Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?

[Elle23]

I grew up eating Miracle Whip but switched to mayo as an adult. A few years ago, I was feeling a little nostalgic and bought some Miracle Whip. I took one bite and tossed it into the trash. It was horrible! I don’t know how I ate it all of those years and enjoyed it.

 

[RedAngie]

IKR? It’s like pole vaulting!

Or ski jumping. How does one do that for the first time?

 

[RedAngie]

My maternal grandmother used Miracle Whip to make her “salad potato.” Had to be MW. Plus Wish Bone Italian dressing. Must be WB. Some finely diced celery then sprinkle with celery seed.

We used a local brand of mayo called Mrs. Schlorer’s. I liked Duke’s after discovering it but my local Walmart stopped carrying it about a year ago. Now I’m using a relatively new (to me) localish brand called Mike’s Amazing. I’ve only noticed it the past few years.

 

[ronandannette]

Regionally popular brands of jarred mayo have slightly different recipes, and depending on which one you are used to, your salad recipes may not taste "right" when made with a different brand. Everyone has a family recipe that we get all in a twist about if anyone varies the recipe at ALL.

Miracle Whip was purposely designed by Kraft to be a cheaper mayonnaise substitute (because it doesn't contain oil), and has run ads comparing their flavors for decades, which is why people associate them.

Personally, I'm not super hung-up on mayo perfection, and will generally eat any decent brand of it put before me, but I do notice the different flavor notes. My own preference, like most Americans, is for the brand I grew up with, which in my case is Blue Plate. I can't get it where I currently live, so I'll usually go with Dukes nowadays, but Hellman's is fine, too, and even Kraft is acceptable. I don't like MW because I find it very overly sweet, and I probably wouldn't want any really sweet mayo, either.

I've heard from a lot of people that they really like Kewpie brand once having tasted it. Kewpie is Japanese and uses only the yolks of the egg; supposedly it has more of a umami note than most American brands. All I know is that it's very comparatively expensive unless bought at Costco, but I don't use enough mayo to buy that size of it. (I'm quite a warehouse shopper, but I just can't buy anything there that I know will spoil before I get halfway through the container.) As it happens, Blue Plate is also a yolk-only recipe, so it's more in this style.

Interesting! Both Kraft products sit side-by-side on the shelves here and are identical in price. Always have been, that I can remember. I’m not fussy so I almost always buy store brand of both, either mayo or “whipped dressing”. I probably like Miracle Whip better because it’s more similar to the homemade concoction of my childhood on the farm, which was basically heavy cream, vinegar, salt, sugar and spices.

 

[sarahann77]

Grew up with Miracle Whip. Probably the marketing got us. Mostly buy Hellman's as an adult. Tried Duke's but thought it tasted about the same as the Hellman's. After a few trial & errors I did conclude to make grandma's carrot salad; it must be Miracle Whip otherwise the flavor is not right.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Very popular restaurant here in Chicago (and now other areas of the country), Portillo's, has among its other famous servings, chocolate cake. Made with mayo as one of its ingredients. Said to be the 'magic' item.

https://www.centercutcook.com/portillos-chocolate-cake/



Portillo’s is a Chicago area icon, a restaurant known for their hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and chocolate cake! This is supposedly the recipe that they use and it’s dangerously good.

The Secret Ingredient​

The secret to the insanely delicious, ultra-moist cake, come to find out, is mayonnaise. Before you get all grossed out at the thought of mayo in a cake, did you realize that mayonnaise is simply oil and egg yolks whipped together, ingredients you’d find in baked goods already? It also helps to create a tender crumb and enhances the chocolate flavor. The oil and eggs in the mayonnaise contribute to the cake’s texture, resulting in a moist and decadent dessert.

 

[tvguy]

I grew up with Hellmann's, being an east coaster. I didn't know Hellmann's is a regional mayo - made by the exact same company which also makes Best Foods - with the exact same recipe. I lived in CA for a few years. Every time I went grocery shopping I searched high and low for my beloved Hellmann's. Couldn't find it anywhere. But, there was always this generic brand, with an even more generic looking label, called Best Foods mayo every where.

Then one day, I went into the 99 Cent store, and they had cases upon cases of Hellmann's mayo stocked up on pallets for only $0.99. That's when I realized Hellmann's is a regional thing.

