip is egg white based and adds sugar and spice along with more vinegar, for a sweet-and-sour effect.
73
The critical features of mayo in the context of the cooking process is covered accurately: oil and egg. Vinegar, mustard, sugar are ancillary and negligible.
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@Matthew
The sugar is negligible if you happen to be a typical American. To me it's the fastest way to ruin any sandwich, burger or salad. I'd wager that most fans of mayo who read this kind of article favor the jarred stuff that Julia Child loved so much. It is indeed very sweet.
We've gotten to a point where it's somehow cool to refer to that "Sweet/sour thing" as though that were some sort of breakthrough, or fundamental rule of taste (and yes, I've studied Oriental food theory).
It's not. I don't need things to have that "Sweet/sour thing going", any more than every painting I look at needs to have "that blue/red thing going". I'd love to see a bit more kickback on these factory-made memes and get back to honest food and flavors.
14
FYI......just checked the ingredients and Hellman’s does not contain mustard.
25
I often cover my salmon with a nice layer of mayo and a sprinkle of Spanish paprika or Harissa. The result is always scrumptious.
90
@edgigu I coat salmon with it too. Delicious! I was taught this by a woman who ran a restaurant in the 1920s, so maybe it’s an old cook’s trick.
13
@edgigu
For years I have known many folks who only BBQ salmon slathered in Mayo. It works.
3
@edgigu YES!!!! beautiful recipe in Hollyhock's cookbook for BBQ salmon with an herb mayo - add whatever fresh green herbs you have: chives, tarragon, parsley, cilantro, etc with a little dijon, garlic & black pepper. Violà......luscious!!!
ps. avocado mayo works just as well too
1
I've been making fried chicken cutlets for years by dredging the chicken not through egg/flour/seasoned breadcrumbs but simply through mayo then the breadcrumbs.
The chicken is so much moister this way, and there's a richness tot he flavor you don't get with the traditional method. I thought I was doing something unique and had no idea other people were using may in their meat cookery.
132
The NYT recipes for schnitzel and schnitzel-like dishes (katsu, et al.) call for the traditional 3-step approach--flour, egg dip, panko or bread crumbs. Nearly all the comment sections have a suggestion to replace the first 2 steps with a small slather of mayo. Try it--it works great.
40
@J Coletti You can do the same thing with yoghurt. it's much more healthy and less revolting to mayo haters like me!
4
@TRF There are yoghurt haters out there, too, for the same various emotional responses, and because of dairy dietary avoidances/restrictions! And while you can "do the same thing with yoghurt," yoghurt is not doing the same thing as mayo during the cooking process. Either "paste" helps breadcrumbs stick, but yoghurt is a completely different animal under cooking temperatures, and has a very distinct flavor that remains afterward, whereas mayo does not.
7
I've been doing this with thin chicken cutlets on the grill for years and it's amazing! People do, indeed, gag/freak out when I share my secret with them, but then they try it and the conversion rate is 100 percent. Add any flavoring you wish to the mayo, brush it on your meat (chicken or otherwise) and in minutes you have something far more flavorful (and gorgeous) than you'd get with any other quick-cooking method. Great article.
114
A dollop of mayonnaise mixed into your raw egg mixture is the secret to rich, creamy scrambled eggs. Just don't tell anyone.
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Or 1/2 & 1/2 coffee creamer!
5
@Paul Anderson
Creme Fraiche and fresh tarragon
9
@Oregonian You outed my secret for the best scrambled eggs! Try adding a spoonful of salsa verde with the mayo.
7
I love eggplant but it has a nasty tendency to soak up any oil you cook it with like a sponge, making it greasy and sodden. A great recipe I got years ago for baked eggplant ago solves this problem, producing slices of crisp and not-oily eggplant. The secret? "Buttering" each slice of eggplant with a thin layer of mayo on both sides before coating with a combination of bread crumbs and Parmesan. Mayo doesn't soak into the eggplant like oil does. You then bake the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet in 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. They're especially tasty with any tomato-sauced dish.
Another tip: Get rid of any bitter taste by soaking the eggplant slices in salted water for 20-30 minutes before cooking (then drain off water and rinse slices).
I've converted many self-described eggplant haters with this recipe. No more slimy, greasy or bitter eggplant.
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@Nelle Engoron That sounds delish, Nelle! Thank you!
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@ATOM
I've been cooking for over 40 years and have never encountered a bitter eggplant, though I do find sweating them with a little salt improves texture by removing excess water.
15
1 for the eggplant thank you for sharing
9
I'm doing a Pork Butt in the Smoker this weekend. This has inspired me to not only use mayo as a binder for my rub (along with some mustard) but I'm also going to add a very healthy dollop of that Mayo to my usual marinade blend and inject it until it's SOAKED.
Really looking forward to seeing if I can detect any worthwhile benefits in using Mayo this way as well.
I'm doing a Pork Butt in the Smoker this weekend. This has inspired me to not only use mayo as a binder for my rub (along with some mustard) but I'm also going to add a very healthy dollop of that Mayo to my usual marinade blend and inject it until it's SOAKED.
Really looking forward to seeing if I can detect any worthwhile benefits in using Mayo this way as well.
"How do you like Mayo now?" - best pun ever!!!
The idea grosses me out, but I trust Kenji. I'll try it.
I use mayo on the bottom of breakfast burritos that I microwave. The egg, bacon and salsa or cheese go on the top. It helps to prevent sticking of the tortilla to the plate, and also improves the flavor. I think I will try it on baked potatoes too.
1
One needn’t worry about brands of mayo. It is easy to make if one has a blender. Eggs or even egg substitute, oil, vinegar or lemon. Find the basic recipe online and season as you’d like.
4
Any thoughts on using mayonnaise as a binder for adhering breadcrumbs to meat, instead of flour-egg-breadcrumb?
I am very excited that Kenji Lopez-Alt has become a regular contributor to the NYT food section. His first two articles are perfect examples of why I believe every word he writes. His recommendations are based on rigorous testing and convincing scienctific reasoning. They make for great reading (and great eating).
Welcome, Kenji!!
6
I don't eat meat, but I think I'm going to try mixing mayo and curry paste to marinate tofu.
2
Made grilled cheese this way because 1. Kenji gas never led me astray... best BLT ever and 2. We were all out of butter. Five-year-old completely rejected it based on the smell when I admitted why it was different.
2
Does low fat mayo work?
Would you get similar effect whipping eggs wanted melted butter together?
Kenji, This is the most useful food article that I've ever read. And I read a lot of articles about food. Thank you!
15
Add tzatziki to the improvedbymayo list. Haven't read all 456 comments but added to oil/vinegar based dressings reduces "shake" time dramatically (and improves taste)
3
Cant wait to try these. But want to inform that Kraft and Hellman’s Mayo. both have soy oil and sugar. I can’t taste the sugar but it annoys me. I switched to Dukes which has no sugar but does have soy oil. Wish it was olive oil
6
@T Ritz Make your own mayo. It is quite simple.
4
What commercial mayos can be safely used for this? Searing pans reach 400 - 450 degrees, and several oils have a smoke point well below that. We all know that companies perpetually seek to reduce costs, and in the case of commercial mayos, oil is a big part of that cost. How can we know what kind of oil is used for each mayo and whether it's classified as "high-oleic"? In other words, how can we know we can safely use a given commercial mayo to sear without creating carcinogenic particles in the process?
6
@Caius Magnificus
Make your own mayo with coconut, pumpkin oil etc
1
Works great in meatloaf and in hamburger patties too.
6
My cousin's go-to potluck recipe is furikake salmon: Cut up a salmon fillet so it fits closely in appropriate sized baking pan, slather with mayo, sprinkle generously with furikake (cover completely), and bake until done. Helps to line the pan with foil, or ti leaf if you are in Hawaii. Many similar recipes out there, and many use mayo. Hawaii could not function without mayo.
7
@Golfin' Pineapple I make this too, but add wasabi to the mayo before slathering. SO GOOD.
3
Presently in Argentina where adding anything other than coarse salt to beef is seen as sacrilege. And they do have some of the best tasting stakes (and beef in general) I've ever tasted. So no Mayo down here, thanks.
5
@AMG I lived in Argentina for two years and they consumed more mayonnaise than I’ve ever seen anywhere else in the world. They buy it in 2 pound squirtable bags and mix it with ketchup to make salsa golf and use it with their asados. At least while I was there. :)
5
@AMG 'steaks'
3
@Aaron What is "salsa golf?"
1
My family has always made grilled-cheese sandwiches with mayo. Someday, I'll tell my kids - who have inherited their mother's disdain for the goddess of all condiments - that I do.
5
I'll never forget visiting a friend in Maui over 15 yrs. ago and he said now don't get upset and proceeded to slather a giant piece of salmon with mayonaise to marinate in before grilling. I have to admit it tasted really good. Apparently they'd been doing this over there for a long, long time.
9
Try mayo on baked salmon. Yummy. Not on the skin side though.
3
for years I've been broiling chicken breasts pounded very thin and then smeared with a coating of mayonaise mixed with dijon mustard and if I have it on hand, chopped fresh tarragon
quick, simple, and very little clean-up following
3
For those Hellman's lovers that don't love the additives - Trader Joe's organic mayo tastes the same.
9
@Jacstorm
Thanks for the tip. Far too many organic mayonnaises taste like Miracle Whip. Ugh!
