This Is Hands-Down The Best Mayonnaise For Egg Salad

When I make egg salad at home, it's a meticulous act. I'm perfectly hard-boiling the eggs. I'm getting fresh, crunchy, seedless cucumbers to chop up. I'm reaching for the good Dijon mustard. I'm sprinkling in a healthy pinch of salt and at least three to four grinds of freshly cracked black pepper. And last, but in no way the least, I'm using the best possible mayonnaise. That, my friends, is Kewpie mayo.

There's a lot of discussion in these mayonnaise-loving streets about which brand reigns supreme. Duke's, an American classic with a cult-like following, gets a lot of attention, and it's valid. Duke's has an incredible flavor and a wonderfully creamy texture, making it a great companion in an egg salad. Hellman's, another American pantry staple, is mild but still delivers a creamy, delightful result. And Miracle Whip? Get OUT of here. This is an adult conversation. Miracle Whip is child's play.

Kewpie is a brand of Japanese mayonnaise that, after you try it for the first time, will have you wondering what evil forces have had you only eating American mayonnaise up until now. Unlike American mayonnaise, which uses whole eggs, Kewpie mayo only uses egg yolks, resulting in a creamy, velvety, almost custard-like texture. In addition to vegetable oil, Kewpie also uses its own proprietary vinegar, an apple juice and malt blend, to give the mayonnaise just the right amount of tang. Finally, a little bit of MSG (monosodium glutamate), a kitchen staple, in the mix gives Kewpie its unmistakably savory, umami flavor that makes Duke's and Hellman's seem sad and bland in comparison. Because they are.

Listen, it's not just me who says Kewpie is the best mayonnaise for egg salad. It's science. In order to get the perfectly creamy consistency you need for a good mayonnaise, you need the power of emulsification to bind everything together, and Kewpie's focus is to go deep into that emulsification process, down to the particles. They refine the oil particles to between 2/1000 and 4/1000 millimeters, which results in the mayo having an unbelievably smooth and creamy texture, and because of these extremely fine oil particles, it has a milder flavor, too.

Simple and humble, egg salad is a dish of few ingredients, meaning that the ones that are in there need to be positively superb. The eggs are obviously important, but it's the mayonnaise that legitimately brings it all together. Kewpie brings the creamy, smooth texture and unctuous, savory flavor needed in a delicious mayonnaise, so when you hit your egg salad with that last sprinkle of salt and pepper, everything is elevated. I applaud the American mayonnaise brands bringing their A-game to the egg salad party; I really do. But we're not just talking good. We're not even talking great. We're talking the best of the best, hands down. The gold standard. And that is, without a doubt, Kewpie. If you're not already riding the Kewpie mayo train, choo choo, baby. Hop on. We're riding this into the egg yolk-only sunset and leaving the likes of Duke's and Hellman's in our monosodium glutamate dust.