The Grocery Store Mayo Julia Child Preferred Above All Others

Julia Child might be renowned for her wealth of cooking knowledge, but even the beloved television cook had her favorites when it came to store-bought goods. Child had solutions for working with store-bought French onion soup, as well as all kinds of other neat tricks. She even had a favorite fast food restaurant!

Child even had her favorites when it came to condiments. Although she was perfectly capable of making homemade mayonnaise, she still had a brand preference when it came to store-bought mayonnaise. Out of all the brands, she liked Hellmann's mayonnaise the most.

Do not mistake Child's use of store-bought goods as cheating or cutting corners. Store-bought mayonnaise played a key role in many dishes, like creamy salads. It not only made making these dishes somewhat easier for her, but it also makes it easier for eager home cooks who want to try Child's recipes out without having to go as far as making homemade mayonnaise.

Unlike the homemade mayonnaise that Julia Child typically used, Hellmann's mayonnaise is American style rather than French style. The key difference is that American style mayonnaise uses whole eggs rather than just egg yolks; it also does not use mustard, unlike French style mayonnaise.

Hellmann's was of the utmost importance in Child's recipe for tuna salad in particular. She stated that the use of Hellmann's was a must in that recipe, insisting on not budging from the brand. She had a good reason for this too; Hellmann's is lighter and less tangy than French style mayonnaise, making it much better suited for creamy salads like tuna salad.

According to one of Child's editors, Hellmann's mayonnaise commonly made an appearance in tuna salad on toasted English muffins. The two shared this lunch often while working on cookbooks together, particularly while creating the book "Baking With Julia."