Can't wait to try this on my BBQ'd Indonesian lemongrass chili turkey burgers tonight.
1
@Paul
Let us know how it turns out!
I think it was 1975 when a friend of my soon to be mother-in-law took us deep sea fishing in FL. When we got back to the dock, he had our dolphin/mahi-mahi cleaned. To cook it, he rubbed it with mayo and lime juice and broiled it. Amazing! I've been cooking fish with mayo ever since. Thanks to Kenji, I'll now try it on meats.
6
@Kay Singer 'soon-to-be'
1
Was introduced to Dukes about a year ago being a lifelong devotee of Hellmans. I used to asked at a deli prior to ordering what kinfd do you use. I like both and i would say if you like California burger or cheesesteak with mayo i prefer Dukes
but Hellmans is the first love that's hard to shake. I keep them both in the fridge much to my wifes chagrin. I saw a video of a person who used different types of a marinade or method prior to grilling steaks but they did not use mayo. Of the 4 or 5 they used I will save the 10 or so minutes it takes to watch. The best was sour cream.
1
I’ve been using mayo to make grilled cheese sandwiches for years. It started out because it was easier to spread mayo than hard butter on the bread. Then of course I realized how much more delicious it was :)
3
I was a little skeptical, but your vivid writing convinced me to try. Mixed a tablespoon of chili garlic sauce in a 1/3 cup of mayo. Marinated a few hours. Onto a hot grill pan. Finally! Juicy, flavorful chicken cutlets with perfect grill marks. I’m sold.
12
Salmon smeared with mayo and dill (dried or fresh dill) is wonderful.
Cooked on the grill or broiled (I use a toaster oven to broil)
8
My uncle was visiting once and called for mayonnaise to be slathered on a piece of salmon before grilling it. I thought he was nuts but complied out of a sense of duty. It was delicious! Brown, crisp, and trapped the moist flavor inside.
8
Will Miracle Whip do the same or add an aftertaste?
I believe reverse racism drives many people's weird and strangely passionate hatred of egg, oil and lemon. Seriously. It’s fine. But it’s a wasp-hating thing.
6
I’m with you, and two more thoughts. It’s somewhat comical to hear that one can “taste” the mayo after grilling. I’m also a bit surprised at the complaints about mayo being sweet - mayo has no sugar - they are confusing mayo with Miracle Whip.
1
I'm amazed at how many folks were in on this supposed secret idea. I'm trying it tonight on Pork Chops.
Mayonnaise is the king of condiments! But only DUKE'S. I will never understand how yankees can eat that vile, sweet Hellman's.
10
@RunsInPink Are you certain you're not confusing Hellmans with Miracle Whip?
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@RunsInPink
Hellman's is the way to go!!
2
@RunsInPink Clearly you have not had Woodstock organic mayo. Pure and delicious
All my life I could smear mayo on just about anything. Cold corn on the cob smothered in mayo, BLT on bread smothered in mayo, cold chicken smothered in mayo. Being a mayo snob, it had to be Hellmans, but that's in the past. Sigh. I can't bring myself to eat it, now that I what's in it. Cheap, oxidized, bleached and deodorized soybean oil. If mayo were just fat that would be preferable. Now I eat avocado mayo. While it fills a void, it will never taste like Hellmans. Sad.
4
Or you know, make your own? It’s incredibly simple to make, and real food mayo tastes light years better than anything in a jar. If you are worried about processed foods, then you should be used to making your own ingredients by now.
19
@Sheila Datt Try making your own homemade. Just make it in small quantities because homemade mayo has no shelf llife.
3
Any experience using mayo as ‘glue’ for panko, chopped nuts and what have you?
1
@jonas Absolutely! I have always used mayo, thinned with just a touch of salad dressing, as a coating for fish before dipping in panko. Haven't tried chopped nuts but could totally envision a mild fish with a chopped pecan and parsley coating, using mayo-based glue.....great idea!
2
@Julie There you go! Will try that asap :-)
What about using a mayo-based marinade for roasted turkey? Anyone have experience with that?
1
@Megan Rub the Mayo under the skin between the meat and the skin before roasting.
The PR person at Hellman's just got a massive increase in salary.
8
Smear mayo on pork chops and then bread them before baking in the oven. Outstanding.
2
Cant think of an article or comments Ive enjoyed more! At 80 i am not cooking a lot anymore but this sounds like I could use it almost daily, and cant wait to share it with every cook I know.
15
Thanks a lot. Just as I was considering going pescatarian. . .
3
@Juliana Sadock Savino It works great on fish.
2
I know I will be skewered for asking this, but would Miracle Whip work the same as mayo? Asking for a friend.
5
@Publius I suppose it's a matter of personal taste.
But...I bow to no one in my love for mayonnaise. However, Miracle Whip is a vile substance and should be kept far, far away from food and food-like substances. It's disgusting, IMO.
@Publius "Asking for a friend." Sure! I don't blame you for not admitting that you eat Miracle Whip. No one with a palate would do so.
1
For sous vide do you add mayo in the bag to cook or do you add after you take it out of the bag and before you finish it with grilling, etc.?
2
@Paul I'm confused by that as well.. Before or after?
3
The thought of slathering mayo all over a freshly caught wild Chinook steak on the grill is blasphemy in my mind, especially since the natural oils of the fish do the trick. No need to mask what nature has already perfected. Besides moisturizing my hands with mayo during the rubbing process is not high on my list. Whatever floats your boat or takes your line down.
4
@richard wiesner You're right, everyone in the comments is dealing with freshly caught wild Chinook steaks.
12
How many thought high school science wouldn’t prove useful in life?
8
Has anyone tried this with vegan mayo? Just wondering is it works or if you need the egg content. I’m allergic to eggs. Otherwise, I’d be all over this!
@Brianna Yamashi No such thing as Vegan Mayonnaise, much like "vegan leather" and "fat-free" half-and-half.
The modern habit of taking out the one thing that defines the thing and still call it that thing is thoroughly annoying.
11
@Brianna Yamashi I bet it would work! My husband did a cleanse once and we used vegan mayo in all of our normal mayo recipes and we actually couldn't tell the difference at all.
I make THE meanest hand-blended mayonnaise. According to my late mother-in-law, no less! She was from Mauritius. Nogal!
3
Democrat, Republican, left, right. I don’t care! This is what real journalism looks like
36
Mayo makes almost anything taste better! My "fridge always has a jar of Best Foods (Hellmans) mayo in it.
6
One of the most memorable meals I've had - a friend caught a mako shark on a fishing trip, brought steaks to the house and slathered them with mayo, a little bit of lemon juice and garlic and horseradish, salt and pepper, and grilled them over charcoal, on our back porch on a hot summer evening in Boston. (It was the early 90's so you know, we had to have Beringer's white Zin, too!) Perfection!
7
I LOVE home made mayo! (It's so easy to make with an immersion blender.) I know all about grilled cheese sandwiches with mayo, but chicken, and fish, and steaks? Can't wait to try this!
4
@Catalina 'homemade'
1
I have used mayo on fish for years. Salmon especially benefits. Put unskinned thick filet skin side down on plain foil (do not oil it), smear mayo on fish then season (I like dill pollen and salt but any classic fish flavor works) then roast at 500 for 10 minutes. Fish releases from skin easily and is moist and delicious.
8
Thanks for the explanation. I tried grilled cheese with mayo and it was disgusting to me in both taste and smell. I LIKE mayo as a sandwich spread or in salads, but the flavor and smell on grilled cheese were intensified by the browning. The grilled cheese tasted like a mayo sandwich despite a sharp and assertive cheddar inside. I can’t imagine I wouldn’t taste mayo in a marinade, but I am willing to try it on meat and see.
4
@Vicki
Same here. I tried mayonnaise on a grilled cheese, but it did NOT replace butter, real butter, as a toasting agent. Tasted terrible! Now, in salads and as a sandwich spread, it's wonderful. I haven't tried it on meat, though.
1
I’ve been frustrated with my results “finishing” sous vide skinless chicken and fish. This fixed it. Brilliant!
3
J. Kenji López-Alt. is a treasure.
14
Bravo to the author for explaining the science of the mayonnaise dynamic. Once again the New York Times has taught me something to improve the quality of my cooking. Thank you.
16
Unless you are allergic to eggs, which a fair number of people are.
1
Try vegan options. They taste great and offer the benefits of the emulsified fats. e.g. Just Mayo
Sounds great. I’ll try it.
Skeptical does not begin to describe our state of mind going in to this venture. Eww, mayo on a shoulder lamb cut? Added dijon mustard, rosemary, garlic and S&P. 5 minutes, 4 minutes, on the stove top grill. Nervous anticipation.
Surprise, amazement, and promptly placed into the rotation. Wow, that's delicious.
10
@Amy O. also add puréed ginger! A magic ingredient.
1
@Amy O. I quite enjoyed your way of telling this story.
2
Mayo is alchemy magic. A fried onion with grated cheddar and a lot of mayo baked till melted and served with sliced French bread is an excellent cocktail dish and a nice thing to do for a vegetarian.
3
Mayo is a good thing.
13
People in the Midwest have done this for years. Best way to keep a chin breast from drying out. If you want to have mayo on the inside of a sammy, toast your bread and smear one half with peanut butter the other with mayo! Food of Gods. Duke mayo is king of mayonnaise.
3
@Judy I have searched the meat case at the supermarket and cannot find a chin breast anywhere.
