This Is the Only Mayonnaise Brand Worth Using, According to Julia Child

Just like Ina Garten (and her penchant for popping knives in the dishwasher) and Ree Drummond (who slays with her silly TikTok dances), the more we learn about Julia Child, the more she seems totally down to earth.

Sure, we all know that clip of her tossing ingredients that fell out of the pan back in post-flip. But we also know her as the woman who fixed super fancy dishes such as coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon and soufflés.

Still, after learning that her must-have Thanksgiving "appetizer" was Goldfish crackers, we were inspired to dive deeper into the Child archives to see what other surprising ingredients she viewed as MVPs.

Recently, beloved cookbook author/cookie queen/Child kitchen pal Dorie Greenspan shared a recipe for Tuna Salad Sandwich, Julia Child-Style with The New York Times. It was one of "Julia Child's favorite dishes for a working lunch," according to Dorie Greenspan, who adapted the recipe from Child's original one.

"For decades, Julia would be on the road almost as much as she was at home, and on tour, everyone wanted to show her their best—and often their richest and most complicated—dishes," Greenspan wrote in The New York Times story. "When she got home, she craved simple food and seized what opportunities she had to enjoy it. Although she knew that visitors often expected something posh, even she, a gracious and energetic host, wasn't likely to make a fancy lunch, so she cleverly turned the tuna sandwich into her midday signature....it set just the relaxed tone she liked."

While she yearned for a relaxed vibe, Child was still particular about her ingredients. Tuna salad sandwiches with two slices always go between Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich Bread ($3.99, Target), and the open-faced-style should be spooned over a split Bays English Muffins ($2.99 for six, Target), she believed.

Quite possibly the most surprising fact we learned, though, was about the mayo. Child swore by Hellmann's "always," Greenspan said.