Fix Separated Mayonnaise With A Splash Of White Wine

Social media cooking posts and an increase in people working from home seem to have sparked a food revolution. Cooks quickly realized that many of the groceries they purchased at the store could more easily be made at home, often with better ingredients and flavor. Mayonnaise is a kitchen staple that is surprisingly easy to make, and once you taste homemade mayo, you'll never go back to store-bought. The only challenge to making the creamy condiment is its tendency to break, but there's a quick fix for that.

Emulsified sauces and spreads are the creamy accoutrements that take dishes from drab to dreamy with every rich bite. Common thickening agents like egg yolks, mustard, starches, and honey are effective because they contain compounds with molecules attracted to fats (lipophilic) and water (hydrophilic). Mayo is an emulsified condiment stabilized mainly by the lecithin and cholesterol in egg yolks that bond with liquid and oil, disrupting their natural tendency to separate.

Emulsified sauces and spreads are prone to separation, as oil and water resist the urge to play well with each other. Homemade mayo often breaks when old eggs are being used, ingredients are at varying temperatures, or the oil is added too quickly. Luckily, there's no need to fret when you can raise a glass to this easy mayo fix.

If you need to take a break from your broken mayo and relax with a glass of white wine, save a splash for your spread to restore its velvety glory. On top of being a tasty libation for cocktail hour, your go-to glass of vino contains compounds that can restore the bonds that create a well-emulsified spread.

Wine lees are yeast particles leftover from fermentation that occurs during the wine-making process and those present in red and white wine have emulsifying and foaming properties. In addition to those lesser-known compounds, the resveratrol in white wine is a lipophilic compound, meaning that it bonds well with fats. Mix a few tablespoons of your broken mayo with a little white wine, and then vigorously whisk back into the remaining mayonnaise to create new bonds and restore homogenization.

On top of restoring the craveable, creamy texture of your homemade mayonnaise, adding your favorite white wine brings complexity to the flavor profile of the delicious spread. Feel free to substitute white wine vinegar for a non-alcoholic fix that's also full-flavored. Enjoy bypassing the condiment aisle, knowing that you have a better mayo at home.