Strangers are about to learn a dirty little secret my family has known for years.
I eat Miracle Whip (gasp!).
In fact, I like it better than real mayonnaise (gasp!).
My favorite thing is to smoosh up Season sardines, mix in some Miracle Whip, and scoop it up on wheat crackers (gasp, gasp!). I learned this from my dad. My cousin Martin used to ship the sardines to me from Maryland (no other brand will do, just like no other mayo will do), because until recently I couldn't find them here. Finding the Miracle Whip was never a problem.
Invented at Max Crosset's Cafe in Salem, Illinois, Miracle Whip was originally called Max Crossett's X-tra Fine Salad Dressing. Crosset sold his formula to Kraft Foods in 1931 for $300.
A patented "emulsifying machine" helped produce a uniform blend of existing mayonnaise products and less expensive salad dressing. The machine, informally called "Miracle Whip" by inventor Charles Chapman, ensured that pre-measured ingredients could continuously enter the appliance and become thoroughly whipped and blended.
Kraft introduced its new product at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933, with the tagline "Salad Miracles with Miracle Whip Salad Dressing." It was an instant success.
While Miracle Whip is not an all-natural product, the list of ingredients contains nothing I can't identify: water, soybean oil, vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, modified food starch, egg yolks, salt, mustard flour, artificial color, potassium sorbate as a preservative, spice, paprika, natural flavor, dried garlic. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? And from a nutrition standpoint, it's actually a lower-fat alternative to mayonnaise, with no trans fat and only 1 gram of carbs per tablespoon.
In junior high school, my friends and I used Miracle Whip as a hair conditioner, and for facials (gaspgaspgasp!).
I grew up with Miracle Whip, and I guess I'll never outgrow it.
WILD RICE SALAD
This isn't really a salad, and it's not made with real wild rice. It was a favorite with our kids when they were young, and now our grandsons love it, too. A great way to get children to eat some vegetables. Use instant rice and a rotisserie chicken, and this meal comes together in less than 10 minutes. Serves 4.
1 box Uncle Ben's Instant Long Grain & Wild Rice, prepared according to package directions
2 Kirby cucumbers, or 1/2 of a long seedless cuke, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
1/2 lb roasted chicken breast, skin removed, diced (a rotisserie chicken from the market works well, or use leftovers)
1/4 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Black pepper, to taste
Combine first six ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix Miracle Whip and mustard. Add to the rice mixture, and season with black pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Now, there's another surprise!!
Posted by: Pauline | July 26, 2006 at 09:10 AM
I'm not with you on the Miracle Whip, but I do like your blog very much. Very interesting idea to base a blog around the ingredients.
Posted by: kalyn | July 26, 2006 at 10:21 AM
Kalyn, I'm so glad you're enjoying the pantry. Miracle Whip is an acquired taste, I think -- and I acquired that taste when I was a little girl. My tastebuds have changed over the years (yours, too?), and I now can't eat some things I liked when I was younger (like peanut butter, or tuna casserole). But I've also developed a taste for other things (spicy hot food) that I didn't like when I was young. So, my pantry changes all the time.
Posted by: Lydia | July 26, 2006 at 10:31 AM
Hey, I am back to tell you I just spotlighted your blog for Blogher:
http://blogher.org/node/8148
You're right about your tastes changing, but mine changed the other way. When I was a kid we ate Miracle Whip, but now I am 100% into mayo!
Posted by: kalyn | July 26, 2006 at 10:45 AM
Thanks so much, Kalyn!
On the other end of the mayo spectrum, check out the aioli we made last weekend. That was some serious mayo.... http://ninecooks.typepad.com/ninecooks/2006/07/le_grand_aioli_.html
Posted by: Lydia | July 26, 2006 at 10:51 AM
I love Miracle Whip, too. It's my dirty little secret. I can't get it here (Ecuador) although for awhile the local supermarket was importing it, but no one liked it!
Posted by: Kari | July 26, 2006 at 12:02 PM
Kari, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. Glad to know there are more lovers of Miracle Whip out in the world!
Posted by: Lydia | July 26, 2006 at 12:35 PM
I grew up slathering Miracle Whip (and something called Ranch dressing which was a French-type bottled salad dressing vs what's now called ranch) on nearly everything on my plate. The favorite sandwich was (at least, good) white bread with butter and peanut butter and Miracle Whip and iceberg lettuce. How's that for retro?!!
Posted by: Alanna | July 26, 2006 at 01:02 PM
Thanks, Alanna, and welcome to The Perfect Pantry. What a wonderful memory!
Posted by: Lydia | July 26, 2006 at 03:09 PM
what's not to like about Miracle Whip........Alanna I had that very same sandwich. Another was white bread butter Miracle Whip and sliced radishes.
I to like your blog very much.
Posted by: doodles | July 28, 2006 at 09:29 PM
Oooooh, never tried the radishes, but that sounds like a perfect summer sandwich Doodles, welcome to The Perfect Pantry.
Posted by: Lydia | July 28, 2006 at 10:32 PM
My girlfriend and I used to make Miracle Whip sandwiches when we were 10 years old....I still crave a mayo sandwich, most of the time with nothing else on it, but the BEST is a good ripe tomato and the mayo....sometimes I add potato chips on the sandwich - gives it crunch......that's MY input for the blog.....I love your blog, by the way...keep it coming...!!!! Happy Miracle Whip to you !
Posted by: Gramma Weezy | August 03, 2006 at 03:16 PM
Gramma Weezy, happy Miracle Whip to you, too, and welcome to The Perfect Pantry! MW and ripe tomato.....yum.
Posted by: Lydia | August 03, 2006 at 03:21 PM
As the above mentioned "cousin Martin" I feel compelled to add that only Seasons Sardines packed in OLIVE OIL provide the true nostalgic taste. Still, Seasons in soy are better than no Seasons at all!
Posted by: Martin | August 04, 2006 at 07:49 AM
Martin, you are sooooo right! Welcome to The Perfect Pantry, and thanks for being my personal exporter for so many years. Without the sardines, how could I justify having the giant jar of MW in my pantry???
Posted by: Lydia | August 04, 2006 at 07:54 AM
i am esiding in malaysia. can someone please kindly tell me where can i purchase miracle whip in my country<
thanks
Posted by: susan | November 21, 2006 at 12:18 AM
OK so, my buddy Kyle (same name) that i work with recently informed me that in his middle school science class he was taught that miracle whip is just short of one molecule away from...PLASTIC (gasp) yes that's right plastic, being the ignorant person i am, i do not believe him, and for the sake of argument i want to find out if this has any truth behind it...can anyone prove whether this is true or not..thank you, sincerely, Kyle 1.
Posted by: Kyle Hankins | January 16, 2007 at 10:10 PM
I was hoping you might bail me out of a recipe fix. My wife used to make something called Oatmeal Puffins.
I was helping transfer her handwritten recipes to printed form and I left something out of the original recipe.
Then before making sure I had it right I tossed out the original.
Now it doesn't work and I was hoping you might have heard of this item.
What we have left is, it uses milk, sugar, salt, quick oats, dry yeast, and flour.
She says something is missing and doesn't recall what but they just don't come out right.
Please help.
Thank you.
Del
Posted by: Del | January 12, 2008 at 01:31 PM