when i was at the store buying bacon for my last tasting blog, my friend suggested we might want some blts after we were done tasting. now there was no way that after all of that bacon goodness i was going to be able to consume a blt, but it did spark my next tasting. mmmmayo. i personally can not enjoy a sandwich without the creamy goodness of mayonnaise. something about biting into a big club sandwich and having mayonnaise dribble off your lip. how else you gonna get your bread to stick to your meat and cheese. mustard, sure i go for mustard too…but the combo of the two makes me quite happy.

it is no longer the basic decision between mayo and miracle whip. there had to be about twenty or so kinds of mayonnaise to choose from, including many new olive oil options. what to do?

my stomach what a little uneasy after bacon madness, so filling four plates with different colored spoonfuls of mayo was not exactly appetizing at first. but, once we got going, my chef friend jan and i both started to get into it. just get your dipping finger ready and let the games begin.

we separated out the light to give them a fair shot, assuming the full fat would all taste a bit better (which of course they did). the low fat version that tasted the most like the regular was that tangy zip of miracle whip. kind of like diet and regular dr. pepper…hard to tell the difference. here is how the other light mayos did:

helman’s lite has been my go to for years. there was always a bottle in my fridge… until now. the flavor was just so fake and far off from the regular. quite disturbing.

kraft lite was the big winner for me. it has a bit of a ranch flavor to it, which may be the drawing factor since ranch is my other favorite condiment. sometimes i think i eat things just so i can enjoy the condiments.

spectrum lite is a vegan option that was actually not that bad. it has an interesting sour pickle taste that would taste great on a ham sandwich, though that may ruin the whole point of vegan.

smart balance is just wrong. i get that is has omega 3 fatty acids and now comes with 100 mg of plant sterols (can not say i know the exactly what that means), but it simply does not taste good. the strangely fake sweetness and weird texture just did not work for us.

as for the regular mayos, most of them were pretty comparable. miracle whip of course has its own unique zing that you either love or you hate. i think that on a sandwich with some nice spicy dijon and some sliced ham and cheese, it does the trick. for the others:

helman’s tasted just as i thought it would. i think it just tastes what store bought mayo should taste like. great creamy texture, a hint of tang and nice seasoning.

kraft was not far behind with the same nice texture and just a bit more saltiness. like the light, it almost has a hint of ranch flavor to it which is never a bad thing.

365 from whole foods is a nice option as well. my friend had mentioned growing up on this stuff and spoke very highly of it which is why i wanted to give it a try. i would not say that it outshined any of the others, but it did stand its own.

the new mayos out there are made with olive oil. they have half the fat of their counterparts yet do not have the change in texture that some of the light mayos have. i think they are a great new option.

spectrum with olive oil was the only disappointment of the three. it just has a bit of an odd flavor.

helmans with olive oil was pretty tasty and i would for sure choose it over the helman’s lite, but it does have an oddly interesting citrus flavor that reminded us of orange peel.

kraft with olive oil is going to be my new ‘go to’ in the fridge all the time. it has good flavor and half the fat of regular.

i know that no mayo is ever going to be good for you…. but if you are like me and cannot eat a sandwich without it, then i would go with the new kraft with olive oil for sure.

guess i will hit the market again tomorrow and see what i am in the mood to taste. thinking it might be a peanut butter kind of day.