I finally figured out why my hollandaise kept breaking

Tbh I've been struggling with hollandaise for years. Last Tuesday at the Pearl Street Bistro in Denver, the sous chef watched me make it and pointed out I was adding the butter too fast. I was dumping it in over like 15 seconds when it should take a full 2 minutes of slow drizzle. Anyone else have a basic technique that took them way too long to get right?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.christopher10d ago

@the_henry actually I gotta disagree here. Dumping the butter fast gives you that thick creamy texture way better than a slow drizzle, you just need to keep the heat up enough so it doesn't seize. Been making hollandaise for years and my method is butter in 30 seconds with the pan still on a low burner, never had a break since.

the_henry10d ago

You mentioned "adding the butter too fast" and honestly that was my exact problem for the longest time. I used to think speed didn't matter but watching a chef take a full two minutes to drizzle it changed everything for me. Did you notice a big difference in consistency when you finally slowed down?