I cannot seem to find any instructions for canning mayonaise, can anyone help? Thanks

-- Alexandra Castro (alexandra.castro@undp.org.pa), February 04, 2002

Answers

Alexandra: I'm just being nosey, and wondering if there is a special reason why you want to do this. It just doesn't seem to be worth the effort because it is so easy to make, and the canning would be a hassle. So the nosey side of me got curious, and I have visions of you mailing it to someone somewhere, or planning a cross country trip in a van, and wanting to take your special mayo, etc..... you don't have to answer, but I'll keep coming up with interesting scenerios.

-- marcee (thathope@mwt.net), February 04, 2002.

But you know what's interesting--store mayo is not sealed (either pressure or water bath) in any way, other than a little plastic strip. Just look at the lid.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), February 04, 2002.

Alexandra,

I don't think you're going to find any directions for canning mayonnaise, at least none that the USDA or any of the other canning authorities are going to approve.

The reason is that mayonaise is very thick and viscous which makes heat transfer inside the jar a slow and difficult proposition. Even at high pressure it would take a pressure canner a considerable period of time at high pressure to bring the entire contents of the jar *uniformly* up the necessary temperature. I'm afraid the effect on the aesthetic qualities of the product (taste, texture, color and so on) would be pretty dismal and unappealing.

Mayonnaise is somewhat tart so it may be acidic enough that it could possibly be water bathed but you'd have to be very sure of the acidity (pH) before going that route.

I'd recommend against attempting to home can mayonnaise.

.........Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@alantic.net), February 04, 2002.

Thanks! Alan makes a very good point. GT, how do you suppose store mayo can stay OK on the shelf? I just need mine to stay out of the fridge for some time (gifts, marcee!) - any thoughts?

-- Alexandra Castro (alexandra.castro@undp.org.pa), February 04, 2002.

I don't care for mayonnaise myself so I don't have a jar of the commercial stuff here at the house to examine. I'm fairly sure however that the commercial canners don't process their product using any method available to us homecanners.

Perhaps someone familiar with the way Helman's or Kraft puts up their product can elighten us.

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 04, 2002.

I'm not sure, Alexandra, although I remember seeing something in either Heloise or Ann Landers about it a while back. Maybe try www.Heloise.com (not sure if that is the address, but I think she does have a website).

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), February 04, 2002.

Everything I have read about canning does not recommend canning of mayonaise. Even the mayo bought at the store will not last very long even if it is not opened, it will spoil. Make during y2K we bought extra jars of mayo and sure enough it spoiled before we could use it.

-- Irene Burt (renienorm@aol.com), February 04, 2002.

A ringing endorsement here for all those who advise against canning it!

As much as I fundamentally (1) hate excess packaging, (2) love homemade mayo far more than any commercial brand, and (3) have a penchant that I'm sure I share with most readers of this forum for buying in bulk...

I have relented as far as mayo is concerned. I now go to the wholesale clubs (Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's, etc.), and buy the restaurant-style individual packages of mayo. The way my life seems to work is that the "cheaper" bulk quantities of mayo end up getting tossed. These single-serving packages, on the other hand, last a looong loong time - are a great boon to the boonies where I live.

I now do the same with cream cheese, too.

-- Audie (paxtours@alaska.net), February 05, 2002.

If I remember correctly, mayonnaise is basically salad dressing (oil and vinegar) emulsified with raw egg yolk. I don't use it - too high fat and cholesterol, and if I'm going to take risks with salmonella it's going to be with something I like! However, the point is, if you cook it, it's no longer going to be mayonnaise - it's just greasy sour COOKED whipped egg yolk.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 05, 2002.

Commercial mayo is made with pasturized eggs.

Diana

-- Diana (dvance4@juno.com), February 05, 2002.

Ahhhh...pasturized eggs. Now it all begins to make sense.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), February 06, 2002.