Hold the Mayonnaise!

Growing up, I have some very clear memories of forced BLT sandwich nights where I begged to have anything but mayonnaise on my sandwich. Even now, I still decompose my burgers and sandwiches and eat any misplaced lettuce/tomato separately from the rest of the toppings before chomping in. But mayonnaise? Very few things make me cringe more than this condiment. Quite frankly, it looks like a science experiment, and the only thing weirder than putting it on food is finding a BEAUTY use for it...

However, just because I didn't like mayonnaise as a child didn't mean that I didn't like things with mayonnaise IN them.  As much as I hated mayonnaise, I LOVED homemade ranch dressing.  Even more confusing is that as I grew up and tried more and more different foods, I found that Japanese mayonnaise was less offensive to me than regular mayonnaise.  Many people often ask "What's the difference?"  The general response is "I dunno, you buy it at an Asian store, and it tastes different... somehow."  Every culture does mayonnaise a little differently.  Italy and Spain use olive oil, French countries use mustard, Russia uses sunflower oil. 

Japanese mayonnaise is typically made with apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar and a small amount of MSG.  They use egg yolks instead of whole eggs, leaving me to wonder what Japanese delicacy uses egg whites.  Kewpie is the largest selling brand name of Japanese mayonnaise, and it can be bought at Grand Asia Market for $6.99 a bottle.  It is found refrigerated, in a plastic bag, with a creepy little baby on it.

I still have never consumed this product "straight."  If you have ever had "spicy mayo" on your sushi, it is usually made from this product mixed with Sriracha.  In my fridge, you will find that my Kewpie Mayonnaise bottle has been pre-mixed with Sriracha in order to achieve maximum flavor delight!  One of my favorite summer snacks is a piece of bread with spicy mayo, spinach, and sliced tomato, placed in the oven for about five minutes... mmm tasty... 

But is it healthier?  Well... regular old Duke's Mayonnaise vs Kewpie Mayonnaise have the same calories per tablespoon (100 cal) BUT, I find that I use much less of the Kewpie mayo than most people use of regular mayo, due to its more liquid consistency.  Also, the fact that I am cutting my Kewpie with Sriracha I have to think helps as well.  My Kewpie to Sriracha ratio is usually 2:1, depending on how spicy you want to make it.  The best way to make it is to mix it together, try it, and then add more Sriracha if it isn't spicy enough, and more Kewpie if it's too spicy. 

Well that's great and all, but good grief - $6.99 a bottle?!  Okay... there's gotta be a better way to get Ranch Dressing that won't kill you or bankrupt you... For years I have avoided the "classic mayonnaise substitute" due to the fact that it's a breakfast food!  However, in my quest to find a way to create a healthier salad dressing, I had to try it.  I am usually making ranch dressing for one, and because I was raised on "homemade" (packet of Hidden Valley + mayo + milk) the bottled stuff just tastes funny.  I did find that subbing out yogurt for mayo in ranch dressing makes for an acceptable substitution.  It IS a lot runnier than mayonnaise, but it allows your dressing to spread out a lot more throughout the salad.  I tried subbing yogurt in instead of Olive Oil for my balsamic dressing mix and found it was really gross.  Be aware that yogurt has a definite tang to it.  This works really well with the dill that is in ranch dressing, but it can really take over the taste of foods.  I would not recommend this if you're looking for a flavor neutral colloid.  

So, if you're looking for a more neutral, slightly healthier colloid, I highly recommend sour cream!  You can get it in at least three different varieties, depending on which brand you use.  

If you are using it in a recipe, the fat-free versions do just fine, but if you are planning to use the leftover sour cream on baked potatoes or some other "straight" version of sour cream, you might want to avoid the FF.  Some people object to the consistency, as it is not as smooth as the reduced or full fat versions.  The only recipe I would not use FF for is Cheesecake.  If you're making something that decadent, you shouldn't cut corners!!

Breakstone's regular brand of sour cream has 60 cal/2 tablespoons, the reduced fat has 35 cal, and the fat-free has 30 cal, so you can see that it may not be worth the texture just to cut 5 calories... And no, healthy eating isn't just about calories, but they help manage a lot of meals.

So what does all this mean?  If you use mayonnaise in meals, there ARE alternatives!  Different products work better depending on which mayo dish you're making!  I'll try to sum this up:

Japanese Mayonnaise

Where can I find it? Grand Asia Market, $6.99/bottle, refrigerated in a clear plastic bag

Uses: Sandwiches, Sushi

Mix with Sriracha (found in the Asian section of most grocery stores) 2 parts Kewpie: 1 part Sriracha

Healthier because: You end up using less of it than traditional American mayo

Plain Non-Fat Yogurt

Where can I find it? Dairy section of grocery store

Uses: Salad Dressing that you're okay having a tang! (ranch works great)

It will be runnier than you're expecting!  Use less milk

Healthier because: 14 calories in 2 tablespoons, compared to 100 cal in mayo

Sour Cream

Where can I find it? Dairy section of grocery store

Uses: Dips, Thicker dressings

Takes over less in taste than yogurt

Healthier because: Regular is 60 cal/2 tablespoons, Reduced Fat 35 cal, Fat Free 30 cal