Hellmann's with EVOO
The regular version wasn't available in the right size at my grocery store, so I bought this-thinking it would have a bit of olive oil flavor, but that's it. Boy was I wrong! This stuff is nasty! Wierd texture and the taste is somehow sweet. It actually reminds me of miracle whip, which I loath...
Has anybody else tried this? Did I get a mislabled jar or something?
Liz K
May 04, 2008 04:28PM
Thanks for taking one for the team. I've noticed this version on sale and had been curious. Until now.
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I concur. ... I had heard about this but not seen it on the shelf yet. Will pass it right by .....
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I ALMOST bought it until I read the ingrediant list ... take a look at the label ... there is more soybean oil. There is also a lot of junk in it. It really ticked me off. I felt it was really dishonest to highlight the olive oil when that wasn't the primary ingrediant. Also, people buying something with olive oil probably think they are getting a healthier option ... in fact that is how it is promoted on the website ... not.
http://www.hellmanns.com/products/may...
INGREDIENTS: WATER, OILS (SOYBEAN OIL, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL*), VINEGAR, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, MODIFIED CORN STARCH*, SUGAR, SALT, LEMON JUICE, (SORBIC ACID*, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA) USED TO PROTECT QUALITY, XANTHAN GUM*, CITRIC ACID*, NATURAL FLAVORS, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA, BETA CAROTENE* (COLOR). GLUTEN-FREE.
*INGREDIENT NOT IN MAYONNAISE
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Huh? I'm kind of confused by the asterick -- what do they mean by ingredient is not in mayonaise? Aren't the ingredients for the mayo?
And as much as I love aioli and I love Hellman's regular mayo, I don't think I'm going to be trying this anytime soon.
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They mean it is not in the Hellman's original mayo recipe which has a straight-forward ingredient list ... except for that last ingredient.
INGREDIENTS: SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, NATURAL FLAVORS, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY).
They also imply that using olive oil has less fat when, in fact the reason it is "lower in fat than regular mayonnaise" is because water is the first ingrediant.
To me the whole thing seems misleading ... and from the OP ... it doesn't even taste good.
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I see. Thanks for the explanation.
Yeah, I can hardly take ad campaigns for face value anymore. As consumers, we really have to be vigilant about reading labels and doing our own research because the food companies don't really care about our welfare.
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I live in Toronto and just got my first jar of Hellmann's Olive Oil Mayonnaise. I love it. Its the best mayo i've had in a long time. But I don't think its the same stuff that you bought. Its smooth and creamy in taste, but its not sweet. Someone posted the ingredients on theirs containing soy bean oil and a lot of chemicals, and thats not what I got.
From the label: Ingredients: Canola and olive oils, water, liquid whole egg, vinegar, liquid yolk, salt, sugar, spices, concentrated lemon juice and calcium disodium EDTA.
I just took a few pics and attached them.
Greeting from Canada.
-Felix
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Pics here. Hope they are readable, as this site resizes them after uploading.
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Maybe Canadian labelling laws are different from American? It could be a by weight/by volume thing, I think US laws are by weight (from alcohol % in beer) so water would be before oil even if there's more oil. But maybe it's the other way around. I can't remember, I've had a little wine (Alc: 13% vol) so my memory isn't as good as it could be.
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Canadians have higher standards for food and drugs than the US. I worked for a company that had to reforumulate their entire line to sell it in Canada to meet regulations.
Thanks el gato. I suspected that Hellman's could have made this without putting a bunch of junk in it. Why do that when they can make it without that stuff in Canada? I may just send off a letter to Hellman's to complain.
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"Canadians have higher standards for food and drugs than the US. "
rw, what do you mean specifically: labeling? ingredients? are you talking food or drugs?
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Ingredients. Both food and drugs. The company I worked for sold both and the Canadian line was a higher quality line. There was not one US product sold by that company that met Canadian standards ... a nd it was basically a health food company that people regarded highly in the US.
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look at the label: regular version is hellman's mayonnaise, the green lid version is hellman's mayonnaise DRESSING etc. , etc.
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byrd is correct: op's product is mayonnaise "dressing", not mayonnaise. it doesn't appear the olive oil mayo (proper) is available in the u.s. (only in canada)
op's allusion to miracle whip is apt. it is also a "dressing".
anyone, is that trade lingo for thinner and sweeter?
_________
here is the nutritional info from the unilever (canada) hellman's olive oil mayo:
http://www.hellmanns.ca/main.php?lang=EN 11 grams of fat, just like the regular mayo. the canadian hellman's with evoo is not labeled as "mayo dressing" (the canadians also have a "light" olive oil mayo option. plus garlic flavor or limonaise....
interestingly, the u.s. hellman's regular mayo is made with soybean oil -- not canola as in canada -- and 1 tablespoon in u.s. is 13 ml, with 10 grams fat. canada tablespoon is 15 ml, and has 11 fat grams.
the u.s. mayo lists oil first, then water. the mayo dressing, water first, then oil. and mayo dressing is half the calories.
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FDA sets a legal definition for "mayonnaise", and mayonnaise-like substitutes don't meet the standard, so have to be labeled as something else. This is also why the asterisks appear in the ingredients list above...they are not mayonnaise ingredients according to FDA, so the product itself is not technically mayo--it is labeled as "mayonnaise dressing"
FDA on mayo & "dressings":
http://frwebgate2.access.gpo.gov/cgi-...
