When Opposites Attract

by Mark R. Vogel

The oil will float to the top with the water below. However, there are substances, called emulsifiers, which will maintain the wedlock. The two most common emulsifiers are mustard and egg yolk. Mustard coats the oil droplets and inhibits them from recombining.

But egg yolk is even better. Egg yolk contains lecithin and because of its molecular structure, it adheres to both the water and the oil, and places a nearly permanent barrier between them.

But nothing is perfect and a variety of factors can still land the antagonistic oil and water in divorce court. First, if the oil or fat is added too quickly at the beginning, it will inundate the water medium and the emulsion will not form properly.

Secondly, too much agitation, (as in any relationship), will backfire and cause it to separate. Third, extremes of heat or cold, will dissect the union. (For the mayo, normal refrigerator temperature is OK but if it is too close to freezing, it's splitsville).

Finally, adding all of the vinegar/lemon juice at the onset will facilitate the emulsion, but at the expense of forming an unstable one, (since too much initially will prevent the oil droplets from becoming as tiny as they should). Thus, the compromise is adding a little at the start to help the emulsion form and then the remainder after all the oil is incorporated.

Therefore, our lazy Sunday cook's mayo could have separated from 1) adding all the vinegar and lemon juice at the beginning, 2) over-agitating it in the food processor, (which is why traditional chefs favor whisking it by hand), or 3) placing it in a fridge that was too cold.

So then, how do we get the broken mayo partners to renew their vows? Simple, we send them to marriage counseling to work on the basis of their relationship, i.e., we start a new emulsion. Whisk an egg yolk with a pinch of dry mustard in a bowl.

Then, slowly mix in the broken mayo, whisking constantly. If you use a whisk, as opposed to a food processor, your arm would fall off before you over-agitated it so you needn't worry about that. In the culinary world, some marriages can be saved.