The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 998

small bits of fat will refract light to a much greater than a big pool of fat, which is what gives mayonnaise its opaquewhite appearance Think of it like the windshield of a car When it’s whole, light passes through it easily But get a few cracks in it, and it becomes difficult to see through Crack it enough times into small enough pieces, and it becomes opaque Same thing with the fat in mayonnaise Normally when you mix fat molecules with water, no matter how thoroughly you combine them, like MIT nerds at an all-girls-college mixer, they eventually separate themselves and regroup Because of their shape and electrical charges, fat molecules are mutually attracted to each other while simultaneously being repelled by water This is where egg yolks come in Egg yolks—which are complex fat and water emulsions in themselves—contain plenty of emulsifiers (agents that aid in getting fat and water to behave), the most important of which is lecithin, a phospholipid found in both the low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and high density lipoproteins (HDLs) abundant in eggs Emulsifiers are long molecules that have a hydrophilic (water-loving, fat-hating) head, and a hydrophobic (waterhating, fat-loving) tail Setting your mixing bowl on top of a towel-lined pot will stabilize it during heavy whisking When egg yolks, water, and oil are whisked together, the fat-loving heads of the lecithin molecules bury themselves in the minute droplets of fat, leaving only their tails exposed These tails repulse each other, preventing the fat droplets from coalescing and suddenly making the water seem much more attractive to them—a bit like adding a few kegs of beer to that nerd fest to mix things up a little To make a traditional mayonnaise, egg yolks, water, salt, and a few flavorings—usually Dijon mustard and lemon juice or vinegar—are whisked together vigorously while the oil is simultaneously slowly drizzled into the mixture (a food ... When egg yolks, water, and oil are whisked together, the fat-loving heads of the lecithin molecules bury themselves in the minute droplets of fat, leaving only their tails exposed These tails repulse each other, preventing the fat... Dijon mustard and lemon juice or vinegar—are whisked together vigorously while the oil is simultaneously slowly drizzled into the mixture (a food ... each other, preventing the fat droplets from coalescing and suddenly making the water seem much more attractive to them—a bit like adding a few kegs of beer to that nerd fest to mix things up