"Sec. 169.140 Mayonnaise.
(a) Description. Mayonnaise is the emulsified semisolid food
prepared from vegetable oil(s), one or both of the acidifying
ingredients specified in paragraph (b) of this section, and one or more
of the egg yolk-containing ingredients specified in paragraph (c) of
this section. One or more of the ingredients specified in paragraph (d)
of this section may also be used. The vegetable oil(s) used may contain
an optional crystallization inhibitor as specified in paragraph (d)(7)
of this section. All the ingredients from which the food is fabricated
shall be safe and suitable. Mayonnaise contains not less than 65 percent
by weight of vegetable oil. Mayonnaise may be mixed and packed in an
atmosphere in which air is replaced in whole or in part by carbon
dioxide or nitrogen."
Sec. 169.150 Salad dressing.
(a) Description. Salad dressing is the emulsified semisolid food
prepared from vegetable oil(s), one or both of the acidifying
ingredients specified in paragraph (b) of this section, one or more of
the egg yolk-containing ingredients specified in paragraph (c) of this
section, and a starchy paste prepared as specified in paragraph (e) of
this section. One or more of the ingredients in paragraph (e) of this
section may also be used. The vegetable oil(s) used may contain an
optional crystallization inhibitor as specified in paragraph (e)(8) of
this section. All the ingredients from which the food is fabricated
shall be safe and suitable. Salad dressing contains not less than 30
percent by weight of vegetable oil and not less egg yolk-containing
ingredient than is equivalent in egg yolk solids content to 4 percent by weight of liquid
egg yolks. Salad dressing may be mixed and packed in an atmosphere in
which air is replaced in whole or in part by carbon dioxide or nitrogen.
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<< interestingly, the u.s. hellman's regular mayo is made with soybean oil -- not canola as in canada >>
actually - if you look at the labels, you will find that most mayo and salad dressings in the US are made with soybean oil - there is a Hellman's made with canola oil available in the US, but not many stores seem to carry it
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i tried the hellman's canola mayo here in the u.s. a while back. i like the soybean oil better. i seem to recall the canola version was more expensive....
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I think the canola version is more expensive, but I am trying to avoid soy so I make the sacrifice. :-)
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We've tried the Canadian Hellman's EVOO mayonnaise. It didn't have the "dressing" ingredients noted by rworange, but we would not buy it again.
The nutritional profile of the Canola/EVOO fat is theoretically a bit "healthier", but how much mayo do you actually consume at a sitting? This stuff doesn't taste nearly as good as either regular Hellman's or President's Choice.
I suspect this product is primarily Canola oil. I don't think EVOO tastes very good in mayo. I've made mayo with 100% EVOO, trying several different brands. I found my homemade stuff unpleasant to eat. Good EVOO tastes much too strong to use as a mayo base.
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Agree re the use of only EVOO when making mayo. I now use half EVOO and half neutral tasting vegetable oil when making my own, and the product is very flavourful (in a pleasing way).
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After reading all this, I think your best bet is take a jar of Hellmann's mayo, mix it with your favorite EVOO (whatever proportions suit your fancy) and you will have a superior product. Be advised that in The States (more prevalent in Europe) "olive oil powder" is an ingredient used in foodservice. I don't know if it is labeled as such or the word "powder" is required to be used on the label.
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I bought the one with Canola oil and the texture is all wrong... way to "soft." However, with the cost of things I am not going to throw it out, so I used it this past weekend in a pasta salad, and my BF really liked it. He isn't a big mayo fan, and he said this version was less "mayo-y." (I was thinking it needed a big scoop of *real* Hellmans.)
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ld, you're right -- it is "softer", but not in a good way. the flavor just didn't say "bring out the hellman's, and bring out the best!"
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Hello, would anyone please LOOK at the nutritional label, its IMPOSSIBLE, total bullshit, how can a 15 gram tablespoon of full fat mayo have HALF the calories of the regular full fat version, which has a 13 gram tablespoon?????
I looked at the UK label (online) and it lists the serving as 100 calories, in the US version it is listed as 50 calories, who knows, maybe they are metric and we should double it and add 30. There is NO WAY POSSIBLE that this has 50 cals per T, its 3 grams MORE per serving. ( regular Hellmann's is 13g per serving)
Don't you think, that if Unilever had figured out a way to HALF the cals of ANY product, just by using a different type of oil, they would SCREAM THAT FEATURE on the label??? Oil is Oil, 100 cals a T, no matter how you slice it, so something is askew at the circle K......
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The reason the EVOO Hellmann's is so much lower in calories than the regular is that the EVOO version uses various gums to imitate the mouth feel of the full fat product. In reality, the EVOO mayo is actually more like Low Fat Hellmann's with EVOO in place of the soybean or whatever oil is normally used.
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Thanks for the heads up. I just bought a jar and haven't opened it yet, it's going back. I thought I'd try it, but I just threw out a jar of Meijer store brand light mayo, and I don't want to have to throw out another yucky mayo. From now on I will stick to what I know!
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I bought a jar of this w/out reading the label until after I got it home and tasted it. Yuk!
I brought it back to Safeway and they gave me a refund -- no problem.
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I live in Southern Caliofornia so it is Best Foods here, but I won't buy the EVOO based on the info I read here. Thanks.
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