8
NO MAYO ever
4
@joe Hall Agreed. I once tasted a grilled cheese sandwich that was made with mayo and it tasted rancid.
1
@joe Hall finally, another never mayo!
1
Waiting for the mayo vs. Miracle Whip fans to start their turf wars!
@CincyBroad how about Duke versus Hellmann’s? 😁
Isn't burned fat cancer causing?
3
@Bonwise perhaps if you ate 3 gallons of it every day for 10 years
4
You guys should make a video showing this, similar to those Tasty videos on social media.
You had me at "how do you like mayo now".
10
I'm looking forward to trying this but want to be clear on the sous-vide technique. Do you rub mayonnaise on the meat BEFORE you sous-vide it or AFTER sous-vide? I suspect it is applied AFTER but want to check. I may just have to test it BOTH ways... :-)
1
I’m not a mayo fan, but am intrigued by this and will try it. A couple weeks ago a co-worker re-heated a big piece of salmon for lunch, she offered a taste and it was so good I happily accepted her offer to cut me off a small serving. I gobbled it up and asked how she prepared it. To my surprise she said she cooked it with mayonnaise and a number of herbs/spices. Who knew?
3
Sounds interesting, but I'm skeptical. I have never in my life put mayonnaise on anything willingly, I just do not like it ... but as a "chemical reactant", maybe it is worth considering.
2
Looking forward to trying this. I read somewhere - perhaps NYT - that mayo is perfect as a spread for grilling cheese sandwiches. Tried it and now it's all I use on the bread. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that it would be terrific as an emulsifier on meats.
Many thanks!
I grill/toast hamburger buns with mayo instead of butter, fantastic golden crunch that holds up to the juicy patty. Thanks Kenji, I have a tomahawk ribeye steak in the fridge which will get “Mayo’d” tonight!
5
I've made a nice stuffed trout by mixing mayo with cracker crumbs and fresh herbs and baking the fish stuffed with the cracker crumb stuffing. It doesn't taste like mayo at all, but the cracker crumb herb stuffing is transformed into something delicious.
4
My family has been using mayo instead of butter, for decades, when making any grilled sandwich!
2
In the same vein, yogurt: An emulsion of (milk-)fat held together by (milk) proteins to provide structure for other flavorings to stick to meat. The acidity helps with tenderizing too, but the tartness magically disappears after cooking. It's the secret of tandoori and kebabs.
27
I grew up in a household in which grilled cheese sandwiches had mayo slathered on each side of each piece of bread. Nothing else, in my experience, produces such a succulent sandwich.
There's a fourth element in mayo, and it's an important one: acid. Lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon vinegar--it's a tasty and chemically useful component.
6
I am so excited thinking about what meals to create with mayo next. Thank you for sharing this tip!
3
Ditto on the fish. Fabulous everytime.
Can't wait to try on grilled cheese!
Thanks for the idea.
2
I've been using mayo on broiled fish fillets for over 40 years now.
Welcome to the club, everyone!
5
Mayo (the poor cook’s aioli- just add paprika & a dash of water) is why I love artichokes. Scrapping the mayo-dipped steamed petals over your teeth is a yummy delivery mechanism for the mayo... hmmm, I actually might not really need the artichoke, any steamed veggie will do...
Sounds like I now have more ways to explore using mayo ahead.
4
I'm saddened by how many years of my life have gone by while not knowing this trick, but at least I know it now.
22
For those worried about cholesterol in food, you need to update your knowledge (and maybe cut down on the simple carbs that are helping you resist eating what are actually healthy fats like egg yolks and vegetable oil).
13
After working behind a deli counter during high school dealing with 5-gallon tubs of mayo that never ever washed out of your apron or your tennies, the stuff kind of made me sick for a few years after. Then I got over it. It’s oil and egg, both healthy foods in my opinion, and my local supermarket brand has a decent ingredient list and is quite tasty. Otherwise it’s not that difficult to make your own. Thank you for this wonderful and useful article. I may have to start buying larger packages of mayo than the “toothpaste tubes” they sell here (so handy to squeeze!), but I’ll pass on the 5-gallon tubs!
8
@What time is it?
I was raised in an Italian household in NY in the sixties. I remember the first time my mother discovered mayonnaise. I smeared it over an entire loaf of Italian bread and after eating it, got so sick I didn't touch mayo for years afterward. Happily I'm back to enjoying it again.
2
@What time is it? I love the tubes and bags of mayo here too. I was thinking tonight what I was going to do when I moved back to the states and had to start using a knife and a jar again. Hopefully, someone, somewhere will be selling them by then.
1
Nothing new here. As a young Forest Service wildland firefighter over 40 years ago, I learned that the best way to make the dry sandwiches we packed in for lunch palatable was to grill them in mayonnaise. We wiped the dirt off the shovel, smeared on the mayo, put the sandwich on the shovel and grilled it over the fire.
51
@dennis This story beats them all. Thank you for your service.
5
@dennis there's simple living for ya!
5
Terrific, scientifically sound and enjoyable article - thanks.
16
One of the few entrees I remember balking at while watching my mother cook it was swordfish with mayo, cooked in a counter top broiler. This was one of the few fish meals I ever enjoyed.
6
@cindy rose My mother, the plainest of plain cooking moms in the 60s, always broiled swordfish with mayo smeared over the top. Deeee-licious!
4
@cindy rose Thanks for sharing. I haven't had decent swordfish since I was a child on Martha's Vineyard 50+ years ago and it was ALWAYS broiled with mayo on both sides.
2
@cindy rose I balked when my mother did it too but when I tasted that swordfish - WOW, was it good
1
My God people are picky, finicky, just plain Angry about almost anything these days.
I hate Mayo as well, but certainly gonna try this. I would love for steak or chicken to brown better. What is the big deal with trying something new or different ? Why would I want to go through life without ever trying anything new ?
My mother made an authentic German soup that I always refused to eat as a kid. I was almost 30 when visiting her once and she had made that soup. I actually took the "massive risk" and tried some. Can't tell you how good it was. She was quite old and tired of a lifetime of cooking, so I could never convince her to cook it again. She passed away without my ever tasting that wonderful soup again.
Big lesson learned for me.
122
If you want your steaks to brown better, use higher temps and sear them.
Even better: Greek Seasoning from Gramma's Pantry in Forestville, WI. You won't believe it.
2
Apparently the mayo haters think that mayo has caused all the world problems, has turned Kenji against the "real" food world and if we just eliminated mayo we would be better off.
I have been reading Kenji for years on SE and his cook book is one that most home cooks should read. I use mayo for many things but I will now give it a try as a meat slather while cooking.
15
After catching Bluefish on Cape Cod we were told that the best way to grill these very oily fish was to slather them with mayo first. Counterintuitive indeed. But right on the money! Apparently, it's a popular New England thing.
12
Wow. Who knew? (Ok, I don’t do message boards). After reading a recent cooking column on putting eggs in hot water to hard boil them (I’d been using cold for decades) and discovering how easily they peel, I’ll give this mayo suggestion a try. We old dogs can be taught new tricks...sometimes.
Keep up the new, interesting tips. Thanks.
20
Is this all homemade mayo or Hellman's? Huge oversight to not get into that in my view.
1
@Dan "Every marinade and sauce was improved--every single one. This was true with both homemade and store-bought mayo."
26
@Dan it says both worked .
The article discusses using chicken cutlets,presumably, skinless. What happens when you fry chicken with the skin using mayo?
3
Oh boy, here we go again with a secret ingredient that some people are allergic to. (See other brilliant suggestions to secretly add fish concentrate to spaghetti sauce, truffle oil to gravy...)
Will those who are allergic to mayonnaise now have to ask at every restaurant whether every dish has any mayo in it?
2
@EveT - News bulletin: It's been a secret ingredient in restaurants for decades. This is the kind of thing that makes the non-allergic roll our eyes.
10
@EveT
Yes, it really is like being a Kurdish refugee, isn't it? /s
5
@EveT you can't be allergic to "mayo", you must be allergic to egg, oil, lemon, salt, vinegar--one or more components, not the emulsion. And given how common those ingredients are, eating nearly anything in a restaurant would be unwise.
6
It's very common for burger joints to fry their burger patties on top of mayo.
1
Mayo is GREAT in many forms. I have been using mayo to coat my salmon before i bake/broil it. I also used mayo to make my grilled cheese, but now I will use it to coat everything - Thanks for this!
All hail the great Mayo!
6
Our cousin used to put mayo on everything - meat, fish, vegetables, and, yes, chocolate cake and ice cream! This horrified me so deeply I never had mayo until my late teens when I made it myself. It was delicious. Still, it's not a fave as I've never been into fatty/creamy sauces - prefer aioli but very modified, but I appreciate the suggestions in the article and will try them out on my family members, AKA willing volunteers.
Thanks, Kenji. I enjoy your articles!
1
Mayonnaise on bluefish was the only way my mother could make it palatable.
2
And here I thought I was so clever when I used mayo instead of butter on a grilled cheese sandwich. Now I know I was just part of a trend. Next you'll be telling me that everyone has been putting jam on the finished sandwich all along.
4
@Ann Goodman
Love mayo on cold cut sandwiches, fried chicken, even on Italian heros in addition to the oil and vinegar. Love mayo. But gotta say I read about this mayo thing on grilled cheese and tried it. Verdict: thumbs down. Gives the bread a muddy sickly sweet taste. Use only butter on grilled cheese, or panini style with no fat on a grill pan. Better yet fry the bread in fresh bacon fat (the bacon goes in the sandwich).
