Classic Picnic Salads

• Cole slaw, pasta and potato salads dressed with mayo have a rich creaminess that makes them satisfying comfort foods or picnic foods. Olive oil and lemon juice dressing is lighter and perkier, and it marinates ingredients that grow more flavorful after they sit for an hour or two. Instead of directly substituting olive oil and lemon for mayo in classic cole slaw, potato and pasta salad recipes, create a salads from ingredients that combine well with the lighter dressing. For example, use cucumbers, tomatoes or red and green peppers to provide sweet contrasts to the tart lemon flavor.

Tuna and Egg Salads

• Tuna and egg salads are best with mayo rather than olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Mayonnaise sticks to these ingredients, transforming them into sticky spreads that work well on bread or crackers. You can use olive oil and lemon juice for a tuna or egg salad, but it will be a dressed salad that you eat with a fork rather than one of the traditional spreads typically made from these ingredients. Avocado makes a better substitute for mayo in sandwich spreads, as long as you eat them right away so they don't sit and discolor.

Sandwich Fixings

• Mayo makes a classic sandwich fixing, moistening bread and giving it an extra bite. Used the same way, olive oil and lemon juice dressing tend to make the bread soggy, creating a disappointing sandwich experience. You can successfully incorporate olive oil and lemon juice as a sandwich condiment as long as you use it sparingly to minimize the risk of sogginess. Drizzle the dressing on ingredients such as leafy greens, and keep it away from the bread by layering other ingredients on the slices first.

Mayo as a Binder

• Some dishes, such as crab cakes or salmon croquettes, use mayo as a binder. Its thickness and richness helps to hold other ingredients together, especially crumbly foods such as shredded crab or salmon. Olive oil and lemon juice dressing is runnier than mayo, and the oil in the dressing will prevent ingredients from sticking together rather than facilitating this binding. Egg makes a better binder for patties, thickening and holding ingredients together as it cooks.