For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a distaste for mayonnaise. There’s something about the texture, smell, and eggy flavor that I find unappealing. But that all changed during a recent crisis in Bon Appétit’s Test Kitchen, when I was introduced to a mayo that is so yummy, I could eat it straight from the jar.
I was about to test the best panini presses when I realized I didn’t have mayonnaise to spread on the outside of the bread of my grilled cheese sandwiches. (I prefer mayo over butter because it spreads easily straight from the fridge and has a higher smoke point, so bread turns an even golden brown instead of burning.) Thankfully, senior commerce editor Olivia Tarantino came to the rescue with jars of Graza’s Garlic Olive Oil Aioli and “Original” Olive Oil Mayo. I coated a few sandwiches with each, placed them in the presses, and waited. Suddenly, I noticed a wonderfully fragrant garlic smell that I thought was coming from the stoves of BA’s recipe testers who were cooking nearby.
Graza
“Garlic” Olive Oil Aioli
“Whatever they’re making smells incredible,” I thought to myself. Then I realized it was me—or, rather, my aioli-coated sandwiches.
After removing the sandwiches from the presses, I tasted one made with each style of mayo. The original version produced a nicely toasted grilled cheese with perfectly melted American singles and a hint of tang on the bread. But the aioli version took that same grilled cheese to the next level and completely blew me away. It infused the toasted bread with a slightly lemony, sweet garlic flavor that was a perfect contrast to the creamy saltiness of the American cheese. This zesty mayo was so delicious, in fact, that I began slathering even more of it onto the finished sandwich. (More mayo? Who am I?)
