Not all mayonnaises are created equal. Rosheen Kaul puts 12 to the test, and shares mayo-based recipes for grilled chicken wings and green goddess slaw

M ayonnaise is my holy grail condiment. I always have an open one in the fridge, and a backup in the pantry for emergencies. As a mayo enthusiast, I prefer the silky texture, subtle acidity and delicious umami of Kewpie mayonnaise, but I’m happy to dip a chip in most varieties of shelf-stable mayonnaise, pub mayonnaises and all manner of mayonnaise-esque sauces (shoutout to sauce gribiche).

When used correctly, the richness, mouthfeel and bright acidity can make an eating experience truly spectacular. If you’ve experienced the delights of oeufs mayonnaise, or chomped on crispy, ginger-garlicky chicken karaage dragged through the umami power of Japanese mayonnaise, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Belgians know that rich, flavoursome and full-textured mayonnaise is one of life’s great pleasures, slathering it on fries in ketchup’s stead for their classic dish frieten met mayonaise. A little like champagne and its Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée designation, for 60 years Belgian mayonnaise composition was specified by royal decree.

But we’re not in Belgium, and even there the rules eventually changed, so not all mayonnaises are made equally. So despite my loyalty to Kewpie, I’ve tasted and rated several of Australia’s most common supermarket mayonnaises. As mayo’s number one fan, I thought it was a great idea. It was only when I arrived at my first supermarket that I regretted my decision. Even without factoring in any of the fat-free, vegan, flavoured, imported and kombucha-flavoured (?!) offerings, the mayonnaise section was enormous. It was also too late to back out.

Armed with a giant bottle of sparkling mineral water and an Excel spreadsheet, I dove teaspoon-first into 12 Australian supermarket mayonnaises. Tasting them for richness (from the egg), acidity (from vinegar or lemon juice), mouthfeel (from the emulsification process) and seasoning (mustard, salt or other).

The goal was to find the supermarket mayonnaise that tasted the most like the classic recipe – a thick, rich emulsion made simply of egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice and neutral oil. Delicious.

S&W Whole Egg ‘Real’ Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 9% cage-free whole eggs, lemon juice

Straight off the bat, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the seasoning – a little salty, a nice bit of acidity – but found it a little heavy on the palate. Although it had one of the highest percentages of egg in the bunch, it looked a little translucent and reminded me of times when I didn’t have enough eggs to make mayonnaise at work, and had to add double the amount of oil to make the same quantity. Still, not bad.

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 7.9% free-range whole egg and egg yolk, lemon juice and spirit vinegar

Great seasoning and great texture! Salty, rich and acidic, this would be really good with chips. There was a bit of separation in the bottle even after I’d given it a good shake, giving it a bit of a watery finish, but the flavour was very good.

Best Foods Real Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 7.5% free-range whole egg and egg yolk, white vinegar and lemon juice

This was very good, and what a wonderful texture too! Thick and luscious, balanced seasoning, not dissimilar to Kewpie, actually. Makes sense that this is a household favourite.

Praise Traditional Mayo Select ingredients: 4% free-range whole egg, white vinegar, malt vinegar

This was very sweet and tasted a little artificial. I also found it quite acidic with not much happening flavour-wise.

Praise Whole Egg Creamy Mayo Select ingredients: 9.4% free-range whole egg, white vinegar, lemon juice concentrate

Praise’s whole egg offering (the other one was whole egg too, just less), was a lot more tart than its Traditional counterpart. This was sour and almost … powdery in texture? I didn’t enjoy this one.

Aldi Colway Real Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 6.2% egg yolk – unspecified welfare status, vinegar

Not bad. Rich, nice acidity and almost a little smoky.

Heinz Original Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 4.7% free-range egg and egg yolk, white vinegar

Savoury, but very sour. Texture felt a little goopy and artificial, and once you get past the sourness to me it just fell flat.

Aldi Colway Authentic Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 8.8% free-range salted egg yolk, lime juice, spirit vinegar

Very good! Aldi’s second contender uses salted egg yolk and lime juice, which I thought was very interesting. It eats almost like a homemade mayo, balanced seasoning and rich. On the sweeter side but also lovely and mild. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Coles Traditional Mayonnaise Select ingredients: egg percentage unspecified, white vinegar

Sweet and tangy, a lot like KFC coleslaw.

Woolworths Traditional Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 4% free-range whole egg, mustard flour, vinegar

Disappointing. I’m a big advocate for home brands but this was sweet and lacked other flavour.

Woolworths Whole Egg Mayonnaise Select ingredients: 9% free-range whole egg, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard flour

Rich, but eye-wateringly sour. You can really taste the lemon here and it’s quite lacking in salt.

Aldi Colway Creamy Mayonnaise Select ingredients: unspecified egg and egg percentage, white vinegar, lemon oil

I tried most of Aldi’s range because I’d heard good things, but in this case the hype was not warranted. It kind of reminded me of … sour cream icing? Unspecified egg type and percentage too, and lemon oil! An interesting choice.

