Does mayonnaise need to be kept cool on a hot dog cart?
When I was a kid we used to have a lot of block parties in my neighborhood. Everyone would bring a dish and set it on a long table in the middle of the street. If the temperature was above 75 my mom would always cast a wary eye at the bowl of potato salad as if it had the potential to kill everyone within a 100 yard radius.
Does mayo go bad in hot weather? New Hot Dog Profits reader Art has some great info on the subject. He writes…
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Hi, I am new to this hot dog cart life and we plan on opening our cart this spring, should be fun, thanks for all the info that is here Steve, we really appreciate it.
Now, it is my turn for putting some information out there.
I want to address the concern people have about mayo and keeping it cool outside. Most, if not all mayos, have a high PH of around 4.2 – 4.5 and if the mayo is a commercially made it was definitely made with pasteurized eggs which makes it virtually impossible for those pesky little micro-organisms to invade the dressing and make you sick.
Years ago some people made their own mayo and may have used unpasteurized eggs which of course could possibly cause issues, leading to the horror stories of people getting sick from potato salad left in the trunk and other interesting events. My mother worked for the health department for years and I have been Serve-Safe certified for many years (we owned a restaurant a few years ago) and in all the Serve-Safe classes I have taken they have told us that mayo does NOT need to be refrigerated even if it is outside.
With that said, your local health departments may have rules and or regulations that require mayo to be refrigerated for some reason and of course you must follow their policies. With all this said, please check with your local authorities and follow what they recommend or require and you won’t go wrong.
Art
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Thanks Art for taking the time to share some well thought out information!
I think the most important point here is to only serve commercially made mayonnaise. The pasteurization is critical as you pointed out.
Yes, mayo is very acidic (right up there with ketchup) and acidic environments severely inhibit the production of bacteria. The funny thing is that acids are more reactive, and therefore kill bacteria more efficiently at higher temperatures.
However this does not mean you should leave your mayo out in the sun. There is more going on here than just acid vs. bacteria.
The bulk of mayonnaise is comprised of oils. Oils (lipids to you food chemists out there) become rancid very quickly at higher temperatures. While they may not make a person physically ill, rancid lipids taste bad, smell bad, and look bad.
For this reason I still keep my mayonnaise in a cooler at all times on my hot dog cart. I suggest you all do too.
What do you say slingers? I realize that not all health departments allow mayo on a mobile food unit, but if you use it how do you handle your mayo on your hot dog cart?
-Steve
My health inspector pushes single serve packets. I used those for mayo and she left me alone about it.
Great reason to use them Mark!
I have used mayo and get some call for it. I was never too worried about toxins in commercial mayo, but I have seen the oils break down. As you say, Steve, it LOOKS bad and people just won’t trust it. The appearance is a real turn-off and even if you know it’s ok, people will think of this as an unsanitary operation and probably won’t come back. Worse is the word of mouth that comes out after. Yes, if you use it, keep it in the cooler.
All good points Robin. It doesn’t matter what we think. What the customer thinks is all-important.
We don’t use mayo.
Problem solved !!
Arrrr har har harrr.
1St Mate Jim.
That’s simple!
Mayo packets is the way to go!! Let them put it on themselves. After all how many people need mayo in a day?? I sell burgers and cheesesteaks and still people don’t ask much and when they do not much. If people see the packets sitting out its not bad but a squeeze bottle of mayo should be put away it just looks better I think. Having said that packets or squeeze bottle if its extremely hot weather should be kept cool.
Yep. Your customers put mayo on themselves? 😉
I will be starting soon myself, but I have already had the idea of having a separate cooler for condiments. I have also thought about a covered condiment tray that holds ice. My question for all of you experienced slingers is, What do you do to keep your mayo and other condiments safe in the hot weather? I don’t need a potential hazard right out of the gate! By the way, I’m just flat out itchy with anticipation for the season!!! 🙂
Welcome Todd! Some of us just keep the condiments in our coolers. Others purchase ice-able condiment trays from restaurant and bar supply stores. Use your imagination as long as it keeps things cold.
Thanks Steve! Turning in our application to the county soon. I will send pictures of the cart when we’ve been approved!
