I have a friend named Bert Neville—yes, just like Wil Smith’s character in “Legend”, except I am pretty sure my Bert has never had to battle weird zombie-vampire creatures. Except for, he’ll tell you, when he debates with Democrats.
Anywho, Bert is older and wiser than I. Since we share some very similar belief systems, and since he is very diplomatic even we don’t, I have always respected Bert’s opinion. Except on Miracle Whip. Bert love’s Miracle Whip, and has described it as one of life’s simple pleasures, especially when spread on bread with some turkey.
I, on the other hand, do not understand why the whip is miraculous. And although Miracle Whip is supposed to be revered in Southern households, and despite the fact that I hold fiercely to Southern customs, I just can’t seem to embrace Miracle Whip. Seems to me that somebody ruined a perfectly good jar of mayonnaise.
Maybe that’s my whole problem with it. It is packaged like, and marketed as an alternative to, mayonnaise, but is really something else altogether. I like mustard, and I love Durkee Sandwich Sauce. But they don’t look like mayonnaise, and they have their own shelf. So there you have it—I guess I hate Miracle Whip because of Kraft’s marketing strategy. Marketing FAIL!
Case in point: I had given a recipe to a friend of mine for this fierce corn dip that I make. I got a text from her while she was at the store that said “what kind of mayonnaise?”
I responded “Hellman’s, Duke’s…whatever your favorite brand is…”
When she asked me “what about Miracle Whip?, I nearly passed out.
“NOOOOO. Miracle Whip isn’t mayonnaise…You need real mayonnaise.”
Just the thought of my corn dip made with Miracle Whip made my brain bleed a little bit.
Kraft introduced this lower cost alternative to mayonnaise during the 1933 World’s Fair, and it was an instant success. Combing the elements of mayonnaise with elements of a salad dressing, they were able to make a sandwich spread/dressing that looks and acts like mayonnaise, but has much more sweet and tangy zing to it. It is labeled as salad dressing, although I wouldn’t use it that way either. Kraft describes it as “sorta-kinda-not-really-like-mayo, but multiplied by awesomeness”. As a side note…The name Miracle Whip was the nick name given to the machine that was used to emulsify the product, and ensure it stayed nicely whipped. It stuck as the product name as well.
So, I decided that in order to figure out if I really like Miracle Whip, as its own unique and special being, I needed to let go of any mental and marketing tendency to lump it together with mayonnaise. Because in the mayo y mayo battle with mayonnaise, mayonnaise wins. I needed to try Miracle Whip in a way that I have not used mayonnaise.
Try these….The extra sweet, tangy, and kicked up flavors of Miracle Whip added flavor that mayonnaise alone would not have offered. I am not saying that I wouldn’t still prefer mayonnaise, though. I guess there’s a little Yankee lurking in me somewhere….
Cracked Pepper Smoked Turkey Breast
- 1 boneless turkey breast (4-5 pounds)
- 1 cup Miracle Whip
- ½ cup coarsely ground black pepper
Rub the Miracle Whip evenly over the turkey breast, on all sides. Use your (clean) hands—they are the best kitchen tool you own. Evenly sprinkle the pepper all over the turkey. Place in a smoker, or on the cool side of a lit BBQ pit, where the temp will be about 220*. Smoke for 4 hours. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, and then slice against the grain.
Serve with traditional BBQ sides, or as a sandwich.
Ham and Eggs Salad
As it turns out, Miracle Whip makes a decent ham salad. With its inherent tanginess, no pickle relish is needed, so this comes together super quick and simple.
- 1 pound left-over baked ham
- 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
- ½ cup Miracle Whip
- 1 small (2 inch) onion
- 2 t ground black pepper
Put ham and onion in a food processor, and pulse until minced. Add Miracle Whip and pepper, and pulse a few times to mix. Fold in eggs. Add more Miracle Whip if necessary for desired consistency. Serve with crackers, rolls, or as a sandwich spread.
Macaroni Salad
Macaroni Salad
Okay, I lied….I have made macaroni salad with mayonnaise before. But I figured it’s tanginess might work well with pasta salad, if I omitted the chopped pickle I might otherwise add.
- 1 pound elbow, bow tie, or other small pasta
- 1 large bell pepper, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Miracle Whip
- 2 t ground black pepper
- 1 t salt
- ¼ cup milk
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Toss pasta into mixture, and chill for several hours before serving.
Texana's Kitchen 
Ah, the age old debate. MW or Mayo? Way more fiesty/tangy than that whole fiscal cliff business.
Christine – I, like you, do not get the miracle. HOWEVER, I was once (and only once) blown away by a potato salad that used Miracle Whip and not Mayo – which I use exclusively. I buy Miracle Whip in small jars for this – and ONLY this – easy and delicious recipe.
Mix together in a large bowl:
~ a dozen medium to large potatoes, cubed and boiled
~ a dozen hard-boiled eggs (seems like a lot but trust me. It works)
~ a 16-oz (or more if you like them) jar of green olives with pimento diced.