1
Pierre Franey had a great recipe in the old 60-Minute Gourmet that involved broiling flounder fillets smeared with a mixture of mayonnaise, mustard and a little parsley. I've been enjoying fish that way since the days I had to make it in a toaster oven https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/05/31/110966532.pdf
8
Mayonnaise melts like butter under heat. Yes, it does work. Our household has been doing this for ages.
If you are doing a grilled panini sandwich, and rub mayo on the outside before putting it in the press, you will get a nice golden toast without the char.
To me, it looks like mayonnaise does not have the low burn temperature that butter does and you don’t get burnt butter crust.
And you can’t tell if it is butter you used.
1
This is news? Been doing for years, esp for grilled cheese since so often butter isn’t out long enough to soften. Also, Hellman’s the only commercial mayo made correctly, meaning without sugar. Like vinaigrette salad dressings, mayo should never have sugar in it—quelle horreur!
29
@SomethingElse If you think Hellman's is good, try Duke's! Also made with no sugar and delicious - we were introduced to it when we moved to North Carolina - one of the few benefits of moving south. To me it tastes the closest to home made. C'est bon!
8
@SomethingElse I have a jar of Hellman's in my hand and on the ingredient list is sugar. Duke's has no sugar. Duke's is the best, in my opinion.
I have never put water in my mayonnaise. I wouldn't consider anything that has water in it to be mayonnaise. I can't be sure but it was sometime in my late teens that I made my first mayonnaise. I wanted potato salad and my mother would allow Miracle Whip in the house because she hated mayonnaise. So I made some and have been doing so for 50 years now. It's easy and takes about 0-15 minutes. It is ingredients found in every kitchen of a good cook or just a cook hobbyist. 2 egg yolks, 1/2 liter of oil (I generally mix the oils when they get low in the bottles) a couple spoons of white wine vinegar, about a spoon of fresh lemon juice, sprinkling of salt, and finally a large spoon of strong mustard. The only time there is water involved is when washing up. Mayonnaise was always meant to be an enhancer of foods, an ingredient, used just like other pasty ingredients. I was never meant to be slathered on a BLT.
5
@Susannah Allanic Lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and egg yolks all contain water.
22
@Susannah Allanic Ditto on what Hank said. You do know every ingredient in mayo except the oil contains water, right? Hence mayo contains... wait for it... water.
1
You confuse moisture with water.
1
For all those of you who are, perhaps rightfully so, revolted by commercial store-bought mayo, have you tried home-made traditional French recipe mayo? It is altogether a different and exquisite thing.
14
@ Giovanni New York
Thank you for this good reminder. My wife is for some unknown reason against making mayonnaise at home, but I shall dare to try my hand at it.
@Giovanni How do you avoid risk of salmonella in the raw egg ingredient of home-made mayonnaise?
2
@EveT The risk is very low. Nevertheless, you can pasteurize eggs. Instructions on the intertubes.
4
I love mayonnaise (it's not a mysterious food, it is just oil and egg yolks) so I do not doubt that it makes anything better. But, I don't eat it because it is not healthy-it is basically cholesterol and fat. I have to wonder what the health status is of the writer and what his or her doctor would say.
3
@CJ Medical science has well established that there is no correlation between plate cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels w/r/t heart or other cardiovascular diseases. Your body actually needs cholesterol and healthy fats in order to function properly, and as long as you balance your fat intake with appropriate diet, there's no reason to suspect any adverse effects from the fat or cholesterol in mayo.
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@David
You're quite right. I'm surprised readers don't know this by now. We need some fat. Try going without it at all for a few days and assess your mood, energy level.
8
@CJ Are you still really buying into that 1970's fat/cholesterol/death propaganda? Really? Have you researched how ketogenic and carnivore diets have transformed sickly people? We evolved eating fatty, cooked flesh.
Kraft makes an olive oil based mayo which also happens to be lower calories than most. Most commercial ones use hideous grain oils. Soy, the worst.
As I type, tucking into a mayo slathered Porterhouse steak for breakfast. Age 73, stunningly healthy. My doctor looks at my lab results, "See you next year."
8
I have been baking bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or breasts with mayo for decades, pat chicken dry, rub on a thin layer of mayo all over, salt, pepper, maybe some paprika, bake as you normally do. The skin gets nice and brown and crisp - (I usually toss that golden skin) and the meat stays wonderfully moist and tender. I do the same if I ever bake skinless chicken but can't remember the last time I did that.
I tried mayo in place of butter to toast a grilled cheese sandwich but prefer butter. I love both so, either way is fine by me if someone else is cooking.
3
Duck fat, leave the mayo out. And “sous vide steaks” doesn’t mean anything.
4
@RW Not sure I follow? "sous vide" is a preparation method - So, "sous vide steaks" is no different than "pan-seared steaks" or "grilled steaks"
Sous vide literally means "under vacuum", so the steaks are cooked in a vacuum sealed container that is immersed in temperature controlled water.
20
I'm not going to read all the comments here to see if anyone else has voiced my first reaction to this idea. The first thing that crossed my mind was: How much is this person getting from the Mayonnaise makers???? End of question
2
@AJ.rtwt
it's more of a 'science'-based article, don't you think? Now we non-scientist Americans can understand the physical/chemical workings of the mayo on the meats. I like to know stuff like this. I find it fascinating.
I had already discovered the uses of mayo when making soy dressings... and so on, so I'm excited by this.
I also made a great 'discovery' - chicken salad dressing made with about 50/50 mayo and pesto. Thassit! Try it, it's great.
16
@AJ.rtwt Kenji Lopez-Alt always writes about
food science, and this does not seem to me any different from other things he has done. His technique for making a butter pie crust is foolproof and simply makes the best pie dough this ex professional baker has ever had. I don’t think the butter industry paid him. While I’m a bit dubious about using mayo this way, I believe Lopez-Alt is really just a genius food scientist.
8
Don’t give away my cooking secrets!
8
Mayo is, in my view, the single most disgusting food ingredient, condiment, whatever-you-want-to-call-it, one can possibly add to food. Any food. My family hates mayo and we will not allow that evil concoction into our home for any reason whatever.
Live and let live and all that, so I am not telling others not to eat it - but ... ugh. It is just gross.
5
@The Real Mr. Magoo
I tend to agree with you but don't have the energy to care what other folks eat. But I must share the idea that homemade "mayo", actually it has a different name in Spain, "aioli", is a real food and highly recommended to put on almost anything. In fact, apologies to the real aioli which I called or implied to be mayo....
3
@AJ.rtwt ... Aioli specifically uses olive oil and garlic. Just an FYI.
2
Please don't keep this a secret! Lots of people are allergic to eggs!
7
Duuuh. Call it "mayo' or "aioli". Of course it makes fod taste better. Fat always does.
8
@Marathonwoman
Yes true - because it all the taste buds get 'woke' by the mayo, or butter et c.
1
avoid the halo effect. people who read this oversimplification shouldn't hop on board. it's a shortcut; not for everyone
2
My husband a true Southerner always puts a dab of mayonnaise in mash potatoes. I could not wait to share this article with him.
4
I’m sure he also cooks his (corn)bread with some mayo; in a skillet of course.
@William Gilmore
ugh
I, too, have been hearing about this from various sources, but am glad to get some explanation as to how/why it "works". Minor point, but you say:
"...For starters, mayonnaise — a seasoned emulsion of oil in water — is mostly fat..."
If it's mostly fat, then it's a seasoned emulsion of water in oil (like butter) rather than oil (fat) in water (like milk).
6
As almost all commercial Mayo is made with soy oil now, this trend depresses me. Soy is in everything. Roundup is in everything. Yuck.
1
@Ellen B
Just make your own mayo. I use olive oil and avocado oil, 50/50. It's easy.
2
The old time Florida recipe for baking fish.
4
Thank you! Great tip
3
No. A thousand times no. You can't make me. Death before mayo.
6
Mayo? On meat? I think I just threw up a little. No, if you want to make meat meatier use Worcestershire sauce.
5
@Halsy However, Worcestershire sauce contains fish, which some people are allergic to. So please don't keep it a secret if you plan to serve Worcestershire-prepared meat to guests.
5
@Halsy - Mayo mixed together with Worcestershire sauce, slathered on burgers before grilling - incredible!
2
how about your own aioli, then?
3
Mayonnaise is objectively disgusting, and it will get nowhere near any of my food, ever. What a horrific article.
4
@T Rees You don't need to criticize things you simply don't like. You can ignore them.
56
@T Rees
"Objectively"?? Show me the evidence
9
My grandmother worked in a diner in upstate New York for decades. When she made grilled cheese sandwiches or BLTs, she always applied a thin layer of mayo to the outside of the bread, before grilling. She did this with a wink, "don't tell your mother!"
18
@Aaron Um, yeah, and don't tell customers in the diner who may be allergic to mayonnaise. Great idea.
2
@EveT I have food allergies as well, and the following approach has worked well for me: I consider it my responsibility to make my allergies known to those preparing my food, to ensure the dish I choose is safe for me. Not the other way around.
This is far easier (and safer) than expecting everyone else to anticipate the plethora of possible allergy combinations and serve only food considered safe for all populations. In my experience, most people are very happy to accommodate these needs or recommend alternatives if they are unable to do so.
