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Making your own mayonnaise could not be easier. Mixed into shredded chicken, combined with ketchup to make Thousand Island dressing or spread thickly on a crusty baguette awaiting a slice of pastrami and pickles, a creamy mayonnaise is a magical thing. With a little know how and a trio of seemingly ordinary ingredients – eggs, oil and an acid (like vinegar or lemon juice) – you can make it in minutes at home.

Mayo is traditionally prepared with a base of egg yolks, rather than whole eggs, because they make for a creamier and richer final product. However, lots of today’s recipes use whole eggs too. The key is to use them at room temperature to encourage emulsification and achieve that trademark dollopy, silky-smooth texture of a homemade mayo. Though not a must, a dash of mustard helps to prevent curdling, stabilise the mixture and adds lots of flavour; powdered or fresh versions both work brilliantly.

Go for a neutral oil, like ground nut, avocado or sunflower, to create a mild mayonnaise that you can use immediately as a base for dressings, swirl into sandwich mixes, transform into a dip or whip into devilled eggs. Flavourless oils are recommended because the fruitiness of an expensive olive oil overpowers the characteristic gentleness of a regular mayo.

The mayonnaise magic happens once you start adding oil to your base of eggs and mustard. It’s crucial to incorporate your oil very slowly (either drop by drop or in a very thin stream) and beat it into your eggs vigorously to create the tell-tale consistency of a good mayo. You can do this with a hand whisk though it’s far quicker and easier on your muscles to use an electric whisk or stick/immersion blender.

The mixture should thicken up and look more like a mayo once you’ve used half the oil. At this point you can pour the remainder in at a slightly faster speed – do it steadily to prevent curdling.

Once the oil has been thoroughly emulsified into the egg, drizzle in some vinegar or a spritz of lemon juice to lift the flavour of the mayonnaise.

Season your mayo to taste with salt, pepper or any other flavourings you prefer. For example, a squeeze of honey and a small dollop of mustard creates a tingly honey-mustard mayo that’s delicious in chicken sandwiches. A sprinkling of sriracha seasoning or peri salt makes for a spicy dip to serve alongside chips, and a clove of blended garlic can turn a basic mayo into a fragrant aioli.

Substitute the eggs for soy milk and use a stick blender to make a vegan-mayo in minutes (put your eggs, milk, vinegar and mustard in a jar, place your blender at the bottom and pulse until emulsified before lifting the blender up and incorporating any remaining oil still sitting at the top). Although it doesn’t have the eggy taste of a regular mayonnaise it’s still delicious for spreading on bread, mixing into sandwich fillings and preparing potato salads and coleslaws. If you miss the eggy-scent sprinkle in some black salt.

Whisk a spoonful of the curdled mixture into a bowl with a beaten egg yolk at the bottom. Once that’s incorporated, slowly add in the rest to re-stabilise it and bring it back from the brink.

2 egg yolks, or 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1tbsp Dijon or English mustard

250ml neutral oil, like sunflower oil

2tsp acid (either white wine vinegar or lemon juice)