~ a cup (give or take to taste) of Miracle Whip. I usually use some of the olive juice rather than more MW.
~ Diced or minced onion if you want it – we prefer it without because the onion somehow changes the flavor of the MW and green olive sauce.
~ Garlic salt to taste or salt and pepper or all three!
That’s it. I always want to add something else; bacon, dill relish, mayo, etc. but it’s really best just like this. This is requested and the bowl is licked clean at every potluck, every holiday gathering.
I’d love to hear your feedback on it – maybe we’re just strange.
Happy New Year!
Becky
A dozen eggs is never too much! That’s how I make mine, too. I’ll give it a try….I am open to anything, but mayo always has my heart!
One thing I forgot – when you mix it all together, kinda mash the potatoes a little. It makes a difference in how the sauce spreads. Then I like to let it sit for a while to let the flavors meld.
Miracle Whip is gross, I don’t blame you for not liking it. The sweetness of it is soooo… ugh. Growing up it is all we had around the house and my Mom called it mayo so forever I thought I didn’t like mayo. I was so wrong, thankfully, I tried the real thing at a deli in college!
See? More than book smarts are learnt in college!
Isn’t Miracle Whip a separate food group, along with Ketchup? You know, meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, Ketchup, and Miracle Whip. If it isn’t, then I’ve been hornswoggled somewhere in my past.
It should be…That’s my whole point. If Kraft hadn’t been trying to lump it in with mayo, it might have had a fighting chance in my kitchen.
When I was little, my mother only let us have fat free mayo, because she was cruel and skinny. The first time I tasted Miracle Whip, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I still have a hard time looking at a mayo bottle without flashbacks.
FF mayo is the Devil.
Fat free mayo is a perversion of the laws of nature, like fat free half-and-half. Mayonnaise is by definition a mixture of oil and vinegar (or a person from a part of France). As for fat free half-and-half, what is even supposed to be?
I never thought I liked mayonnaise … until I left my parents’ Miracle Whip-centric home and had a sandwich with Hellmans. I’ve never looked back…
Good girl….
DO NOT bring real Mayo in my house. We only use Miracle Whip here! A sandwich is not a sandwich without Miracle Whip! I grew up in Arkansas and never tasted real Mayo until I was in college. I thought the Miracle Whip was spoiled and soured. Once you get used to the sweet, creamy, goodness of Miracle Whip, you won’t be able to eat Mayo again!
This Texas doesn’t do Miracle Whip. Duke’s for me.
Thank God I am not alone in my southern diss of Miracle Whip!
Oh, please, Christine. I never saw it, until now … You’re a food snob. Miracle Whip is especially good on a fried Spam sandwich. I also enjoy it with Carl Buddig brand ‘pressed’ chicken (lunch meat) with American cheese on white bread. — Now, quit trying to disguise your Miracle Whip (with those delicious-looking recipes) and just dress a sandwich with it. It is known as ‘The Bread Spread,’ you know.
Oh. My. God. Adam, are you freaking kidding me? Miracle Whip? On Spam? Mayonnaise, Baby, all the way! And why, oh why in the name of God and all that is holy are you eating Carl Buddig (salt and meat paste fruit leather)? And American cheese? On white bread? That would make you an Epicure of the most Unorthodox dimensions, for sure!
I was raised on Miracle Whip. I still think it’s the only condiment that should be used on a leftover turkey sandwich. If that’s redneck,then call me a redneck. Love your Blog.
Apparently you are a redneck. Which is awesome. That is the only part of me that is definitively NOT redneck. There must be a Yankee in the woodpile somewhere in my heritage!
Leave the MW and the mayo both at the store and bring the Classic Yellow Mustard (any brand) home! Mustard makes every sandwich! Carl Buddig meat is an awesome snack when you are walking around HEB shopping. I use a whole pack or 2 for one sandwich.
I know….I think you and Adam should get together and go bowling…
“Just the thought of my corn dip made with Miracle Whip made my brain bleed a little bit.”
Reading this comment made me laugh nonstop for a minute! I love it that you dislike Miracle Whip so intensely, I do, too!
I guess I can rule out ever being asked to do product endorsements for Kraft, but Miracle Whip really is THAT bad. 🙂
One more vote for Miracle Whip, in this highly divided debate! A culinary fissure you bring up. I like them both really, but if i had to pick one, it would be the debatable MW. It’s use in egg and noodle salads are good, but like your friend Bert, it comes into it’s own when shared with a couple slices of bread and some left over turkey. Man!
Off-topic, I really enjoy your writing here on this blog. you are honed in your craft. Keep up the good work!
What we call mayonnaise is, I think, uniquely American. When I was in England I had a salad at the tea room in Kew Gardens. They brought over a gravy boat with an interesting looking liquid in it. It was off-white, thick, but pourable. I asked the waitress what it was, and in the kind of disdainful tone normally employed only by her betters she said “That is the mayonnaise.”