9
Mayo has been my go-to coating on grilled fish for many years now. Used plain, it enhances practically any firm fish's flavor just by itself and a little salt and pepper. With chipotle or other flavoring, salmon takes on a whole new dimension. A favorite way to do that is to start the salmon skin side down in a cast iron skillet on high heat with chipotle mayo on top and then finish it under the broiler. But I've never tried it on chicken and I expect boneless breasts will be great using this method. Thanks for the new hints.
12
@Ted I love a thin coating of mayo on baked salmon, mixed with a little dill and lemon. It browns nicely and helps to keep the fish moist (especially helpful if it's a leaner piece) and it's delicious. I'll have to try chipotle.
3
No really, cooking everything wrapped in single-use plastic and smeared with an industrial egg yolk-oil emulsion is an excellent idea!
5
@ET You do realize that mayo CAN be made at home, right?
7
What does this have to do with single use plastic?
5
Holy cow. This is awesome news. I love mayo and eat it with everything, especially French fries (pomme frite for you Belgian beer snobs). I slather it on everything - even a sandwich called peanut butter mayonnaise and lettuce, cleverly revealing its ingredients. But this - this transforms mayo for its taste - plenty enough justification as is - into mayo for its superior chemical and physical properties. So now it has the backing of chefs and scientists! It’s a means unto something better, not just an end unto itself. Which is fine. It makes mayo more useful than me as a person!
38
@MWR - Your passion for mayonnaise is inspirational.
29
@MWR
When I was in high school, my friends and I often made peanut butter/bacon/mayo/lettuce sandwiches. Sounded gross until I tried it. Bacon on the peanut butter slice, lettuce on the mayo slice, join together and yum! Haven’t thought about that in years.
5
As with many things, my use of mayo on grilled cheese started a long time ago when that was the only option in the fridge. It is always spreadable and always there, a true multi-use ingredient.
11
I've been marinating chix thighs in a pesto mayo for years. It really keeps the meat moist and adds a crust that is delicious! I tell people all the time that most food is just a delivery device for mayo.
13
@Dennis Mayo is food lubricant :P
1
The mayo also works well for frying fish. I use it often. You can thin the mayo down a bit with milk/buttermilk and use it as your dipping solution instead of eggs. I season then rub mayo, then dip in cracker/cornmeal/flour. and pan fry, It's very good.
12
Be aware of what you're contemplating eating.
Japanese export Kewpie contains MSG.
For the American produced version they swapped out the MSG for a yeast extract to try and reproduce the Umami flavor. Be aware that MSG is naturally occurring in yeast extract. So, if you are one of the MSG sensitive this mayo is not for you...
Japanese version: “Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil), Egg Yolk, Vinegar, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Spice, Natural Flavor.”
U.S. version: “Soybean Oil, Egg Yolks, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Sugar, Mustard Flour, Red Wine Vinegar, Rice Vinegar, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors.”
And, oh yeah, those artificially extracted or produced natural flavors...sure, yummy.
@KJ I don’t mind the MSG. It is the soy that gets me.
1
I've been using mayonnaise on grilled cheese sandwiches for decades but I spread a thin smear on the inside of the bread, not the outside.
2
Mayo and butter on grilled cheese? Sounds wonderful. I take it the author has a cardiologist on speed-dial?
4
I think it’s mayo instead of butter on the outside. That’s what a grilled cheese is. Fat on the outside and inside (cheese).
9
@David Illig News flash! Grilled cheese is not a diet food!
4
@David Illig You really need to update your 1970's food mythology to 21st century facts. Natural fats are nature's most perfect food.
8
Does your doctor know you are using both butter and mayo?
2
No one would eat like this everyday, at least I hope not. But for the occasional slather of mayo, go for it.
12
New Green Deal will eliminate meat from our diets.
2
@Stevie No part of your comment is correct.
12
oil, egg yoke, and vinegar or lemon juice is a common recipe
there are better ingredients to prep meat
@howard You've, effectively, just described mayonnaise. Rather, you've described aioli. How is this "better" than mayonnaise?
6
My grandfather grilled me a cheese sandwich with mayo in 1970! Glad to hear it finally caught on!
8
Never try it before, but this article has triggered me successfully.
6
think vegan - it will be the future.
2
best method for breaded pork chops ever. slather chops with thin coat of mayo, then cover with bread crumbs; bake on a rack @ 325 for 1 hour. amazingly moist
7
The author should have noted that not all mayonnaise is the same. Also, Miracle Whip is not mayonnaise. Most people think it is mayonnaise. I suggest Hellman's if you don't want to make your own but it's simple to make your own and you control the ingredients. You can even use olive oil. If you haven't made your own mayonnaise with a proper emulsifier you really can't make a clear judgment about mayonnaise. It rocks.
20
I share your caution about Miracle Whip. I don’t know what the heck is, and I’m sure it has its fans, but it ain’t mayo!
11
@Art I believe MW is eggless. That's what my mother and my ex-wife's family used to use. One day we used mayo and left MW behind forever.
5
Mayonnaise is one of those secret ingredients I use in dips, sandwiches, salad dressings and now in my marinades!
6
I’ve been making grilled cheese with mayo for years. Browns like a dream, with no burning.
But steak?
Never heard of that, but can easily imagine the effect.
Will fry up a mayo steak in the cast-iron tonight. Already salivating.
5
Seattleites grill salmon. A lot of salmon. Like, three nights a week.
And I always smear my salmon with mayo before grilling. Always. I just don’t tell anyone.
21
I was wondering about salmon. Your comment gives me “permission” to try it!
2
@kkseattle If for some reason you're stuck indoors (that one snowstorm we get every year), it also works fine smeared on the top of a piece of baked salmon (maybe a bit thicker layer than for grilling). Mix with dill and a little bit of lemon juice, salt, pepper. It browns up a bit as the salmon cooks. I'm going to try it on the grill--haven't done that.
1
@kkseattle . I mix that mayo with a little mustard and add some fresh dill. Mmmm....All these mayo haters don't know what they're missing!
2
Ok what are the recommended mayo brands for this purpose? Homemade is not an option
5
Always Hellman’s original!
9
Hellmans is the best option if you don’t make your own.
11
@BER All commercial mayo's are primarily estrogenic soy oil based. Kraft makes a primarily olive oil one. Side benefit, much lower caloie count.
I suspect that you're just satisfying a normal human craving for fat. This can't possibly be part of a healthy diet.
1
@koyaanisqatsi Why “can’t possibly be part of a healthy diet”?
Mayo is simply a mixture of water, oil, and egg - all of which can be part of a healthy diet. Would you declare a salad with slices of boiled egg and salad dressing (containing oil and water) to be “unhealthy”?
29
Putting a small amount smeared on grilled chicken will not ruin your diet. Won’t it burn off?
7
@koyaanisqatsi
Often the craving for fat is the body asking for what it needs. We need fat for a multitude of purposes, and pleasure and satiation among them.
5
Fishermen told me that the best way to eat Long Island Bluefish was to slather with herbs and Mayo. Anyone heard this?
3
@Conrad Ehrstahl
Yes. Had the best bluefish topped with a thick slathering of a mixture of mayo and mustard at a seafood restaurant years ago in Boston. Have broiled/baked blufish that way ever since. Simply wonderful!
3
Mayo? N her house the secret ingredient for everything was always ketchup (obviously not applicable to baking).
Well I love mayo so have no problem with this! Not just ANY mayo, however. I use THREE brands ONLY: Cain’s (which I grew up with and still approve of), Japanese brand Kewpie (Japanese mayo is a whole new world of deliciousness for mayo with it’s creamy egg-y goodness) and the latest edition, Sir Kensington. Throw your Hellman’s and Miracle Whip away and bring out one of these when you wanna “bring out the best”. All three are at least as good as homemade.
2
@ManhattanWilliam
The main reason Kewpie brings a "new world of deliciousness" has nothing to do with its "creamy egg-y goodness." It's because Kewpie includes yeast extract, similar to MSG, in its ingredients. Nothing wrong with that in my book, but others may be horrified.
The best commercial mayos use egg yolks, not whole eggs, as their eggy ingredient, and this makes a difference. All the brands you mention use egg yolks. So do Blue Plate, JFG, and IIRC even Aldi's store brand to name a few. Worth seeking out.
Another factor is the oil used. Nearly all mayo in the US uses soybean oil, including Kewpie which is now made not in Japan but the US. Sir Kensington is an exception, using sunflower oil, as do the Russian mayos, which are worth seeking out but are mostly found only in Russian/Eastern European oriented stores. The Russians know their mayo, consuming far more per capita than anybody else in the world.
13
I don't know, this smacks of 50s meatloaf recipes. I like mayonnaise, but there are so many other ways to prepare meat that appeal more.
2
This is why I've stopped ordering grilled cheese. Everyone uses mayo now. And yes, I can taste it. It is, in fact super crisp and a lovely brown, but the the taste is gross for those of us that don't like mayo. After this article I'll have to stop eating out all together.
6
We put it on bluefish--it reduces the overall oily fishy taste and imparts a subtle flavor to an often overwhelmingly strong fish taste.
So any negative health benefits from the ingredients in mayo (egg yolks) are countered by the health benefits (omega 3's) present in the bluefish.
Another benefit--bluefish is among the least expensive fish.