Just my two cents for a newcomer. I have a plastic bin like you’d keep leftovers in, but big enough for all the condiment bottles. Then I put in the blue ice freezer packs. The bottle shaped ones for standing bottles and a flat one to put the relish tray on.
Seems like a good idea, thanks Robin!
My dept highly recommends package mayo so that is what we use, safe customers don’t mind and keeps inspectors happy!
Win-win!
Just because it is pasteurized does not mean it is exempt from spoiling.
Take for an example Orange Juice.
Never Ever take a slight chance to put someone else in harms way.
Keep it Cool Baby
joe
I agree 100 percent Joe.
The best way to serve mayo is to buy the mayo little packets just like the ketchup packets, fast food restaurants, serve with Fries. This takes all the guess work out the issue. I hear mayo is safe, but I’m old school about it as most customers are too. You can buy these at GFS.
Good luck to you all,
Jill
Good solution Jill.
If you cut or use onion’s on your cart, or
Use onions in your potato salad they start
To go bad after about 4-5 hours!
It’s the onions that go bad within a few hours
Of being cut.
If you don’t use all of your onion in 4-5 hrs
Throw it (them) out after they’ve been cut.
Also don’t make the mistake of storing
Cut onions wrapped in foil!
Nothing worse than yellow runny onions.
I agree Steve. I keep my mayo cool in the ice chest. Because I fix the hot dogs for my customers after they purchase them, I let them know that mayo is available. I have had a number of positive comments for it. They appreciate me taking care of it for them, and knowing that the condiments have not been contaminated is also appreciated by them. And it is fun to do it for them, with some showmanship of course.
Attention to detail as usual Chappy. Very good!
When some one wants one with ketchup and mayo when it is served we sometimes joke and say “here’s one with racing stripes”!
Keep mayo cool..Tastes better, looks better, Is better. Consistency, smell, all the way around., Keep mayo cool!
Cool!
I think that since the public majority probably thinks mayo should be refrigerated, they’d feel a lot better about eating at your cart if they see you pull it out of a cooler, I vote refrigerate
Give them what they expect. Agreed.
I’m not allowed to have bottled mayo on the cart, but packets of mayo is OK. To get around using bottle mayo, I make my own creme mixture. I add roasted diced chilis with honey, minced garlic, cumin, salt and mustard to sour cream and process it. I keep it constantly chilled and it has a great flavor.
Sounds good!
The best way is make a ice pan set all your dressings in it better safe then sorry!!
Thanks Deborah!
I believe condiments (garnish) should be cold, that includes mayo, tomato, pepper, pickle, and use the iced bottom tray like bartenders use to keep their garnishes in. I feel it improves the taste of the dog, hot steamy all-beef dog, soft fresh bun, cold mayo, and tomato, a nice bag of chips, and an ice cold coke. My friends, that’s living!
Indeed!
I agree!
The scientific evidence states that mayo does not need to be refrigerated, but there is another reason to do so. Most of your customers have not read this study. Most of your customers believe that un-refrigerated mayo is teeming with bacteria and other bad things, just waiting to attack their intestines. Remember: In any dealings with the public, perception is reality. That is to say, if the customer perceives that you are doing something wrong, you will never convince them otherwise. They will also tell all of their friends to stay away from you. So I choose to err on the side of customer perception and satisfaction.
“In any dealings with the public, perception is reality.”
Right on Bradley.
I think he has the PH wrong? 4.5 would be acid . 7.2-7.6 balanced.
He has the PH correct. Mayo is quite acidic.
Sorry Steve, I read it as a high ph. I know it is highly acid. Glad you are doing well.
No biggie. Thanks Noel!
Steve, just an observation from the east coast regarding individual packets;
We get the occasional greedy people who think a basket of packets is free so grab all they want. I don’t know if anyone else has had this problem, but I’ve actually seen people empty the whole basket into their purse to take home to the family. If you use packet condiments, a word to the wise, keep them in the cooler too and hand them out on request.
Has my mom been to your cart?!! I’m not kidding, she does that with the free mints at restaurants LOL!!!
LOL!
Hello Steve,
We use mayo quite a bit and we refrigerate ours. When mayo gets warm it likes to get a transluscent look to it around the edges and to me it adds to the hot and cold experience of enjoying a hot steamed hot dog.
Charlie Hehn
Cool Charlie!