The Most Common Mistake People Make With Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauces are best cooked at temperatures around 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything over this maximum puts this condiment at risk of splitting, which occurs when the creamy, smooth emulsion of the egg yolks, lemon juice, and melted butter breaks. The sauce will separate into pools of fat floating in liquid. Thankfully, you can fix it by carefully adding drops of boiling water into the sauce while whisking, or by whipping in a fresh egg yolk into the mixture. If you want to avoid the use of heat entirely, Serrano-Bahri recommends using a powdered mix or mayo to make a Hollandaise in half the time.

If you do decide to make traditional Hollandaise sauce, it can be helpful to avoid drizzling in all the melted butter in one swoop. This can cause it to pool on the surface of your mixture, and make it difficult to blend it with the egg yolks. You’ll want to carefully pour in small amounts of butter while you’re whisking the sauce vigorously over the heat. When you’re done with your Hollandaise, drizzle it over your favorite egg, meat, and veggie dishes, or mix it with some reduced wine vinegar to create a béarnaise, which is different in flavor but equally delectable.