You mention the presence of raw eggs in mayonnaise. But isn't the stuff you buy in a jar at the store "safe" because of the way it's processed?

Hi Seraphine- the difference between homemade and manufactured mayo is definintely the processing. They are not spending hours cracking shelled eggs into the mayo mix in a factory, they are using processed 'pasteurised' egg products. Pasteurising the eggs essentially makes it safe (I believe by heating to 55oC for 10 minutes). You can purchase pasteurised egg pulp, or powdered egg (e.g. mousse mix or meringue powder). A student of mine uses powdered egg whites to mix cocktails at his bar, as he knows the risk of food poisoning is too great. He says once you shake it up, you wouldn't know the difference. The issue with eggs is that the bacteria is being found insie the yolk - no matter how carefully you handle it, whether it has poop on the shell or not... it is still a risk, and on the rise in Australia. See http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/15/2245496.htm for any interesting look at how 'safe' the inside of eggs may be...