Emulsification: Why Oil and Water Stay Together (Sometimes)

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An emulsion is a stable mixture of two liquids that normally don't mix — typically oil and water. Mayonnaise (oil suspended in lemon juice/vinegar, stabilised by egg yolk lecithin), vinaigrette (oil and vinegar, temporarily emulsified by mustard), hollandaise (butter suspended in egg yolk and lemon), aioli (oil suspended by garlic), and beurre blanc (butter suspended in reduced wine/vinegar) are all emulsions. The emulsifier — the molecule that bridges oil and water (egg yolk lecithin, mustard mucilage, garlic compounds, casein in butter) — is the key to every one of these sauces. Understanding emulsification explains why mayonnaise splits, why hollandaise breaks, why cacio e pepe seizes, and how to fix all of them.

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