The Best Foods label didn't look like this back then:

And if you looked at the Hellmann's label prior to 2000, in the fine print, it said "Made By Best Foods". Unilever bought the company in 2000 and now it says made by Unilever. Sort of like Dreyers and Edys Ice Cream. Dreyers in the West, Edys in the East, both made by Dreyers. Or Carl's Junior and Hardees. Carls in the West, Hardees in the midwest, south and east, same company, same menu.

 

[gmi3804]

Very popular restaurant here in Chicago (and now other areas of the country), Portillo's, has among its other famous servings, chocolate cake. Made with mayo as one of its ingredients. Said to be the 'magic' item.

https://www.centercutcook.com/portillos-chocolate-cake/

View attachment 866544

Portillo’s is a Chicago area icon, a restaurant known for their hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and chocolate cake! This is supposedly the recipe that they use and it’s dangerously good.

The Secret Ingredient​

The secret to the insanely delicious, ultra-moist cake, come to find out, is mayonnaise. Before you get all grossed out at the thought of mayo in a cake, did you realize that mayonnaise is simply oil and egg yolks whipped together, ingredients you’d find in baked goods already? It also helps to create a tender crumb and enhances the chocolate flavor. The oil and eggs in the mayonnaise contribute to the cake’s texture, resulting in a moist and decadent dessert.

Makes sense, as mayo's just eggs, oil, and acid (vinegar/lemon juice).

 

[MIGrandma]

Grew up in a Miracle Whip home, married and switched to mayo, now it’s Duke mayo for sandwiches and regular mayo for salads like macaroni or potato.

 

[AustinTink]

Very popular restaurant here in Chicago (and now other areas of the country), Portillo's, has among its other famous servings, chocolate cake. Made with mayo as one of its ingredients. Said to be the 'magic' item.

https://www.centercutcook.com/portillos-chocolate-cake/

View attachment 866544

Portillo’s is a Chicago area icon, a restaurant known for their hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and chocolate cake! This is supposedly the recipe that they use and it’s dangerously good.

The Secret Ingredient​

The secret to the insanely delicious, ultra-moist cake, come to find out, is mayonnaise. Before you get all grossed out at the thought of mayo in a cake, did you realize that mayonnaise is simply oil and egg yolks whipped together, ingredients you’d find in baked goods already? It also helps to create a tender crumb and enhances the chocolate flavor. The oil and eggs in the mayonnaise contribute to the cake’s texture, resulting in a moist and decadent dessert.

My mom and granny both made their chocolate cakes with mayo. It really does make it moist.

 

[Simba's Mom]

DH and I avoid this argument because he was raised on Miracle Whip, and I'm a Hellman's girl who finds MW to NOT be edible. Come to think of it, I wonder if it's at all regional. I grew up in New England, he's from North of Chicago. But that chocolate-mayonnaise cake in Chicago makes my theory less likely true.

 

[PollyannaMom]

DH and I avoid this argument because he was raised on Miracle Whip, and I'm a Hellman's girl who finds MW to NOT be edible. Come to think of it, I wonder if it's at all regional. I grew up in New England, he's from North of Chicago. But that chocolate-mayonnaise cake in Chicago makes my theory less likely true.

We do follow the same New England = mayo pattern here. That's what DH grew up with (Cape and South Shore) while we had Miracle Whip where I lived (western New York).

 

[Stratman50th]

Duke's mayo for me. My wife, Hellmann's only. We have both kinds in the house.
My grandmother used MW. I hated it. My mom must not have been a big fan either since we never had it in our house growing up.

 

[AppleDumpling]

My mom and granny both made their chocolate cakes with mayo. It really does make it moist.

My mom did too and it was delicious.

I sometimes use it when I make chicken cutlets, which also come out moist and tender. Simple recipe: coat boneless chicken breasts with mayo, dredge with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and other seasonings, and bake in the oven.

 

[AustinTink]

My mom did too and it was delicious.

I sometimes use it when I make chicken cutlets, which also come out moist and tender. Simple recipe: coat boneless chicken breasts with mayo, dredge with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and other seasonings, and bake in the oven.

Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to try it

 

[Mokat76]

Mayo for chicken salad. Miracle Whip for everything else.