Okay, there are a lot of cooking hacks out there that are pretty drool-worthy, but the ones involving mayonnaise? Well, they take the “cake”!
Even if you aren’t that big a fan of the simple spread, when it’s used in an unconventional way to spruce up a meal you will be left salivating before you’re ever made aware of the key ingredient.
Good for more than just a plain old grilled cheese sandwich, from biscuits to burgers and silky eggs to savory sauces, mayo has you covered.
When you think of the main ingredients that make up mayonnaise, namely olive or vegetable oil and eggs, it makes perfect sense that mayo makes the perfect cooking hack for tons of applications.
Step up your kitchen hackery with these 12+ strangely wonderful mayonnaise cooking hacks. Don’t be surprised when you start to drool a little!
1. Take Your Baked Goods To The Next Level!
If you really want to take your baked goods to the next level, try adding mayonnaise into the mix! We all know that eggs and oil go in most baked goods to help hold it together and to keep it from being too dry.
So, there must be something magic about the two ingredients being emulsified together, because when it’s subbed in baked items they turn out delectably moist every. single. time! Give it a try with this recipe for vanilla & brown sugar mayo cupcakes.
2. A Brush Of Mayo Can Hold Delicate Foods Together Over A Grill!
If you like to grill, then you know what a feat it can be to keep tender, flaky pieces of meat from sticking to the grate and falling apart.
This can be extremely frustrating, especially when that cut of meat happens to be fresh salmon or just about any other fish, which are through the roof expensive. That’s why the Chef at Providence restaurant, Michael Cimarusti, tells people they should be brushing their more delicate proteins down with a light coating of mayo first.
The oils in the thin layer of mayo act as a non-stick agent with the food, so you can pull them from the grill and rest assured that the whole cut will make its way to the plate.
3. Mayonnaise Will Add Fluffy Texture To Your Biscuits!
For biscuits that are quick and easy to make, look no further than your jar of mayonnaise for the answer! Mayo is the key in this recipe for 3-ingredient, self-rising biscuits.
Instead of yeast, the folks over at Weary Chef like to add a few tablespoons of mayo to self-rising flour and milk to whip up a batch of these golden brown, fluffy, yummy biscuits. Aside from only using 3 ingredients, the second-best part about this recipe is that it only takes 20 minutes!
4. Get The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes
If you thought you had the best mashed potato recipe in town and it doesn’t involve mayo, then you need to think again.
Adding in a small heap of mayonnaise to your potatoes gives them the creamiest texture you will have ever experienced and gives the most subtle tangy-like flavor, similar to that of our cream that will have you scooping up seconds and thirds.
Even though it might sound a little off-putting, it tastes just the opposite. If you haven’t tried mayo in your mashed taters yet, you’re really missing out!
5. Bake The Perfect Color Into Your Poultry Every Time
Have you ever waited not-so-patiently by the oven to see if your turkey is finally beginning to brown on the top on Thanksgiving? Well, you never have to be that person again if you have some mayo to hand.
By spreading the mayo onto your turkey, chicken, game hen, or any other poultry, the fats and oils will spread and baste your bird while carmelizing to give it that nice rich golden-brown color.
6. Make Your Breaded Chicken In Fewer Steps
One of the great things about mayo is that it is already made up of ingredients called for in thousands of meals.
This quality really shines through when it comes to making your own breaded poultry or other meats. Instead of the three-step process of dipping your poultry in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs, you can cut out the flour and egg altogether by using the mayo.
Simply dunk your meat in the mayonnaise first, then right into the breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs readily stick to the thick, wet consistency of the mayo, giving you perfect crumb coverage without fail.
7. Get Your Cream Cheese Spread To Perfect Melty Consistency With Mayo
If you like to make your own spreads for melting over baked bread, such as garlic bread, then you are going to want to try this hack for sure!
