Pro tip: My hollandaise went from broken mess to perfect sauce after I changed one thing

For about three months straight, my hollandaise was a disaster. I'd get it right maybe one out of five times, and it was always a gamble during brunch service. The sauce would split or get too thick, and I was wasting a ton of butter and eggs. Then, a cook who used to work at a place in New Orleans told me to stop using a double boiler and just use a regular metal bowl directly over a pot of simmering water, but to take it off the heat completely before I started whisking in the butter. I tried it that way, and the difference was instant. The first time, it came out smooth and held for a full two-hour service without breaking. The key was controlling the heat more directly and not letting the bowl get too hot. Has anyone else found a small change that fixed a classic sauce for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr1013d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain. Did you also get that awful scrambled egg sludge in the bottom of the bowl sometimes? I had the exact same issue until I started using room temp butter instead of cold. It just incorporates so much slower and gives you way more control.

alexc9313d agoTop Commenter

My friend's cookies were total bricks until she tried that trick!

allen.ivan2d ago

My cousin had the same problem with her shortbread. She started weighing her flour instead of scooping it and that fixed everything.