Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is the default jar of egg-and-oil emulsion for sandwiches, salads and dipping, and almost everyone meets it as a basic fridge condiment. By our assessment, its strength is texture: it binds potato salad, softens a sandwich and gives cold dishes a creamy feel without needing much work. The downside is that it is heavy, oily and easy to overuse, so a little can dominate a plate fast. In practice it is one of those pantry items that disappears into recipes more than it appears on its own, which is why its quality is usually judged by how it behaves with other food. Compared with ketchup or mustard, it is richer and less sharp, and compared with aioli it is the plainer, mass-market version. The en:groceries category fits because this is a standard grocery staple, not a specialty sauce. It is the condiment that quietly fills the gap between dry bread and a finished sandwich.