6
Kenji, my husband and I swear by your hamburger grilling and frying technique. I never would have considered using mayo to enhance browning, but after reading this I'm a convert. Thanks!
6
Anyone on the fence about mayo, I invite to have a seafood & crab 6” or foot long at Subway. I was a sandwich artist one summer when I was 15. I mixed processed “seafood” and “crab” with 3–4 vats of mayonnaise. I never ate fresh again.
4
Grill a thick patty of ground bison medium rare. Spread on a thick layer of mayonnaise.
1
This non-mayo person uses olive oil the same way, marinating the meat an hour to overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. We also tend to be very light on any salt and pepper, but use various fresh herbs, along with fresh garlic.
I plan on having some mayo/olive oil taste-offs in the coming days. If it is the win-win I think it will be, I thank you in advance.
4
It's oil. So it will help crisp up your meats and give it a nice textural and flavor contrast with the inside. I will gladly give it a try.
3
Also a great ‘secret ingredient’ in baked beans. It’s undetectable, but they’re noticeably tastier.
8
@CJ Bass whoa, really? How much? When do you put it in?
1
It is especially successful with fish, which has so little fat of its own. It both imbues it with the seasoning while keeping it moist.
11
I'm in heaven! I've maintained for years that mayo should be one of the basic food groups. But - I've never heard of using it like this. I'll be trying it out. Tomorrow.
17
I read this, loved the idea, and immediately tried it on the only raw protein in my refrigerator - Angus ground beef. Would this technique actually work on a burger? I mixed a bit of mayo with teriyaki and it worked EXACTLY like the author said...except maybe a little better. Thank you for this article! I'll be experimenting with this one a good bit in the near future.
27
Brushed on top loaf of bread before putting into oven give it an amazing crust. May sounds sacrilegious, but atop Focaccia instead of olive oil kewpie give a crunch without the grease.
8
I add a few dollops of mayo into cake batter, or even banana bread. Adds that little bit of extra moisture that makes it so much better.
19
The felicitous effect of an oil, vinegar, and egg emulsion on meat was first published in 1950 by Robert Baker and is known as "Cornell Chicken." Nowadays many just use mayonnaise instead of making their own emulsion. Here's one web article about it:
https://www.saveur.com/article/kitchen/cornell-chicken-0/
9
@Sue Interesting.. but the Cornell chicken sauce has 2 cups of vinegar to one of oil -- not the way I learned to make mayonnaise. In the Midwest, Wishbone Italian dressing is the marinade for grilled chicken.. Always good.
1
@Auntie Mame Wishbone Italian dressing is the best marinade for tuna steaks I've ever found. Never thought to try it on chicken, though.
I'm in my 60's, and I've detested mayonnaise ever since in my single digits when my parents insisted it was good and first tried to get me to eat the vile stuff -- as a sandwich spread, in a potato or macaroni salad (as it was called back then, not pasta salad), etc. And I've now been a vegetarian for over 30 years. So thanks for an article that gagged me. As one of the other commenters said, indelible. He meant inedible, but both terms certainly apply here.
8
As a southerner, I couldn't agree more. Love all the tips (and generally this provocative column) here.
4
My mother-in-law shared her secret to the best grilled cheese sandwich ever, mayonnaise on the outside! Sent her your article and recipe but I think the octogenarian already knew.1
17
Finally, vindicated over the great grilled cheese fight.
1
funny, I'm reading this as I eat a grilled cheese sandwich, made for the first time ever using mayo instead of butter. It browned okay, didn't seem superior to butter, and the flavor was definitely inferior to good old butter. Calorie count is lower than butter, if you're counting.
10
Don't try it with tofu mayonnaise...
7
A little bit of mayo in a vinaigrette will also stabilize it.
6
I have tried grilled cheese with mayo in place of butter. I used a tiny amount of the best commercial mayo on the market. It was greasy and vile, with a sickly sweet aftertaste. I could not eat it. It’s bad enough to waste good bread and cheese. No way I’m going to ruin meat this way.
9
@Heather Dewar sickly sweet does not sound like mayo - but rather one of the mayo looking 'salad dressing' products out in the world.
3
@Heather Dewar sounds like miracle whip to me. That’s disgusting. Real mayo, preferably homemade is not sickly sweet in the least.
4
I’ve used this trick for grilled cheese sandwiches for a while now. It’s magic. I am thoroughly intrigued by the notion of using it on steaks.
12
I like mayonnaise, but I've never thought of using it this way. I'll have to try it. I have my doubts about grilled cheese, though.
4
@Jon Harrison Try it and you'll be surprised how well it works. It's makes the crispiest brown crust I've ever had and the bread is still so moist.
2
My Russian mother-in-law taught me this trick a few years ago. When prepping pork, she cuts little slits all over pork, just big enough to insert full cloves of garlic, and then spreads on the mayo and salt and pepper before roasting. So delicious!
54
@Christine
It isn't pork. It is an innocent smart sentient being that was tortured so that you can choose to consume an unhealthy food.
1
@Christine Do you mean pork roast or pork chops?
3
I actually had some grilled fish over 30 yrs ago in Hawaii that the cook had smeared with mayo before putting on the grill. It was delicious.
10
I've always used mayo when grilling Bluefish fillets. It just works.
6
I slather my bluefish with a layer of lemon, Dijon, and mayo before grilling skin down on foil for 6 minutes, cover on. Maybe include some minced shallots or bits of leek on top. Excellent results.
2
May I suggest that an equal mix of mayonaise, prepared mustard (say Dijon), and horseraddish sauce, is a marvellous marinade for pork chops. Both sides should be liberally coated prior to pan frying or grilling.
53
No! If you don’t like mayonnaise this is a disaster. We had what appeared to be a lovely looking grilled cheese at a cafe and it was indelible.
14
@Peter Kremer "inEDible"?
3
Indelibly inedible, I suspect.
I know someone whose "famous" skin-on chicken recipe requires a thick coating of a mix of mayo and ketchup. Thank heavens for the side dishes!
1
@Janet people make mistakes. regardless it was inedible
1
Ages ago Jean-Georges Vongerichten served shrimp at Nougatine smeared in a mayo and pan seared, with sesame seeds and I don’t remember what else. But I remember those shrimp being a revelation. I’ve cooked shrimp this way at home ever since.
38
Do certain mayo brands work better than others? They're made with different ratios, so I wonder if that makes a difference.
24
@NC Duke's is always the best. Not sweet.
4
@David, that was supposed to be a secret!
2
Forgot to note - on beer can chicken with ANY dry spice combo, mayo as the base is a must. Mix the rub with the mayo and slather it on. Oh boy!
13
But mayonnaise is not vegan!
4
@PaulN Vegan Mayo is easy to make.
Basic is 1/4 cup soya milk + lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a container larger enough for several cups. Pour in olive oil while mixing with a kitchen wand. It takes maybe 6-7 times more oil than soya milk., Keep pouring oil until it thickens. Do not over mix. I know this sounds bizarre, but it works. I flavor with garlic for a nice aioli. I have not tried it on meat, but it is great added to salad dressing.
3
@PaulN Another great attribute of mayo!!!
2
@PaulN
If you eat only vegan, you’ll not be needing tips or recipes for grilled cheese sandwiches or the various grilled meats/fish this article describes. Keep your eating hangups to yourself !
12
No.
It does not.
Nothing magical about it.
5
I thought this was already a well-known trick; its been around for decades But it doesn't have to be mayo. Really what you are looking for is more fat going into the dish because fish, beef, pork and chicken these days are so lean that if you don't add fat, its going to come out a very dry, unappetizing mess.
13
Mayonnaise is used in lots of Chinese food.
4
@Maurie Beck
Not true. Are you confusing Japanese dishes with Chinese?
2
@Maurie Beck
Say it ain't so!
An old Florida and Bahamas tried and true grilled fish recipe calls for slathering on the mayo a few minutes before grilling. Just enough to make the fish silky.
5
Sorry, no matter how you do it, it's disgusting.
The consistency and taste is akin to axle grease.
If you go for the "lite' variety, forget about digesting anything natural. OK, maybe I'm being too harsh. Is it natural if it comes from an oil well?
I tried to like it. I really did. I wanted to have the wasabi version, but as I swiped my ahi salmon or grilled chicken bit, I almost gagged as the oil oozed from the glop.
Never again. Anything with eggs that can sit, for decades, on a gross-ery shelf is not edible. Even if it doesn't kill you.
11
Mayo is a good thing.
70
Mayo is incredibly unhealthy for you. Happy heart attack!
8
@David Binko I suppose if you eat it every day it would not be healthy. However, the issue is - like every food that you eat - moderation, not excess.
46
Actually dukes mayo was recommended by a cardiologist for my father in law 40 years ago as part of a healthy balanced diet . He is now over 80 and still going. All mayos are not at all the same. I love dukes but none other.
29
@David Binko
I'm certainly not going to give up mayonnaise in order to have a few more months in a nursing home.
163
Too bad the best tasting mayos are filled with genetically modified soybean oil...
2
@Truth at Last I Agree. Most Americans (and Canadians) don't know that canola oil is a genetically modified foodstuff. In Europe we have access to pure rapeseed oil (the basis for canola) that is not modified.
6
It is why I make mine. Thomas Keller method.
2
@Janet and how is the oil different?
1
Not so much.
