Spent 4 hours trying to fix a hollandaise that wouldn't thicken last night

Turns out my burner was running too low - the eggs never got warm enough to emulsify. Felt pretty silly when I cranked it up a notch and it came together in under 2 minutes. Anyone else ever chase a simple fix for way too long?

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2 Comments

oscarh162mo ago

Heat is usually the culprit with hollandaise and a lot of folks don't realize how crucial it is. Same thing happened to me the first time, I was stirring forever over what I thought was a gentle flame and nothing. Bumped it up just a hair and it came together in a blink. Another thing to check is your water level in the double boiler, if it's too low the steam stops. Your mileage may vary but I've found a cheap laser thermometer helps me nail that sweet spot every time.

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logantaylor2mo ago

22 people I've watched making hollandaise at home ruined it by trying to "bump up the heat" and ended up with scrambled eggs. My first successful batch was actually on the lowest setting my stove had, just barely simmering water, and it took a solid 12 minutes of constant whisking. The problem is usually that people aren't patient enough or they're adding the butter too fast, not that the heat isn't high enough. A laser thermometer sounds like overkill when you can just check the steam level with your hand or watch how the water moves. If you're getting a broken sauce, try cutting your butter into smaller cubes and adding them one at a time before you start messing with the temperature.

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