Mayo in jello?

[HeatherFeather]

I have been in a retro recipes phase lately, going through lots of inherited cookbooks, clippings, and recipe cards. I just made a frozen jello fruit salad and I had to hesitate at the part where I had to add 1/2 cup mayo. Really? Why is that in there? I did add it, since I am trying to test the recipes for the first time, and I want to find out what it is supposed to taste like first. Hope I just didn't turn my nice fruit salad into mayo ice cream. Gag.

But really... I see so many jello recipes that call for either mayo or Miracle Whip. Was this due to a shortage of another ingredient at the time such recipes were created? Was it perhaps some easy way to avoid having to use eggs or something? Not that I want eggs in my jello either, but I have seen some recipes for a beaten egg yolk too.

I do remember eating a lot of jello salads as a kid at church potlucks with all sorts of scary freaky things in them like celery. I did like most of the fruity ones, and surely some must have been old recipes like the one I just tried. So hopefully I will like how it turns out.

[elsie]

I have a few Jell-O salad recipes that call for mayonnaise too. I make a couple of them at Christmas, and they are gobbled up and no one is the wiser. I only use real Mayonnaise in my salads and it has to be Hellman’s mayonnaise. I’m just picky about that. I like all different kinds of salads, even the scary freaky ones with celery. Your frozen fruit salad looks really good! The Jello mold is beautiful too! Can’t wait for the recipe!

[HeatherFeather]

Thanks, Elsie. I was happy with how it turned out. I also like to only use real mayo, although I prefer Duke's (which is very popular in the South). Mom always uses Hellman's mayo. Both are very good brands.

I was able to detect it in there, but it wasn't overpowering. I think the only reason I could tell it was in the recipe was because I knew I had added it. I know for sure that when I was a kid, I never noticed mayo in any of those kinds of salads. There were always jello salads at church potlucks - always - you'd think it was mandatory or something. I think the worst thing I ever tasted in jello was cabbage. I didn't mind cucumbers or carrots in lemon or lime jello though. The fruit kind was always good and usually what I would go for.

The jello mold was something I recently picked up at an estate sale. It has several different shaped lids on the top, so I can change the theme depending on the holiday.

[Sue]

Traditionally, gelatin was served as a savory salad, like aspic. Sweet gelatin is really a modern thing. Many recipes were more savory until the late 60's when it seems they started to disappear from cookbooks and menus.