Mayonnaise

2009 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER

Claim Language: The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs.

Kraft

What Makes a Great Mayonnaise?

Whether it's a turkey sandwich, homemade egg salad or ranch dressing, or any number of other popular food items, mayonnaise often plays a pivotal role. A container of this creamy and exceptionally versatile condiment lives on a front shelf of most every American family's refrigerator.

The best mayonnaise will have a glossy ivory color with a bright sheen. Its texture should be smooth and lend itself well to being spread upon bread, or mixed with other ingredients.

Mayonnaise isn't known for having a particularly strong aroma, but you should be able to gather aromatic notes of vinegar, egg, and oil. Its overall aroma should be well rounded, meaning that one single element shouldn't dominate others.

Saltiness and sourness will be the most evident basic tastes in a terrific mayonnaise, each at a moderate level. If you sense any sweetness, it should be very light. Look for an extension of the mayonnaise's balanced aroma notes to come through in its overall flavor.

A sure sign of a top mayonnaise is how well its flavor blends with those of other ingredients. On a turkey sandwich, for example, it should complement the meat and bread without becoming runny; in an egg salad, it should provide the eggs with creaminess and even a bit of moisture.

We know what makes a great mayonnaise, but what makes a bad one?

Mayonnaises that failed to impress our expert chefs were lumpy, stiff, and almost pasty. Oil saturation and oversaltiness also created problems when lesser brands were used both on sandwiches and in salads.

Why is Kraft the best mayonnaise?

Kraft mayonnaise succeeded where other brands struggled because of how it enhanced — rather than competed with — ingredients with which it was used. Its overall flavor came through remarkably well, in particular adding pleasant richness to turkey sandwiches served to our chefs.

This judging was for mayonnaise, not including better-for-you products (such as light, fat-free, or cholesterol-free mayonnaise) or other condiments (such as mustard, ketchup, or tartar sauce).