By blending some mayonnaise with grated cheese, you can make a nice thick spread that is easy to cover your bread with. The mayo melts with the cheese to create an almost sauce-like, gooey, cheesy topping that you won’t be able to stop munching on until it’s gone! Get the recipe here.
8. Get The Perfect Juicy Burger
If you want to make burgers with lean ground meat and still get all the juicy flavor you could ask for in a burger, then mayonnaise is your answer!
Working in a little bit of mayo with your raw ground meat does 2 very cool things. First, it helps keep your meat nice and moist while it cooks over the hot grill, and second, the fat contained in the mayo will enhance the flavor of the ground beef without adding on too many calories to the overall meal.
You can get the mayo burger recipe details here.
9. Make Marinades Simple With Mayo
Crazily enough, mayonnaise also makes the perfect marinade! Considering that marinades require two things (fat and oil) to work their magic, mayo is the perfect thing to use to get the ball rolling. From there, simply add in the seasonings for your meal and mix it all up before slathering it all over your food.
This doesn’t only works for meats, either. Try marinating halved avocados or potatoes before tossing them on the grill, too. Your taste buds will thank you!
10. Use Mayonnaise To Whip Up An Alfredo Sauce
Get saucy by using mayo as the base for an unbeatable alfredo sauce. It is as quick as it is easy to whip up, and the smooth creamy texture will pour like velvet, and have you wondering why you ever did it any other way!
The best part? Mayo replaces the roux in alfredo sauce, making the cooking process much easier to handle, even on a weeknight! Get the full recipe here.
11. Have The Creamiest, Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Every Time
You may have thought that you already had the perfect scrambled egg recipe down pat, but if you aren’t using mayonnaise in that recipe then, sad to say, you’re wrong.
Even the experts agree! Just ask Alton Brown, who swears by using mayo to get the perfect creamy and fluffy texture in his eggs every time!
In his newest book, EveryDayCook, Brown says that replacing either water or milk (whichever you’re using) with a heaping spoonful of mayo will lock moisture into your eggs…and put your former recipe to shame!
12. Make Light And Fluffy Pancakes
Before you begin mock-gagging and yelling out how disgusting it is, you really should try it! Believe it or not, many people use mayo in their pancake batter all over the world, including in the towering Japanese pancakes known as kewpie.
If you think about it, why wouldn’t it make sense? If mayo can make deliciously moist and fluffy cakes, then chances are it will do the same for your pancakes. Try the recipe here.
13. Perfect Fried Rice
If you’ve been looking for the secret to perfect fried rice, then look no further than the mayonnaise jar! Adding mayo into your rice while cooking (but before frying) will keep your rice from being either too sticky or too soggy.
Believe it or not, this is a very common occurrence with fried rice, and nailing down that perfect consistency that neither resembles soup nor glue isn’t always the easiest. Adding mayo will put an end to all of that!
14. Make Tasty Mexican-Style Corn
Mexican style street corn is a food of the gods, and mayonnaise is its nectar. To get the perfect flavor match for Mexican style corn, brush the cob down with mayo before adding on additional seasoning like salt, pepper, cilantro, cumin etc.
By applying the mayo first, it will get that nice charring without sticking to the grill, and it will cement your seasonings in place at the same time, like an edible glue. Alternatively, you can mix your seasoning with your mayo beforehand and lather it on afterward.
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15. The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
As simple as making a grilled cheese sandwich may seem, making one that has that appetizing caramel and gold color to it isn’t as easy as one might think.
Using mayonnaise instead of butter on the bread will help you achieve this every time, so long as you don’t crank up the heat too much. This is because mayonnaise stays relatively liquid er…not solid when compared to butter, and it is easier to spread a thin, even layer of it onto the bread than it is with butter.
Having that even fat coverage on the bread will allow it to brown more evenly without burning in spots. For just one condiment made from oil, eggs, and vinegar, it sure can accomplish a heck of a lot more than anyone ever thought! What are some of your favorite mayo hacks?
