Secret to Good Mayonnaise: Macadamia Nut Oil

I love homemade mayonnaise, but there's always the question of which oil to use. Olive oil is too strong, and polyunsaturated oils like corn, safflower, soy, and cottonseed are almost always rancid. Canola is high in omega-3 oils but according to Mary Enig, fat researcher (her book, Know Your Fats is in the Local Forage bookstore), canola oil has to be partially hydrogenated or refined (and deodorized) before it is used commercially and, consequently, is a source of trans fatty acids; sometimes at very high levels. See next post, The Great Con-ola, for more on why I entirely avoid canola oil.

So what's a girl to do about her oil-challenged mayonnaise? Answer: buy some macadamia nut oil as suggested by one of her crafty culinary advisors.

I discovered that macadamia nut oil has a fairly light texture and lends a pleasant hint of nuttiness. It's also extremely rich in monounsaturated fats and has a high smoke point (in case you were wondering what else you could do with it).

Try it, peeps!