2
I can vouch for how delicious a little smear of mayo is on a grilled cheese sandwich.
10
Ok, This is the first time I am demanding a retraction from the New York Times. No correction can mend this palate crime. A full retraction and please cut all ties to mayo.
17
@Brock Vond What's the problem with using mayo? I agree that some people might not 'like' it (as coriander), but it is certainly not a palate crime.
28
@Brock Vond Thank you! I concur. It is a most vile concoction.
3
There you go: Big Mustard is sending out Brock to disparage the other condiments.
15
Mayo works well for searing corn on the cob too. I mix it with spice powders like chili, salt, pepper, whatever and brush it on at the end of the grilling. You can add lime afterwards for the full carrito de comida product.
16
I have used a thin smear of herbed lemon Mayo on my swordfish steaks for many years (3-4 minutes per side, rest in foil for 5) with excellent results. Based on this, now I will add it to my sous vide chicken and meat cooking. My only question: Why didn't I try it sooner?
8
You missed the key ingredient in mayo that’s making most of the difference: salt.
3
I like mayonnaise because it makes me fat, AND raises my cholesterol, AND increases my risk of cancer--especially when eaten with other unhealthy foods that are destroying the planet. It's scrumptious.
39
If mayonnaise were healthier, it would actually be worse for the planet because it would promote human longevity. Thus, it follows that unhealthy foods, or habits such as smoking, drinking, or drugs, are better for the planet because they counter overpopulation.
138
@JCX
Not everyone loves kale the way you do.
52
I'm putting you on my list, along with my annoying vegan niece, of people I do not care to have dinner with. As we move on from no fat, no carbs, no nothing, it turns out a good old-fashioned balanced diet is the best. A little schmear of mayo is ain't going to kill you. Especially On the side of lean meat that needs a little seasoning. Enjoy life, you're going to die anyhow!
41
Slather your swordfish steak with mayo, crushed garlic, then salt and pepper. Then broil 4-5 minutes a side (depending how thick the swordfish steak is). The taste is amazing. You're welcome.
19
I do this with the mayo salad dressing version on the grill all the time. While not as tasty as mayo by itself its lower fat content makes cooking near flame much easier as it doesn’t flare up.
1
I've had great success with sous-viding chicken, pork, and rack of lamb, but not so great with beefsteak because of the browning issue.
Armed with this tip, however, I shall try steak again!
3
@LarryAt27N When I sous-vide beefsteak, I do a quick sear in butter before serving. Next time I will try it with mayo.
3
Mayo for grilled cheese - absolutely. On grilled beef or game - no way. Cooked (heated) mayo develops a tang which adulterates the flavor. Sous vide - I guess it needs something, so give mayo a shot.
4
Agree completely. I love mayo but not in anything cooked. It tastes rancid.
1
My mom makes a chicken meatloaf with only white meat which she grinds in my grandmother's metal, attach to the side of a counter,butcher type meat grinder, She grinds in onions which was part of my grandmother's recipe but grandma made chicken burgers this way.My mom adds paprika, a half cup of ketchup, a half cup of mustard and a half cup of mayo. Full fat or light varieties only. White meat can be dry by itself, but add the pulverized onion and the mayo and it is pure tender no shrink meatloaf. She makes one for one of us and one for her freezer. She rotates which child's family benefits that week. The mayo adds moisture and flavor and for not a lot of it added. We used to think it was crazy to add mayo but it is really quite and ingredient.
37
@This just in - My mom just used two parts ground round and one part ground pork. She taught me as a child that the reason all of my friend's complained about meat loaf and I loved it was that hers was moist. It was the pork fat that kept it all from drying out.
But I never heard of adding mayo to dishes for this reason. But where I grew up at no one used mayo for anything. It was all Miracle Whip.
7
@tom harrison Miracle Whip is a travesty. Only Hellmans works.
8
@This just in That sounds like a shut the front door chicken meatloaf recipe! Thank you!
1
My favorite mayo marinade: mayo, soy sauce, and fresh lemon juice. I have used it on salmon and tuna fillets, as well as chunks of lamb. I never thought to try it on chicken, but I will now! I have also used the leftover marinade on stir-fried asparagus.
45
I make my own concoction to improve browning ... a mix of baking soda and dextrose (or some other reducing sugar) suspended in some neutral oil. Brush it on with a pastry brush before searing.
It speeds maillard reactions so well that it actually works better if the pan isn't screaming hot. Which makes it perfect for anemic home stoves. It contains no eggs (which seems important to some people around here).
Would be interesting to taste-test against mayo. This isn't exaclty a new idea (although I don't know of other people using it in an oils suspension). Kenji, have you tried this?
8
The thought of using mayo in anything used to make me ill, until I tried Kenji's immersion blender mayo recipe from serious eats (modified to form the emulsion with a little avocado oil and then to hand-whisk in about 2 - 3x as much quality olive oil). It turns out my aversion is to distasteful commercial vegetable oils and perhaps to perversely sweetened condiments.
47
@Dave hey thanks that's a great tip. My reason for despising commercial mayo is the same.
@R &Dave — Yeah, there’s something wrong with each of them, but I can put up with Hellman’s.
Mostly use vinegar and oil in one form or another.
Fisherman in New England have been doing this for decades.Not only does it add flavor, but it keeps fish from drying out in the pan or oven
27
Yes I had a boyfriend from New England In the nineties who used to catch striped bass and bluefish on Fire island. Fresh herbs, shallots and Mayo, under the broiler, squeeze of lemon. He used to say that with Bluefish, the Mayo “draws out the oil.” And a friend from the South made grilled cheese with Mayo instead of butter- I think you get a crust because of the egg. Bette than butter!
7
@Conrad Ehrstahl
Weren't the Bluefish then full of toxins? Are they still?
A mayo-mustard combo on a very fresh fillet of bluefish - grilled or broiled - is absolutely delicious.
12
Mayo chicken nuggets in the oven, Mayo salmon on the plank grilled. Secret weapon of foodies!
9
I am sorry - mayonnaise is absolutely revolting to me. The smell is head-snappingly putrid and the consistency is mucus-like. If I ever found out that my meat at a restaurant was grilled with this glop I'd have a fit. It's bad enough that restaurants try to sneak it by you as it is, but this is a bridge too far.
Please keep this awful trend to yourself!
23
@Tom I agree! Restaurants' "aioli" trend of the last few years is particularly troubling, as are otherwise tasty sounding foods on the menu that include dubious-sounding "special sauce". It's getting harder for us mayo-haters to avoid the stuff. I don't hesitate to send food back if I've found hidden mayo in it.
7
@Tom And if nobody told you you wouldn't know. Apparently there is a reason it works all mind games aside
37
Thank you. Well said. Mayonnaise activates my gag reflex. I will not recount for you the many times mayonnaise was slathered on a hamburger on the sneak in spite of my explicit requests to the contrary. A girlfriend at the time slathered mayo on a Hebrew National hot dog. Needless to say, that romance was not destined to endure.
4
Is this tip only for searing foods? What about rubbing down the Thanksgiving turkey with mayo?
2
Yes works great when smoking a turkey. It also allows the smoke flavor to permeate the meat without changing the color of the meat.
6
@DG I found a recipe several years ago using mayo on the turkey, and it worked fine to brown and crisp skin while holding spices and herbs on the skin during basting. There wasn't a distinct mayo flavor, and I assume the egg in it served to hold the seasonings in place. Was a delicious turkey. As for fish, Many years ago I worked in a restaurant in Montauk, first year after high school. For the staff meal, the chef would skin a big fish, striped bass, bluefish, whatever they had a surplus of, and cover it with mayo and fresh herbs , put it on a sheet pan and bake it for us. Gorgeous. I remember it because it was so good. Mayo is good.
7
I'm so trying this!
10
Sounds delicious, but keep in mind as you slather and smear, you're talking 100 calories per tablespoon.
6
Time for some undercover cooking. My wife would kill me.
26
Because of the vinegar in mayo does it give the meat an unwanted "tanginess."
I have been cooking Mayo chicken breast for years from the recipe on the back of the Hellman’s jar. Mayo, Parmesan and bread crumbs. 20 min. WOW
25
@Rich Murphy
I agree, it's nearly foolproof. I [p the ante and add parm to the crumbs as well. It gives you an insanely good crust. Sometimes, just to switch things up, I'll add a good dijon mustard and some tarragon or sub an aged sharp Cheddar or Gouda for the Parmesan. Lately I've found to up the ante that there is no substitute for high quality air chilled chicken. A 6 ounce breast is still a 6 ounce breast after 20 minutes of high heat - and it tastes like chicken, not cheap and salty chicken broth.
10
Mayo is egg and oil, a combination not to be recommended to anyone.
But cooking isn't about health, after all, right? It is about flavor and appearance. I'm sure this recipe does wonders for puffer fish too.
3
@Sequel
None of us are getting out alive.
88
@Sequel Egg and oil are not in themselves harmful. It just comes down to the amount.
12
@Sequel
The 1970's are calling -- they want their nutritional beliefs back.
8
I first learned of coating fish with a thin layer of mayo and flavoring of choice before broiling from Sam Sifton a few years ago in the Times. Been doing it since.
21
Does anyone know if it works with light mayonnaise?
2
@Bri
Yes, you can use light but not fat free.
5
Will this work with vegan mayo varieties?
1
@L'amazone
vegan 'mayo' is not mayo. It's something but it's not mayonnaise.
