Theres nothing quite like mayo. Its the perfect companion to tuna, deviled ham, chicken, and egg salad sandwiches. It lends that luscious creaminess to cold picnic salads like potato and macaroni, and its delicious when whipped into herbaceous aiolis and popular salad dressings like Caesar and ranch. Even better is slathering it on chicken and fish before baking, keeping them moist and juicy. Positively silken, mayonnaise adds a lovely subtle lemon zing when used as a dipping sauce for everything from fries to artichokes and asparagus, amplifying these veggies already tasty profiles. And while the stuff that comes straight out of a jar from your grocers shelves is convenient and delectable, nothing beats the freshness and mouthfeel of your own homemade mayonnaise.
The only problem is, because its made with eggs, it has a short shelf life. Which means you may be left wondering how best to preserve this already finicky food friend. When most people think of preserving their food for longer, the first solution that comes to mind is freezing.
How to freeze, thaw, and re-emulsify your mayo
Can You Freeze This? recommends sterilizing freezer-safe glass jars and submerging them in a pot of boiling water for five minutes before filling cooled jars with mayonnaise. Make sure to leave about one inch of space from the top to allow for expansion during freezing.
As for defrosting, the site advises moving it down to the lowest shelf in your fridge to keep things food safe while thawing. Once your mayo has defrosted though, you may find its lost that silken texture and liquid — including oil, lemon, or vinegar — may be sitting separated on the top of your precious mayonnaise. This reaction may be more pronounced in homemade mayonnaise, which does not have the benefit of commercial mayos stabilizers. Can You Freeze This? offers that, depending on your situation, you can either pour off the separated liquid and try using it as is or attempt re-emulsification.
Re-emulsifying your mayo could be as easy as whipping it back together with your electric mixer or hand blender set on high for several seconds, but if that doesnt work, you may have to add a small amount of water, a bit at a time, until it all comes back together. Just be warned that this can result in a thinner sauce-like result.
Cant get your mayo to re-emulsify? Southern Living advises that you should used homemade mayo that youve thawed in dishes like casseroles and salads, so that its different texture doesnt make much difference to the food.
The question you should ask: Should you freeze mayo?
The answer to whether or not you can freeze mayo depends upon you and your tastes. Technically, the answer is yes, when it comes to freezing mayonnaise. But there are a few trade-offs youll be making. So then the question becomes not can you but rather should you freeze your mayo? And how?
As Palak Patel, a chef at the Institute of Culinary Education, told Martha Stewart, its a question of consistency, as food made with mayo can become “soft” and “rubbery” if its frozen. While your mayo may look perfectly preserved while its still frozen, Real Simple notes that the trouble starts once you thaw mayonnaise because its an emulsion. And a broken emulsion means youll likely have a clumpy, mealy, or goopy texture that just doesnt look very appetizing or spread well on bread. Thats why, if you want to try freezing your mayo, youll need to learn the most efficient way to freeze, thaw, and re-emulsify your mayonnaise for best results.
Is it safe to freeze mayonnaise?
FAQ
What foods should you not freeze in the freezer?
|
Foods
|
Usual Use
|
Condition After Thawing
|
|
Cheese or crumb toppings
|
On casseroles
|
Soggy
|
|
Mayonnaise or salad dressing
|
On sandwiches (not in salads)
|
Separates
|
|
Gelatin
|
In salads or desserts
|
Weeps
|
|
Fruit jelly
|
Sandwiches
|
May soak bread
|