You could be professionally trained in cooking and still manage to separate your hollandaise. It’s a fact of the kitchen, emulsion sauces sometimes “break” or separate. However, there are tricks you can use to fix your sauce.
The main reason your sauce will separate is because your hollandaise is too thick. Below are two solutions for fixing this problem:
Option 1
Gradually whisk in 1/4 part hot water to your broken hollandaise. Add 1 tbsp hot water at a time until your hollandaise begins to come together. Continue to add the water gradually until your sauce is the right consistency.
Note: You can use scalded cream instead of hot water.
Option 2
In a fresh bowl, start with an egg yolk or 1/2 cup pasteurized egg product. Slowly whisk or blend in your separate sauce into the egg.
If either of these methods isn’t able to salvage your hollandaise, you’ll have to restart. Likely something other than the thickness of your sauce is the cause of its separation. When you do start a fresh sauce here are some pointers to prevent you sauce from breaking:
- Pour your butter in slowly. Too fast and it won’t properly incorporate.
- Add 1 tsp Dijon mustard to your bowl or blender before you add in the eggs. The mustard with stabilize your sauce and will prevent it from separating.
- If you notice your hollandaise is too thick while whisking or blending, add 1 tbsp of hot water before you sauce has a chance to separate.
FAQs
Gradually whisk in 1/4 part hot water to your broken hollandaise. Add 1 tbsp hot water at a time until your hollandaise begins to come together. Continue to add the water gradually until your sauce is the right consistency. Note: You can use scalded cream instead of hot water.
How to unsplit hollandaise? ›
If your sauce separates, beat an egg yolk and a tablespoon of water in a clean bowl over simmering water. Then, slowly whisk the broken sauce into the egg yolk in the clean bowl.
What is a common mistake with hollandaise sauce? ›
Hollandaise Sauce
One common hollandaise mistake is overcooking the egg yolks, and there's no coming back from that. But the most common problem is that the emulsion breaks, and you see streaks of liquid butter instead of a uniformly creamy sauce.
Can you fix runny hollandaise? ›
How do you fix a runny hollandaise? Blenders tend to make runny hollandaise - it's usually because the butter was too cold and hasn't cooked the eggs enough to thicken them. To thicken a runny hollandaise, tip the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and whisk over the heat until thickened.
Why did my hollandaise separate? ›
There is nothing more frustrating than a split hollandaise, turning it from a gorgeous thick emulsion to something that looks like it was brought up by the cat. This generally happens because the melted butter is added too quickly so that the eggs, which act to emulsify the fat and liquid, cannot keep up.
What if I put too much lemon in my hollandaise sauce? ›
What do I do if my hollandaise sauce is too lemony? You can either start again, or try adding another egg yolk and a bit more melted butter.
How to tell if hollandaise is broken? ›
A broken hollandaise sauce is thin with a grainy appearance. The likely causes are overheating, adding the butter too quickly, or adding too much butter. If a sauce seems on the verge of breaking, you'll see oily butter begin to accumulate on the edge of the sauce.
Why do I feel sick after hollandaise sauce? ›
Raw eggs are used in homemade versions of foods such as mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce. Unpasteurized dairy products. Unpasteurized milk and milk products — sometimes called raw milk — may be contaminated with salmonella. The pasteurization process kills harmful bacteria, including salmonella.
What to avoid in cooking hollandaise sauce? ›
"But there are a lot of ways things can go wrong. If you don't whisk fast enough or pour in your butter too fast it'll turn greasy and broken. Don't cook the eggs enough and it won't thicken properly. If you cook the eggs too much and you'll end up with clumpy, greasy, scrambled eggs.
Why does my hollandaise just taste like butter? ›
If your hollandaise sauce tastes mostly like butter, you may have added too much butter to the recipe. Try adding a little more Dijon mustard and lemon juice to balance out the flavors. Is the Hollandaise sauce like mayo? No, hollandaise sauce is not like mayonnaise.
Add 1 tsp Dijon mustard to your bowl or blender before you add in the eggs. The mustard with stabilize your sauce and will prevent it from separating.
How do restaurants store hollandaise? ›
What techniques do restaurants use to keep large quantities of hollandaise sauce? The best thing to do with hollandaise is to put it into a thermos bottle. A thermos will keep the sauce hot and prevent it from congealing or breaking.
What happens when a hollandaise sauce breaks? ›
Tips & Techniques > Troubleshooting Hollandaise
When a sauce splits, this means that the fat has separated from the egg foam (the sauce has lost its emulsion). The result will look thin, greasy, and lumpy.
How do you fix hollandaise with too much lemon? ›
Dilute the Lemon Juice
One way to counterbalance the strong lemon flavor is to dilute the juice. Start by adding small amounts of water or a neutral liquid, such as broth or white wine, to the dish. Gradually stir and taste as you go, until you reach the desired level of acidity.
How to fix a broken bearnaise? ›
directions
- Put egg yolk in a clean bowl.
- Whisk it then add the broken sauce drop by drop with continuing to whisk. If you don't have 3 hands or a way to hold the bowl still, you may want someone to help you.
- Whisk until the sauce is creamy and hom*ogeneous.
- Thin as needed with a splash of water.
I find the best way to gently reheat Hollandaise Sauce is to submerge a sealed container in a bowl of warm water no hotter than 50°C/122°F (just very warm tap water). Leave it for around 20 minutes, stir sauce, change the water and repeat, until it is slightly warmer than room temp and pourable.
