ewww frozen mayonnaise - what can I do with it?

[Kali]

I bought a big bulk container of mayo (mostly for making ranch dressing) and SOMEBODY put it out in the porch fridge (which runs too cold, but I like it for certain things) and it got just a little frosen on the top - but the real problem is it lost its "gel" and is kind of separating. I have about a quart left and I am way too cheap to throw it out, so what can I do with it? I tried making dressing and while it tastes ok it sure is thin and runny.

[MajorChode]

1. It may be hopeless, but you can try to get the emulsion going again

Mayonnaise is nothing more than an emulsion of liquid (water, vinegar, lemon juice, etc) and oil. What has happened is by freezing it you have pulled the liquid out of your emulsion.

I'm not sure how much you have, but if it's a huge amount just put enough to work with in a mixing bowl and beat it with an electric hand mixer if you have one, or if not a stand mixer with the whip attachment. If the emulsion doesn't come together right away, try adding either one fresh egg yolk or a 1/2 teaspoon or so of dijon mustard or a small amount of powdered mustard. Mustard will affect the taste slightly, but it will help get the emulsion going again. In other words, try it without adding anything first for a short time, then add yolks or mustard a little at a time until it emulsifies.

Raw eggs do have a slight risk of salmonella (about 1 in 10,000-20,000 will have a potentially hazardous amount). If you're worried about this you can get eggs that have been pasteurized in the shell (not all grocery stores carry them). Pasteurized eggs don't work quite as well, so you may have to use more than one yolk.

Alternatively you can just make homemade mayonnaise like I do. It's super simple to make and you'll wonder why you ever bought the stuff pre-made. It doesn't keep as long because there's no preservatives like commercial mayo, so just make smaller batches. There's plenty of recipes if you do a search.

[Kali]

4. I have homegrown eggs so that isn't a problem

and I have been thinking of finally learning to make mayo - just need to DO IT, you know?

but in this case I wasn't really looking to fix it - a quart of store mayo - just looking for some way to use it up that doesn't need the correct texture - maybe on grilled chicken or something?

[The empressof all]

2. Honestly....At this point I'd have a hair conditioning party

Slather it on your wet hair and stick a plastic produce bag over your head. (NO...not over your face!)

Leave it on for as long as you can tolerate then wash it all out. Your locks will be smooth and luscious!

[Kali]

5. ha - not bad!

but I'm just a little too cheap/hate to waste food for that

[wildflower]

3. You may be able to bake with it

Especially if you're doing, say, a cake, with eggs that will help re-emulsify everything.

[Kali]

6. hmm

I was kind of thinking on chicken but maybe a cake. I have a whole quart - maybe both!

[wildflower]

7. How about a cherry cola chocolate mayonnaise sauerkraut cake?

http://www.grouprecipes.com/108623/cherry-cola-chocolate-mayonnaise-sauerkraut-bundt-cake.html

:)

Actually, here are some mayonnaise cakes:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/s/mayonnaise-cake/recipe/1/relevancy

[Warpy]

8. I'd just keep processing it in small batches

and mixing it with buttermilk for ranch dressings. It doesn't matter if it's a little runny for that.

You can also get some pure lecithin at a health food store and rescue the emulsion that way, but it seems counterproductive.

You can also get it to that runny consistency and use it to coat foods you want to do an egg and crumb coating on, the seasoned crumbs sticking fine to the runny mayo and the egg in the mayo keeping them in place.

The lesson from this is not buying mayo or other perishable foods in such large containers, no matter how good a deal it is. While it's stable at refrigerator temperatures, bugs will still grow in it, although very slowly. That mayo you bought four months ago because it was such a great deal might start getting a little dangerous toward the bottom of the jug.

[Kali]

9. hahahaha

4 months ago? no you don't understand - 2 more or less grown male offspring still here! If I had a large enough container I would have just made up the whole thing as dressing. Would have lasted about 10 days if I didn't run out of salad first (and that doesn't really stop them either - I've seen the oldest one crumble crackers in a bowl and pour dressing on that!)

[grasswire]

10. casserole? sauce?

Sometimes I make a simple sauce with mayo, lemon and curry powder for cooked chicken and steamed broccoli. It really is tasty.

[pengillian101]

11. If in doubt--- throw it out!

Really, I am the queen of eating leftovers, saving leftovers, using new products to save leftovers, etc.................

If in doubt, throw it out!

[Kali]

15. nah, it didn't go bad

if anything it got too preserved - ha

[pengillian101]

18. Oh, good then!

So, what did you end up doing?

[Kali]

19. Used about 1/4 of it for some more thin salad dressing, and will

probably try some as the base for a coating on some fish or chicken
that ought to get it used up

[pengillian101]

12. I'd chuck it.

Mayo is not friendly.

[Vinca]

13. I've got a small container of frozen guacamole!

:rofl: I made it to serve with a Mexican meal and forgot to serve it and for some idiotic reason I tossed it into the freezer. I haven't dared to thaw it out.

[Kali]

14. If you foze it in a bag it should be ok

if it is in a container with space at the top, the top will turn brown but you can scrape that off - I would squeeze lemon or lime on it while it thawed.

I hate throwing food out - even though I have chickens that can make it into eggs!

[japple]

16. Well, boil a dozen of those fresh eggs and make some deviled

eggs and egg salad for your hollow-legged boys! Or chicken salad (if you can spare a chicken!) I have heard one of my co-workers talk about making lots of dishes with mayonaise (Paula Dean's Mayonaise Chicken), but since I don't eat mayo, I haven't asked her for recipes.

Good luck finding a solution.

Edit to add: sorry for posting this in the wrong place.

[pengillian101]

17. Schwan's sells frozen avocado with salsa.

So it's probably ok. I'd squeeze a little lemon juice on it before thawing. Heck, it's an experiment in freezing, lol.



http://www.schwans.com/products/productDetail.aspx?id=61092&keyword=avocado