Monday, March 5, 2012

Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?

Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip? Which side are you on? My husband and I disagree - so serious is this taste difference that I need to make two different batches of Potato Salad, Coleslaw, or Waldorf Salad. He's the All American Miracle Whip advocate, but being half Czech and French, you know that I'd be the Mayonnaise lover. Now if you have ever had homemade Mayonnaise, you know it's Nature's Most Perfect Food. But if you buy it in a jar, well, it's actually pretty close - especially if you buy the good brand - Best Foods here in California or Hellman's in the East. Buying it avoids the problem of "egg safety". When I was young, you could crack open any egg and use it raw without worrying about getting sick. (Although for as long as I can remember, a Cesar Salad called for the egg to be coddled [immersed in boiling water] for at least one minute.) I've substituted 2 or 3 minute soft-boiled eggs in Mayonnaise or Hollandaise Sauce and it's worked, but there are plenty of recipes that just won't turn out right without the raw egg. At any rate, I'd just as soon not experience John's grandmother Prune Whip anytime soon. Are you like Martha Stewart and missing all those old recipes using raw eggs?

12 comments:

  1. Here in Britain, chickens are innoculated against salmonella and so it is a problem of the past. I'm still not a huge fan of raw eggs, but I'm not frightened of them. I grew up eating Miracle Whip, but now I buy mayo - or low fat mayo. That said, I only ever used a scraping on my sandwiches so can't really tell you the difference.

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  2. Hi Shelley! Is your Internet better now? No Salmonella would be great. Perhaps since Britain is so much smaller than the US, that's not possible here. You're very disciplined to use so little spread on your sandwiches. I remember when I first met my husband, he would butter the bread first and then add Miracle Whip when making a sandwich.

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  3. As a kid I loved Miracle Whip and wanted only that between two pieces of bread and called it a "mayonnaise sandwich." Now I don't like it at all. I use Kraft or Hellman's. Have made the homemade mayo a few times but I use it so seldom it's hardly worth the effort for me. I don't use raw eggs, EXCEPT the yolks in a lemon meringue pie I occasionally make. I've been told that the tartness of the lemon "cooks" the yolks; not sure if this is true!

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  4. It's mayo all the way at our house.

    We use a raw egg in our Caeser Salad dressing.

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  5. I'm a Miracle whip person for sandwiches, but if a dish I'm making calls for mayo...I do use the real thing.

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  6. Sanda, Is that recipe the one with Eagle Brand Milk? I don't have a copy of it, but I have eaten pie made with egg yolks and Eagle Brand and it was fabulous.

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  7. Hi Cindy - What a compatible couple you guys are! Makes for more room in the refrigerator. So you can have lots of different mustards. (Which we do.) I love a homemade Caesar salad!

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  8. Terri - One thing I am sure of is that while there are many different brands of mayonnaise, there is no substitute for the real Miracle Whip.

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  9. Yes, the pie is the one with Eagle Brand milk. So easy to make and so good. I can furnish the recipe for that if you'd like it.

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  10. The recipe would be much appreciated. I know how to make the Meringue from the leftover whites. But what are the other ingredients in the lemon filling?

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  11. From memory, it's eggs yolks, lemon juice and Eagle Brand milk. I think that's all but I'll check the recipe and post it here for you. I may be early next week. Will be out of town this weekend.

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  12. I hope your weekend is lots of fun, Sanda!

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