Duke’s Mayonnaise- Secret Weapon for Tasty Southern Cooking

I always loved Duke’s Mayonnaise I guess. I used to eat it out of the jar with a spoon when I was a small child, so I’m told. As an adult, of course I know that mayonnaise is highly caloric, and should be used only occasionally or sparingly. (Wink, wink.) I certainly don’t eat mayo daily, but I embrace any great excuse to enjoy Duke’s Mayonnaise. There are certain foods or recipes, like classic Southern potato salad and coleslaw, that require mayo, and Duke’s Mayonnaise makes all the difference in the world with these foods.

Duke’s mayonnaise was created by Eugenia Duke of Greenville S.C. in 1917. The C.F. Sauer Company of Richmond Virginia maintains that they still use Ms. Duke’s original recipe, and it is still made in Greenville.

Thankfully it is now easy to obtain Duke’s Mayonnaise. I can get it at HEB Central Market. It is also available through the mail, such as from Amazon. When I first joined the Air Force however, this was not the case! When I drove to Illinois for my first duty assignment, I had 4 jars of Duke’s in the trunk of my car. Unfortunately, it snowed within 2 days of my arrival, and the mayo was still in my trunk. I found out mayo separates when frozen and thawed. I could have cried!

In this hub I am sharing some of my favorite foods and recipes to enjoy the great taste of Duke’s Mayonnaise, a kitchen staple of kitchens throughout the Southeast for great Southern cooking.

TOMATO SANDWICH

Nothing better than a tomato sandwich with a garden grown ripe tomato.  I like this on white thin sandwich bread, because I don’t want the bread to distract from the tomatoes.  Spread the Duke’s, add the sliced tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Also great with a slice or two of thin “boiled” ham. 

BANANA SANDWICH

I like my banana sandwich on Oat Nut bread, such as Oroweat Oat Nut.  The bread is a bit heavier than white bread, and larger, but the flavor profile is perfect for a banana sandwich.  Spread the mayo liberally. 

OPEN-FACED CHICKEN SANDWICH

Spread bread with Duke’s Mayonnaise.  Top with steamed broccoli spears, cut into thin strips lengthwise.  Add boned chicken breast and top with cheese.  Heat until cheese melts. 

TUNA SALAD

I like my tuna salad on Wasa Crackers, or just by itself.  Sometimes I use sweet pickle, sometimes dill.  I use pickle, a mashed boiled egg and Duke’s.  I also like it with diced onion, cucumbers and mayo. 

CHICKEN SALAD

As with tuna salad, I sometimes make chicken salad with sweet pickle, and other times with dill.  More often I use dill pickle, tiny diced celery, mashed boiled egg, mayo and a Tbsp or two of vinegar.  I eat it as a sandwich or on saltines. 

For a sweet chicken salad, use golden raisins, English walnuts, crushed pineapple and Duke’s Mayonnaise.  This one does nicely on a salad plate with fruit. 

HIDDEN VALLEY DRESSING & DIPS

Use Duke’s mayo with dry packaged Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix. This is so much better than bottled dressing! I might make it with 1 ½ cup plain yogurt and ½ cup mayo. This is immediately thick and ready to use, unlike when you make it with milk and it has to set. I like ranch on a salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, baby cucumbers and rotisserie chicken.

Also great as a dip with baby carrots or other favorite vegetables.

OTHER DIPS

I love dip mixes from Hampe House in Gruene Texas, especially the Chili Con Queso Dip mix. Hampe House was sold and they no longer carry the dips, but my brother found the source, Country Home Creations. I also collect dip mixes from the shops in Fredericksburg Texas. Most of the dips call for 2 cups of sour cream, but I tend to use plain yogurt and ½ cup of Duke’s mayo. Sometimes I add a couple Tbsp of sour cream as well.

MOCK HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Blend Duke’s Mayonnaise with lemon juice. This is the best thing that ever happened to steamed broccoli. Sometimes I use this to spread on bread, just as I would plain mayo, for a sandwich.

POTATO SALAD

I use red potatoes, Claussen’s pickles, boiled eggs, sweet onion, green olives, Dijon mustard and Duke’s mayo in my potato salad.  Don’t use a chopper for the pickle or onion because the texture gets lost.  See my hub, Thanksgiving Southern Family Feast Recipes for my potato salad recipe. 

PASTA SALAD

I like pasta salad with Duke’s mayonnaise, not vinaigrette, and I call it noodle salad.  I like tri-color spiral pasta or shells.  I use tomatoes, sweet onion and cucumbers.  As with potato salad, I do not use a chopper because the vegetable texture disappears.  Also, cook the pasta with ample salt, and try to salt the vegetables and set aside for 30 to 60 minutes before mixing all of the ingredients together.  At our house we like this with tuna as well. 

SLAW

The package mix for slaw dressing, usually on the produce isle, is really quite good, prepared with Duke’s mayonnaise of course.  I like the fine shredded cabbage, but the coarse with carrots and purple cabbage is good too.  Just add sweet onion and maybe a smidge of sweet pickle relish. 

SIDE DISH

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Many broccoli casseroles are a variation of: 2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli, 1 can of cream soup, 1 to 1½ cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese, and ½ to 1 cup of mayo. A small chopped onion and 1 to 2 beaten eggs are also common ingredients. Crushed Ritz crackers are a common topper, or buttered saltine crackers. Classic Southern cooking!

MAIN DISH

CHICKEN DIVAN

Chicken Divan is a decadent treat made with rice, chicken breast, cream soup and Duke’s Mayonnaise. See my hub, 8 Super Fast, Cheap and Easy Casseroles for the recipe.

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