Mayonnaise Nutrition Facts
Mayonnaise can be described as a thick, creamy sauce or dressing that is made of oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar, and seasonings. Mayonnaise is different from salad dressing, since salad dressing doesn't contain egg yolks and is generally sweeter than mayonnaise. The mayonnaise, which you get in supermarkets, lasts up to six months, when kept in the refrigerator. It should contain (by U.S. law) at least 65-percent oil by weight (except reduced-fat and fat-free mayonnaise which are actually not considered as real mayonnaise).
Mayonnaise Preparation and Uses
An emulsion is a mixture of two liquids that normally can't be combined (for instance, combining oil and water) and mayonnaise is an emulsion. The two liquids combined, would quickly separate again if you don't add an emulsifier. Emulsifiers stabilize the mixture. Eggs, mustard and gelatin are the commonly used emulsifiers. Egg yolk is the emulsifier used to prepare mayonnaise. Egg yolk contains lecithin, which is a fat emulsifier. Mayonnaise (or mayo) is a stable emulsion of oil, vinegar or lemon juice. You can add herbs and spices for embellishment.
Mayonnaise is often cream in color and can come in the form of light running cream to thick cream. You will find that mayonnaise ingredients vary from place to place, for instance, in France, mustard is a common ingredient, whereas in Spain, olive oil is always used as an ingredient. Herbs and spices can be added at any stage during preparation. Vinegar may contain sprigs of French tarragon, or the oil may contain garlic to make the popular variety of mayonnaise, called aioli. Mayonnaise is generally used as the base for other sauces, like tartar sauce and thousand-island salad dressing. Hollandaise is an example of another classic emulsion sauce. This sauce is a cooked mixture of butter, egg yolks and lemon juice. So, it should be kept in mind that mayonnaise nutritional facts may vary according to the ingredients.
Mayonnaise is made by combining lemon juice or vinegar with egg yolks. Eggs perfectly bind the ingredients together and prevent separation. Oil is then added to the above mixture, drop by drop, and you are supposed to whisk the mixture rapidly. You should not add oil too quickly or should not add insufficient oil or you should not whisk it rapidly, because it will keep the two liquids from combining (emulsifying). Once the sauce begins to thicken, oil can be added rapidly. Seasonings can be whisked in after all the oil has been added. You can easily enjoy homemade mayonnaise if you use blenders, mixers and food processors. In fact, homemade mayonnaise is far superior in taste and consistency, than commercial mayonnaise. But as homemade mayonnaise is uncooked, you should use only fresh eggs. You can keep the homemade mayonnaise in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Mayonnaise Nutrition Facts
One tbsp (13gm) of regular mayonnaise contains:
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 gm
- Trans fat: 5 gm
- Total fat: 10 gm
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
- Calories: 11 kcal
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 gm
- Total fat: 0.4 gm
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Cholesterol: 2 mg
- Total carbs: 2 gm
- Dietary fiber: 0.3 gm
- Sugars: 1.1 gm
- Calories: 10 kcal
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 gm
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Total carbs: 1 gm
- Sugars: 1 gm
- Calories: 100 kcal
- Saturated fat: 1 gm
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.5 gm
- Monounsaturated fat: 6 gm
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
- Protein: 0.2 gm
As mayonnaise is rich in fats and packed with calories, limited use of mayonnaise is recommended by dietitians. Excessive consumption of mayonnaise can cause weight gain and can lead to obesity and heart diseases. You can use yogurt or rather non fat plain yogurt in place of mayonnaise. "Eat healthy and stay healthy" is the mantra of happy and active life.
