Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise
Hellmann's (known as Best Foods west of the Rockies) now produces "Canola Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise". We bought a few jars and brought it into the test kitchen to test against its full fat sibling.
Before we started cooking, we took a close look at the ingredient label of each product. Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise contains soybean oil, water, eggs, vinegar, salt, sugar, and lemon juice and has 90 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, and 5 milligrams of cholesterol per tablespoon. The new version differs in that water is the main ingredient, listed before the canola oil. It also contains modified food starch and a “trace amount” of whole eggs and egg yolks that allow it to be labeled mayonnaise. (According to the FDA, only products that include at least 65 percent oil by weight, an “acidifying agent”—in this case, lemon juice—and “egg yolk-containing ingredients” can bear the label “mayonnaise.”) The canola mayonnaise has 45 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, and 0 milligrams of cholesterol per tablespoon.
We compared the two mayonnaises side by side on plain white bread; in a simple macaroni salad with onion, celery, and pickles; and in our Shrimp Salad (July/August 2007). On plain bread, the canola mayo looked much whiter than the original mayo due to its lack of yolks. While some tasters panned the canola mayonnaise for being “sweeter” and “tangier,” others liked it for its brighter flavor. When it came to the macaroni salad and Shrimp Salad, the differences were much harder to detect. The bottom line? If you’re looking for a no-cholesterol, lower-calorie mayonnaise, Hellmann’s Canola Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise is a fine choice.
| Product Tested | Origin | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highly Recommended | |||
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Columela Extra Virgin Olive OilOur favorite premium extra-virgin olive oil from a previous tasting, Columela is composed of a blend of intense Picual, mild Hojiblanca, Ocal, and Arbequina olives. This oil took top honors for its fruity flavor and excellent balance. Tasters praised its “big olive aroma, big olive taste” with a “buttery” flavor that is “sweet” and “full,” with a “peppery finish.” One taster said: “It’s very green and fresh—like a squeezed olive.” Another simply wrote: “Fantastic.” |
Spain | $19 for 17 oz |
| Recommended | |||
|
Lucini Italia Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive OilTasters noted this oil’s flavor was “much deeper than the other samples,” describing it as “fruity, with a slight peppery finish,” “buttery undertones,” and a “clean, green taste” that was “aromatic, with a good balance.” “It has the flavor that some good EVOOs have,” said one admiring taster. |
Italy | $19.99 for 500 ml ($39.98 per liter) |
|
Colavita Extra Virgin Olive OilVirtually tied for second place, this oil was deemed “round and buttery,” with a “light body” and flavor that was “briny and fruity,” “very fine and smooth,” and “almost herbal,” with “great balance.” “Good olive flavor. I could smell it and taste it,” approved one taster. In a word, “pleasant.” |
Italy | $17.99 for 750 ml ($23.98 per liter) |
| Recommended with Reservations | |||
|
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive OilA clear step down from the top oils, tasters noted “overall mild” flavor and “very little aroma,” with only a “hint of green olive” and a “hint of spiciness at the end.” In pasta, it was initially “not complex,” but gradually “bloomed in your mouth.” Overall, it was “worthy of a second bite.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $12.49 for 750 ml ($16.65 per liter) |
|
Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive OilWhile some tasters found this oil “sweet” and “buttery” with “medium body” and “slight spice at the end,” others complained that it had “zero olive flavor” and was “so floral it’s almost like eating perfume”; still others noted a “bitter” aftertaste. In pasta, it was “extremely mild” to the point of being “boring.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $10.99 for 750 ml ($14.65 per liter) |
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Goya Extra Virgin Olive OilComments: The best comments tasters could muster were “mild” and “neutral.” Some liked it on pasta (though one called it “Snoozeville”), but complaints were myriad: “metallic,” “soapy,” “briny,” “hints of dirt.” Carped one taster, “I can’t imagine what is in here, but they have a nerve calling it EVOO.” |
Spain | $13.99 for 1 liter |
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