Apparently every decent restaurant over there makes their own. You could never apply that stuff with a knife.
Oh, and it was delicious.
Just admit it, Christine… You know that you like ‘luncheon meat.’
Yes, I like it with my cheese food and my sandwich spread
“I do not understand why the whip is miraculous”…that is brilliant and my feelings exactly. And yet you’ve opened your mind to the possibilities and for that, I applaud your bravery.
They try to make Miracle Whip out to be mayo’s cousin but there is no real relation…AND they trick you if you are not careful. The Miracle Whip jar looks awfully close,and almost identical to some mayonnaise brands out there. Deceitful, I say. Who could eat a condiment that lies like that? Shameful, Miracle Whip. Shameful.
Dishonest condiments are the scourge of the modern age.
I like the tangy zip of Miracle Whip. Especially on a good Bacon sandwich.
Ok, here’s the thing about Miracle Whip vs mayonnaise. I’ve always used MW and hated the taste of Mayonnaise… until today. I read the ingredients. High fructose corn syrup etc. When you start with that, it’s going to hook your taste buds. It’s not good for you. I rarely ever use it in anything except deviled eggs and everyone loves them. Now I know why. I’d be better off adding a spoonful of sugar to mayonnaise. Guess what’s heading to the trash? 🙂
Yes…I think that’s why I liked it as a kid…Anything sugary, I was all over it.
Miracle Whip is my mayo. I stand proud.
Keep fighting the good fight! You have to stand for something, or you’ll for anything! This applies even if what you are standing for is Miracle Whip.
Fresh Veggies – I am crushed! Here I find you confessing to liking “fake food.” I may have to re-evaluate my high regard for your culinary tastes? 😦
Oh no, have no fear…..I do not like Mracle Whip, and never will….
I am still laughing at mayo y mayo battle! Good stuff! Your writing, that is, because you KNOW I am NOT talking about Miracle Whip.
Thanks! I worry that sometimes my inuendo and word play may be lost on people, so it’s good to hear that it isn’t!
HAHA I am fond of Hellmans and my son works at Kraft.But…His work is in kool whip and lunchables. I to like real Mayo over the alternitive.
Funny, I have never bought Miracle Whip in my life. I’m sure I’ve had it, but I can’t even recall. This was very interesting! Thanks for sharing! Now you have piqued my interest!!
I have to agree with you about Miracle Whip. It is an embarrassment to the word “miracle.” It is a miracle that its inventor hasn’t been whipped. Hellman’s all the way, baby.
For my mayo with a kick, I always have wasabi mayonnaise from Trader Joe’s in the fridge. Enjoyed the real Mayo and Miracle whip comparisons.
The comments to this post are too funny. I’m in the mayo camp, no Miracle Whip here please. Duke’s if I can find it, otherwise Hellman’s, never Kraft.
You are a good man, Jason.
I am in awe of your open-minded willingness to find a space for Miracle Whip to co-exist with true mayonnaise. I won’t buy it and don’t allow it in my home. Two summers ago, someone introduced my daughter to Miracle Whip and she loves it. 😦 Thankfully, my son wasn’t induced to the dark side. If my daughter wants Miracle Whip, she has to find it outside this house! At least neither one likes processed American “cheese.”
My kids too, have never tasted any of the junk I discuss on White Trash Wednesdays….no spam, processed cheese, miracle whip, and none of the marshmallow fluff you’ll see this week!
Growing up I never knew there was a difference. Miracle Whip was the only thing you’d find in our home, and Mom and Dad both called it mayonnaise. As a young adult, I was trying to figure out why my grandmothers potato salad tasted so much better than Mom’s. I’d watched and helped them make it countless times and they used the same ingredients…….or so I thought. My grandmother was using Hellmans. I realized that if I used my mom’s recipes for various salads, but used mayo instead of mw they were so much better. I must admit, there are a few sandwichs that I do have to have Miracle Whip on, but I really think it’s more of a nostalgia thing than actually tasting better.
I don’t like MW unless it’s in a recipe. Thanks for sharing these! And thank you for visiting and following me. I hope I can find other followers to share my kitchen adventures with.
Your post and this thread is so interesting. I didn’t know its origins. I had my first encounter with Miracle Whip on New Year’ Eve with my boyf brought it home instead of mayonnaise, because his friend had persuaded him that its more or less the same thing and the supermarket was bedlum (NYE’s shopping in Berlin). But I confess I was mortified as I was trying to really impress for a dinner party we were having and put myself under all this pressure trying out new Ottenlenghi recipes for the first time (I know, schoolboy error). For me organic mayonnaise for me is on the list of things I will bother to buy organic, just because the taste is just so different.
Still, everytime I open the fridge (its still there) I have to laugh at the cheek of the naming – MIRACLE WHIP! Who cares if its mayonnaise or not, its miraculous and whipped!
Really liked what you had to say in your post, White Trash Wednesdays–Miracle Whip | Texana's Kitchen, thanks for the good read!
— Caleb