17
@L'amazone I don’t see why not. Still got all that oil and protein in it.
3
It should. “Just Mayo” is basically an oil emulsion just like regular mayo (just uses something vegan to stabilize it instead of egg yolks).
Another article by The Times promoting the consumption of animals even though a persuasive body of literature (including The Times) clearly establishes that consuming animals is unhealthy nutritionally and environmentally. In addition, why promote animal torture?
11
@Randy
Do you really think that your finger wagging here is going to change even one mind or encourage anyone, anyone at all, to think about it? The answer is "no". In fact, your comment is more likely to make readers even more dismissive than they might already be of the points that you think are so important to make.
Yeah. Thanks. Mayo makes chicken salad, one of the foods of the gods, possible. If all you have is bread, peanut butter and lettuce, mayo makes that a great sandwich. A BLT without it? Get outta here...Blend it with a little lemon juice and dill and drizzle that on your broccoli and fish.
17
@tony: Blend with capers and a little of the brine for an instant delicious sauce.
1
@tony This reminded me of one of my favorite children's books from years ago -- I believe that Rush Melendy (in The Saturdays series) thoroughly enjoys a heaping sandwich with PB, lettuce, and mayo. All these years later, you have reminded me of this passage.
And after all these years, tonight I am going to go home and try it!
Making mayo--choose any oil and spicing you like--is a breeze with your immersion blender; it zaps up in seconds. Check the 'net for video and go to town.
8
@R. Bartlett - Here's some good mayo for you. Take plenty of peppers from the garden - I use orange Jalapenos, red Cayenne, orange Habanero, red Ghost peppers, and Seranos. Chop them up finely, add to some oil, simmer slowly for around 20 minutes or so, add some Rosemary, garlic, and Basil from the garden.
Now that you have a hot chili pepper oil, take that and whip it up into mayo. Or just add some Basalmic vinegar and make dressing.
4
@tom harrison What are peppers with such names? I would call them chiles.
Butter and mayonnaise on your grilled cheese?! You clearly don't have a cardiologist in your life. I do, but I'm going to start mixing mayo with my marinades anyway because it sounds decisions.
3
@Michael instead of butter...and you can spread it thinner and it works brilliantly
7
@Michael It's not like you are eating this kind of food every day. I'm sure every cardiologist would agree that any food in moderation is not a problem - it's just OVEREATING them that causes the problem.
5
You have changed my life.
5
I can’t use mayonnaise. I have an intolerance to the combination of egg white and oil. Clearly, I have not read the article. Probably nice for those that can.
1
@beario Mayo is traditionally made with yolks, not whites. The store-bought stuff usually has both but it takes little effort to make your own.
13
@beario is “having an intolerance” a fancy way of saying that you don’t like something?
3
I don’t buy commercial mayo because I don’t like the taste or some of the ingredients. Other than making my own, can anyone suggest any substitutes?
4
@Jan Allen : Get Dukes if you can. It is the best, and no sugar.
30
@Lisa Agreed, Duke's for life.
7
Kewpie mayo from Japan is very good. Check out Asian food stores or online.
I always use mayo on the outside of my grilled cheese (mustard and mayo on the inside). And now i am mixing the mayo with teriyaki and marinating my Ahi tuna before grilling. Can’t wait to try. Seems like an amazing concept.
4
"I tried combining mayonnaise with a wide range of sauces and condiments — chimichurri, pesto, Thai red curry paste, barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, Buffalo sauce — before marinating and grilling chicken cutlets, steaks, pork chops, vegetables and fish fillets, and tasting side-by-side with mayo-free counterparts.
Every marinade and sauce was improved — every single one. This was true with both homemade and store-bought mayo."
-- and you could have added mustard to this list -- some commercial mayos already have a touch of it, but mix 3:1 or 3:2 depending on your taste, and it's a winner. Also, of course, you can mix in various herbs.
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@ Steve Toronto16m ago
Applause and military salute to your systematic tasting efforts and for reporting them. They convince me that this is the way to go.
As to the addition of mustard, I use it in a mayonnaiss--olive oil--mustard dip for artichokes, but not more 1/4 teaspoon for 2 full table spoons of mayonnaise.
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@Tuvw Xyz I wish I could take credit for the extensive testing, but I was just quoting Kenji from the article ... there certainly are some great ideas there!
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@Tuvw Xyz
There are so many mustard flavors to experiment with so depending if its meat or fish you can go crazy with the flavor, but I like to stick with the bright yellow or the guldens golden brown with chicken.
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Try a paste of rich chicken stock and fine ground dried mushroom powder for chicken OR beef stock/mushroom powder for steaks .. slather it on both sides and grill .. It's an old restaurant trick and it works ..
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@Aaron Never heard of this trick, thank you! Is the suggestion of a rich stock purely for flavor or does gelatin help it adhere to the meat? I've seen the use of mushroom powder to boost savoriness but not paste.
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@WireMonkey
Both .. and if you don't have homemade stock you can use a store bought.. but i recommend the low salt and reduce by a third or half to concentrate the flavor.. u can even a smashed bouillon cube [be conscious of the sodium] .. u can add water or wine if it's too tight.. Lastly, I use dried porcinis in my spice grinder .. this is also great to add it soups or stews.
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@Aaron Mushroom is always umami - a depth of flavor -- in anything. The dead white mushrooms in my fridge end up in soup or whatever. Thanks.
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Happy to see this! Some Russian friends used to marinate (several hours) freshly butchered pork in mayo ca. 25 years ago when I was there, and I thought they were onto something. And I've done the same ever since.
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Many recipes for fish or crab cakes recommend a quick swipe on the cake before sautéing and it works beautifully to produce a beautiful, crispy top. I never thought of using mayo for other meats but intend to start tonight! Good article.
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Years ago, my friend Marsha Wolfe baked flounder fillets in a pyrex square baking dish, AFTER she had slathered them with a mixture of mayonnaise and dijon mustard, 1:1, VERY GOOD! The fish was tender, tasty and not the least bit dry.
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I live on the coast of NW Oregon. When I first settled here I went to pot lucks where whole salmon had been smeared with mayo and then baked. It was good. I seem to remember there was some dill across it when out for serving.
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But would this work with vegan (so non-egg based) mayo?
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@Jay Gurewitsch I use vegan mayo as a "baste" on grilled/toasted cheese sandwiches and grilled tofu and it works to give the surfaces a crispy, savory crackle. Pretty sure it would work similarly on meats and fish.
No.
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Try it next time you grill a steak and let us know.
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I was looking into different types of coatings for finishing meat (eg, sous vide steaks, slow roasted beef, chicken breasts, etc.) a few years back. Plenty of them are terrible while mayonnaise is great for the reasons listed in the article (eg, viscosity, neutral base for other flavors, etc.) but one of the things I was curious about but never looked into was use of emulsions of various strengths.
That is, Kenji also wrote an article a while back for Serious Eats about different types of mayonnaise like emulsions using different or additional ingredients (like eggplant mayonnaise) and I was curious what it would be like making emulsions like that and using them to coat and finish meat rather than just mixing flavorings in with existing mayonnaise. In particular, one of the things I found advantageous about mayonnaise based coatings is specifically the way the emulsion breaks as mentioned in the article and I was curious how differently the finishing might work (for better or for worse) when the emulsion varies in strength. It certainly has precedent as with the very American technique of marinating and grilling with Italian seasoning so I'd be interested in seeing this borne out more methodically with other emulsions.
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@WireMonkey Whoops, I meant Italian dressing. Sheesh
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Mayo for grilled cheese is a must.
Just don't forget to to griddle *both* sides of each slice of bread. (You can use butter on the inside sides if you would miss its flavor.)
Thank you Gabrielle Hamilton (and, I gather from family in food service, generations of diner and food service cooks who knew and used this truc, as it were).
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@Karl, I am taking a screenshot of your suggestion so that I'll remember it. You may have just revolutionized my grilled cheese sandwich for the remainder of my years. Thank you.
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@ stuart itter Vermont 15m ago
Thank you for your reference to a specxial Japanese mayonnaise. Never heard of it, but shall be looking for it.
I find it difficult to call mayonnaise a "secret ingredient". It reads more like a seredipitous discovery, similar to the addition of soy or Worcestershire sauce to some food.
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@Tuvw Xyz Kewpie mayo is the best. I get it in an Asian grocery here in town. The balance of flavors is a little different, and in my opinion in a good way.
Kewpie is the only commercial mayo that I like. It is tangy and not sweet.
Grew up with mayo on grilled cheese. Would never use anything else. Butter just makes it greasy.
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First learned of the Maillard effect of mayo on things like grilled cheese sandwiches and experiment with its other emerging attributes. Chef White/NYC used it in a video. He used Japanese Mayo which he loved and found superior. Have not been able to find it, but anxious to try.
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@stuart itter : Japanese vinegar (such as the Kewpie brand) uses rice vinegar (which is sweet) and MSG. You could improvise by adding sugar (or syrup) and MSG (or bouillon) to your pre-made mayo to taste, or using the same if you make mayo in your blender. (MSG is pretty potent: 1 teaspoon will flavor a 32 oz bottle of mayo adequately.)
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@stuart itter it's called Kewpie mayo I suspect, it's super delicious and synonymous with Japanese cooking.
@stuart itter Look for Kewpie brand Japanese mayo. You can find it easily on Amazon.
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