Food Safety of Hollandaise | Rouxbe Online Culinary School (2024)

FAQs

Food Safety of Hollandaise | Rouxbe Online Culinary School? ›

A word about the food safety of hollandaise sauce.

There are countless hollandaise sauce variations. Nonetheless, this is a basic version of this classic sauce. The procedure is accomplished by diluting and acidifying the egg yolks and heating the mixture to a pasteurizing temperature. This procedure ensures the destruction of salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria.

If the sauce is heated above 150°F (65°C), the eggs will cook and the sauce will break and become grainy. If the sauce temperature falls below 45°F (7°C), the butter will solidify, making the sauce unusable. In order to minimize the risk of food-borne illnesses: Always use clean, sanitized utensils.

These sauces should be held at low temperatures, 120°F/50˚C. Because they contain egg yolks and must be held in the food temperature danger zone, prepare as close to service as possible and never hold for longer than 4 hours before discarding.

Hollandaise sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. To store hollandaise, place it in an airtight container and make sure that the hollandaise is cooled down before you put it away.

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.

Hollandaise should be held between 120F to 145F (49 to 63C) so it does not split or curdle. If the sauce is heated above 150F, the eggs can overcook, become grainy and the sauce can potentially split.

Note: for raw egg products held warm (such as hollandaise or béarnaise sauce, or similar), it is recommended that the product is prepared just before service and must only be held for that service period (generally up to 2 hours) then discarded.

The eggs will scramble when they are exposed to too much heat. When making hollandaise over a double boiler, you have to pull the bowl of sauce off of the heat occasionally, so it can cool down a little. This will prevent the eggs from scrambling.

You cannot store hollandaise sauce for a long time, but just for a maximum of 1 hour if not it splits or hardens. You can place the pot of hollandaise on top of a lukewarm water bath until needed. Whisk vigorously before using.

What is the basic formula for hollandaise? ›

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into butter. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

If the heat is too high, the egg yolks will curdle and the sauce will become grainy.

Yes, Hollandaise sauce is safe to eat during pregnancy – providing it has been made with pasteurised or British Lion eggs. Hollandaise sauce is a delicious creamy blend of egg yolks, melted butter and lemon juice. Sometimes it's seasoned with cayenne pepper, and it often also includes white wine vinegar.

The butter breaks into minute droplets, while the egg yolk acts as an emulsifier, helping to keep those droplets dispersed, as well as thickening the sauce. What you get is a creamy, smooth sauce with a rich texture and mild flavor, perfect for topping eggs, fish, or vegetables.

While there's risk in eating undercooked meat (rare burgers) and raw egg dishes (Caesar dressing), hollandaise is particularly vulnerable to foodborne illness because the egg yolks aren't fully cooked, and the sauce isn't served hot (eggs should be heated to at least 135 degrees).

The key to making hollandaise is to use warm butter. It gently cooks the eggs. So, no, if the sauce is made correctly there isn't any raw egg.