Help, my Mayo has Split!
We hear your cries, and we're here for you. Through no other intervention but Mother Nature herself, our mayo is susceptible to splitting if subjected to extremely cold temperatures. But all is not lost, in fact - some things are gained!
How Could this Happen?!
Your stomach is grumbling, your mind wanders, you remember you have Hunter and Gather mayonnaise in the fridge, you're excited, you open the jar and then... like Brad and Angelina, it's split. You want an explanation, so here it is...
The Split
We use only 4 simple base ingredients to make our award-winning mayonnaise; 100% pure avocado (or Olive) oil, British free-range egg yolk, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of pink Himalayan rock salt. Without getting too Dexter's lab, the science behind the split is to do with the vinegar and the oil.
Molecules can either be water-lovers or water-haters. Vinegar is a water lover or 'hydrophilic' - it is easily absorbed and dissolved into water. Oil on the other hand is our hater - it's 'hydrophobic', which means that it floats on top of water, causing the separation.
What’s more, avocados and olives are naturally high in monounsaturated fat (which is why we use them). With their smooth, creamy taste and plethora of health benefits comes a more sensitive solidification (or freezing) temperature. The avocado and olive oil we use is also naturally filtered rather than chemically refined. The result is an oil with a higher wax content, which means it’s even more prone to solidifying in the cold.
The Fix
A split mayo is easily fixed with an emulsifier, something which is both hydrophobic and hydrophilic at the same time - creating the wonderful unity of ingredients that is mayonnaise! In the case of our mayo, it's the egg yolk that does this job. Egg contains numerous natural emulsifiers and is enough to do the job under normal conditions.
However, when the snow falls and you can't see what's in front of you for a cloud of your own breath - the emulsifier struggles. The oil begins to solidify at lower temperatures* and gradually begins to separate itself from the other ingredients, they eventually go their separate ways!
Storage in the Fridge!
*This can also happen in the fridge if you're not careful. Be sure to store in the warmest part of your fridge which is usually the condiments shelf in the door of your fridge as per the instructions on your jar.
We thoroughly recommend investing in a fridge thermometer that can be bought for under £5 from Amazon, Argos, Wilko, Lakeland and usually all kitchen departments! This will ensure your fridge is not too cold (or too warm) and is optimal for all food storage - no more frozen salads!
We've noticed how many fridges vary drastically - ours at home when set at 6 deg c actually gets down to 3.5 deg c!!
Time to Change the Recipe?!
NO! There's no compromise with our real food philosophy. It would be cheap and easy to blend our mayo with refined oils like rapeseed or sunflower (which both have extremely low freezing points by the way) and chuck in some artificial emulsifiers and thickeners to be doubly sure it will stay mayo-k, but its just not in our nature to use any harmful or artificial ingredients.
The choice is yours - do you want a tasty and natural mayo that is as healthy and as pure as can be? Or would you prefer a mayo that is filled with enough stabilisers, emulsifiers and preservatives to make it outlive the cockroach following a nuclear apocalypse? Our opinion is most definitely not split!
Get Creative!
Split mayo is not the intended Hunter and Gather experience but there's nothing wrong with it and it certainly isn't harmful. Food waste is the worst, we've put our heart and soul into every jar and would hate to see a single dollop of our mayo wasted.
If your mayo does split in the colder conditions, it can be used to make this tasty ranch dressing:
Ingredients
- 1 Jar of Hunter and Gather Mayo
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp Chopped Green Olives
- 1 handful Chopped Fresh Parsley
- ½ tsp Crushed Chili Flakes
- 1 Good Pinch of Himalayan Rock Salt
- 1 Good Pinch of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
Add all the of ingredients into a food processor (or use a hand blender if you haven’t got one) and blitz until creamy but chunky still. You’re looking for a good dolloping texture – if it’s too thin you can add a tablespoon of water until it thins a little. That’s it!
Keep covered and refrigerate, use within 3-4 days. You could always half the ingredients and make in two batches to make it last a little longer if you like. We're all for getting creative with our mayos, you can find more recipe inspiration here.
Top Tips for Avoiding a Split...
- Store your mayo at room temperature until its opened
- Once opened, it's straight to the fridge door - our mayo can withstand temperatures upwards of 4 so storing it in the door and not pushing it to the back will help to keep it together
Mayo Perfectionist?
Prefer a fresh jar that's as we intended? Drop us a line with the details from the lid and a photo of the jar for your fuss-free refund or replacement. We can't control the weather but we can wait until it warms up a bit to supply you with some fresh stocks!
