Until I discovered Vegenaise in the refrigerated section of the natural-foods aisle at a local grocery store, I’d pretty much accepted life without potato or pasta salad.

I’d tried a number of other egg-free mayonnaises, mostly ones made with soy and canola. They were — how can I put this tactfully? — disgusting. Many also contained garlic, which would have ruled them out after Big Guy’s garlic allergy hit if my taste buds hadn’t already evicted them.

I’ve even made my own. It took two tries to get it right, and I wasn’t thrilled with the taste. The upside: Homemade doesn’t take much time once you master the technique, and it’s inexpensive.

Vegenaise solved most of my problems.

It tastes almost like the real deal. Even Dad, who’s suspicous of egg-free foods, concedes that.

It behaves itself in most recipes, but not all. I’ve tried only the original variety — there are several others available — and it does separate if it becomes even slightly warm. I’ve learned to chill potatoes and pasta before attempting to make salad. And recipes such as my favorite hot chicken salad tend to turn out more like hot chicken Exxon Valdez, so I’ve given up.

It’s also expensive: $6.49 a quart at my local grocery store, $6.19 online. It’s the only acceptable substitute in this house, though, so we go ahead and buy it. Talk about the hidden cost of food allergies.

Follow Your Heart, the company that makes Vegenaise, also has a line of egg-free salad dressings. I’ve never tried them because of the garlic allergy, but they might be worth checking out.

Copyright 2008 Debra Legg. All rights reserved.

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