Keeping oil and water together in mayonnaise
Pour oil and water into a jar, shake them hard, and they will quickly separate back into two layers. Yet mayonnaise stays a thick, stable sauce because vigorous whisking breaks the oil into microscopic droplets, while emulsifiers in the egg yolk coat those droplets and stop them from recombining.
Questions you could explore
- What is the difference between an emulsion and a solution?
- What roles do mixing and emulsifiers play?
Start reading
- Institute of Food Science & TechnologyFats and oils: emulsification
The Institute of Food Science & Technology explains emulsion types, droplet formation, and emulsifiers.
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