Some Things Are Simpler Than We Think

There are certain things I've always thought came from a shop.

Mayonnaise was one of them. You buy bread. You buy butter. You buy mayonnaise.

That's just how it works. Or at least, that's what I thought.

Then you discover that mayonnaise is basically an egg, some oil, a little acidity and seasoning...

and suddenly you begin to wonder why you've been buying it in a bottle all these years.

I think there are quite a few things in life like that. Things we've become so accustomed to buying ready-made that we've forgotten they can actually be made at home. And no, I'm not suggesting we all start milling our own flour and making absolutely everything from scratch. There are only so many hours in a day. But every now and then you discover something that is so surprisingly simple to make that it earns a permanent place in the kitchen.

This mayonnaise has become one of those things.

Why Macadamia oil?

Most homemade mayonnaise recipes call for a fairly neutral oil. We've been using our cold-pressed macadamia oil. It has a lovely, mild flavour that doesn't overpower the mayonnaise and it means one bottle in the pantry can be used for far more than we sometimes realise. That's something I really appreciate about a good pantry ingredient. It shouldn't need to be saved for one special purpose. It should earn its place on the shelf.

Used for cooking. Drizzled over something simple. Added to a dressing. Or, in this case, turned into a jar of homemade mayonnaise in about a minute. And when you make it yourself, you know exactly what went into it. No mysterious ingredient list. No wondering what half the words on the back of the bottle mean. Just a few familiar ingredients from the kitchen.

Our Macadamia Oil Mayonnaise

You'll need:

1 cup macadamia oil

1 egg, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste

2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

1 teaspoon honey (optional)

And a stick blender.

How to make it

Place all the ingredients into a tall jug or container that is only slightly wider than the head of your stick blender.

Put the blender all the way to the bottom of the jug.

This next part matters:

Don't move it yet.

Start blending with the stick blender resting firmly on the bottom.

Within a few seconds, you'll see the mixture at the bottom begin to turn thick, pale and creamy.

Once the mayonnaise has formed around the blender, begin lifting it very slowly towards the top.

As you move upwards, the remaining oil will be drawn into the mayonnaise.

Keep blending until everything is completely incorporated.

That's it.

Homemade mayonnaise.

It almost feels like there should be another step.

There isn't.

Then make it your own

Once you've made the basic version, you can start playing with it.

A little more lemon if you like it fresh and tangy.

Extra Dijon.

A touch of honey if you prefer it slightly softer and sweeter.

Fresh herbs from the garden.

Garlic.

A little cracked black pepper.

And suddenly that simple jar of mayonnaise becomes the beginning of all sorts of things.

Potato salad.

Coleslaw.

Sandwiches.

Salad dressings.

A spoonful alongside roasted vegetables.

Or whatever happens to be on the table that day.

That's the lovely thing about learning to make simple staples yourself. It's not really about becoming someone who makes everything from scratch. I don't think most of us need another standard to live up to. It's simply about remembering that sometimes the things we buy out of habit are far easier to make than we imagined.

And perhaps that's part of what Gather means to us too.

Not a pantry filled with hundreds of ingredients. Just good, useful ones. Things that earn their place. Things we understand. Things we actually use. Because sometimes natural living doesn't look particularly impressive. Sometimes it looks like standing in the kitchen with an egg, a cup of macadamia oil and a stick blender...and wondering why nobody told you it was this easy.

A Question to Reflect On...

What's one thing you regularly buy that you would love to learn to make for yourself?