The Simple Way To Remove Olive Oil's Bitterness In Mayo

The bitterness of olive oil in homemade mayonnaise coming through too strongly is a common issue, but luckily, biologist and chef Nik Sharma shared an easy fix with Serious Eats.

All you have to do is mix your olive oil with boiling water before adding it to the other ingredients. You can mix them in a jar and shake or whisk them together in a mixing bowl.

Wait for about 30 minutes and let the mixture naturally separate. Once the olive oil floats to the top of your jar or bowl, pour or spoon it out and use it in your recipe as usual.

Nik Sharma says this simple step can strip all the bitterness out of your mayonnaise, leaving behind a silky, cohesive mixture. The science behind the process is quite simple, too.

When hot water mixes with olive oil, the water binds to and then dissolves the oil’s soluble compounds, known as polyphenols, which are responsible for the oil’s bitter flavor.