Mayonnaise is a sauce widely used in the kitchen made basically with eggs, oil, and a touch of vinegar or lemon. Making it at home is not complicated, but it requires a certain technique when it comes to getting the ingredients to mix perfectly and emulsify to achieve the smooth texture characteristic of this food.
Mayonnaise should always be kept in the fridge but, after a few days without consuming it, it is common to wonder if it would be possible to put it in the freezer to eat it later. If you make mayonnaise and you have plenty of it, if you have any doubts, we will clarify the doubt about whether the mayonnaise can be frozen or not.
Can mayonnaise be frozen or not?
Being a food made from raw eggs, mayonnaise should be kept in the fridge, both homemade and purchased, once the taro has been opened, but after a few days, a little longer in the case of industrial ones, if you are not going to take it it is possible to freeze it. Freezing is one of the safest methods for keeping food in good condition for long periods of time, and indeed, mayonnaise can be frozen.
When doing so, a series of measures must be taken to achieve optimal conservation and it must also be taken into account that freezing can alter the texture of the delicate sauce. Freezing alters the fusion and emulsion of the mayonnaise ingredients causing them to separate and it is normal that when defrosting it its appearance (at first) is less appetizing. Even so, the answer is clear: mayonnaise can be frozen.
How to freeze mayonnaise
Mayonnaise can be frozen, but to do so with the necessary guarantees so that it continues to be a healthy food and safe to consume, a series of important steps and recommendations must be followed:
- The mayonnaise should be frozen when it is in perfect condition, that is, being as fresh as possible. At any sign of possible deterioration (it is watery, has color changes, or strange smells…) for safety reasons, it is preferable to throw it away.
- Extreme hygiene in handling is essential to avoid any type of food contamination.
- To freeze it, use suitable containers. It is best to resort to glass jars and airtight seals, of course, resistant to subzero temperatures in the freezer.
- Sterilize the container where you are going to freeze the mayonnaise and once cold and dry, pour the sauce with the help of a very clean spoon.
- Spoon the mayonnaise into the jar, pressing lightly with the spoon to remove any air bubbles. Fill the jar leaving a margin of one or two centimeters to the upper edge because freezing will cause the mayonnaise to expand, increasing its volume (the jar could break).
- Finally, close the container very well so that no air enters, and be careful to write down the date on which you froze your mayonnaise on the outside.
How long does frozen mayonnaise last?
Generally, what you are going to want to freeze is the homemade mayonnaise, since the one that you have been able to buy in a store lasts in the fridge for weeks due to the preservatives and stabilizers it incorporates, so freezing it does not make much sense.
In the case of homemade mayonnaise, it may be interesting to freeze it, but you must bear in mind that, contrary to what happens with other foods, which can last for months in the freezer, mayonnaise does not last more than 5 or 6 days frozen. maximum of one week. Leaving it longer means that it is probably not good when it is defrosted.
How to thaw frozen mayonnaise
If to properly freeze mayonnaise you must take some basic measures, the same is true at the time of defrosting. The most important thing is to take the precaution of taking it out of the freezer with enough time before using it because the idea is that the mayonnaise thaws slowly at its own pace (of course, no microwave).
A few hours before taking it, or better, the night before, take the mayonnaise out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator, in the lower part, which is the one that generally accumulates less cold. Little by little it will defrost and you can finish the process by leaving the jar for a few minutes (as few as possible) at room temperature. This way, you can prevent the mayonnaise from getting contaminated as it thaws.
How do you know if thawed mayonnaise is okay?
It is quite likely that once thawed, the mayonnaise will have a very different texture than it did when you froze it. Seeing a solid part in the bottle and a watery substance on top is normal because freezing has reversed the emulsion process and what you see is the oil separated from the rest of the ingredients. That does not mean that the mayonnaise is bad, but to be able to drink it you will have to emulsify it again.
There are other signs that can indicate that thawed mayonnaise is not right and that it is important to pay attention to. If once thawed, you open the bottle and notice a strong, slightly acidic smell, you should not take it, the same as if you see darker areas that stand out in the group. In addition, in the event of the slightest presence of fungi or bacteria that have caused mold, you should throw it away completely (not just the affected part).
How to emulsify thawed mayonnaise
It must be made clear that if you make homemade mayonnaise, the ideal is to consume it fresh, as soon as possible, but if you have frozen it and thawed it, it is possible to re-emulsify it, although obtaining that perfect, smooth and creamy texture is not always possible.
The best way to achieve this is by beating it by hand. Pour the contents of the jar into a bowl and with a fork mix slowly and gently first when the ingredients begin to bind, beat quickly and vigorously. You can also try beating with an electric mixer, starting on low power and gradually increasing speed.
A little trick that can help the mayonnaise bind again is to add a beaten egg yolk at the time of emulsifying it again.