“Original”, “traditional”, “authentic”, “real”, whatever it says on the label, all of these supermarket mayonnaises sat firmly in either the “rich and creamy” or “sweet and tangy” camp.

The latter has the distinctive flavour profile of salad cream, a tangy condiment popular in wartime Britain, which still has fans today, especially in the UK. It’s not too different from mayonnaise in composition, also containing egg yolks, mustard and vegetable oil, but it features a significant amount of vinegar and water.

While there are many options for those that favour the sweet-tangy-salad cream-style, this taste test was to find the product that most resembled classic, homemade mayo. My favourites ended up being Best Foods Real Mayonnaise and Aldi’s Colway Authentic Mayonnaise. Both were wonderfully savoury, rich and full-textured. Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise came close for flavour, but lost points due to the watery texture.

Trawling the internet, I came across some pretty fascinating uses for an excess of mayonnaise (a problem I’ve only had once). I saw people using it to wipe the leaves of their house plants, soothe sunburns in lieu of aloe vera gel and even polish piano keys. It all makes sense, really, when you consider what mayonnaise is actually made of – protein, fat and a bit of acid.

The acid can act as a tenderiser when added to marinades (think buttermilk), and the eggs and oil can be put to work enriching baked goods such as cakes and brownies. Spreading a layer of mayonnaise in your sandwich protects the integrity of the bread from moister ingredients like tomatoes or soggy lettuce (because oil and water don’t mix). It can also act as an excellent cooking fat for grilling or pan-frying. It gives unparalleled emulsification and brightness (thank you fat and acid!) when added to sauces, and can be used to thicken them just as easily, without adding too much in terms of flavour (yay for lecithin in egg yolks!).

But the idea of rubbing mayo all around my house doesn’t particularly appeal to me, and nor does mayonnaise ice-cream or spicy mayo margaritas. The internet is packed with Depression-era chocolate mayo cake and brownie recipes and plenty of their fans, but after tasting all of those mayonnaises over and over again, I was desperate for freshness, crunch and spice.

If and when you’ve exhausted the amount of sandwiches and TikTok salmon rice bowls that you can consume, here are two of my favourite ways to use this pantry hero.

Prep 10 min + 1 hour marinating Cook 35 min Serves 4

The mayonnaise in the marinade helps carry the seasoning and lets it develop rather than burning on the surface of the chicken. Like the magic condiment it is, the mayo also helps the chicken grill to a gorgeous char and stops it from sticking too. Grill the chicken wings nice and slow over medium heat to allow the skin to crisp and the fat to render.

1.5kg chicken wings 250mL mayonnaise 4 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 tsp chilli powder (or cayenne) ½ tsp red curry paste 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp fish sauce 1 tsp salt Cracked black pepper

To serve 250g baby capsicums Fresh herbs – mint, coriander or spring onion Pickled shallots, onions or peppers

Whisk together mayonnaise, minced garlic, chilli powder, red curry paste, smoked paprika, fish sauce, salt and a few turns of black pepper in a medium bowl. Place wings in the bowl and toss to coat. Leave them to marinate for at least one hour. In the meantime, heat up your grill or barbecue.

Place the chicken pieces directly on to the racks and grill over medium-low heat, turning occasionally until the chicken is crisp and golden brown (30-35 minutes).

Towards the end of the cooking time, toss the baby capsicums in some olive oil and salt and grill them alongside the chicken wings until charred and soft.

Serve together with a generous amount of fresh herbs and pickles.

Note: You can use the grill setting of your oven to broil the wings as well, or choose to air-fry or bake as you wish. If using the oven, bake at 200C, checking after 30 minutes.

Prep 15 min Serves 4 as a side

A vegan salad similar to this has been making its way around TikTok for some time, but “green goddess” dressing has actually been around since the 1920s. It’s currently winter in Australia, so dark leafy greens and brassicas are in season. This is the perfect way to enjoy our seasonal veg, while dodging the terrifying price of lettuce. A vibrantly green salad, it makes a beautiful addition to a winter dinner table, packed with plenty of nutritional value and crunch. Use a mandoline to shave the Brussels sprouts, or practice your knife skills and slice finely.

For the salad 400g brussels sprouts, shaved 2 medium Lebanese cucumbers, finely diced ½ bunch spring onion, finely sliced 1 bunch chives, finely sliced

For the dressing 250mL mayonnaise 2 tbsp olive oil 1 lime, juiced 1 garlic clove 1 tbsp rice vinegar 100g spinach 1 avocado 1 bunch parsley leaves ½ bunch dill fronds 1 tsp salt 20g walnuts

Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a blender until smooth and bright green. Taste dressing and season with a few turns of cracked black pepper, and more salt if required.

Add the shaved brussels sprouts, cucumber, spring onion and chives into a large bowl and mix well to combine.