How long can you keep hollandaise?

[Live_to_cook]

I found that making it an hour ahead and keeping it in a warm place was enough for me. But I'm curious about the fridge idea too.

[Isa]

I kept it in the fridge for at least 48 hours. To reheat it I used a bain-marie. I didn't want it really hot, but just room temperature.

[Isa]

From The Inquisitive Cook:


Don't try to store hollandaise, as it's the ideal medium for bacterial growth. And because oil and water expand at different rates, extremes in temperature also cause hollandaise to separate. Refrigeration doesn't work. The butter solidifies and separates. And reheating causes curdling, Once you've made hollandaise sauce, serve it as quickly as possible. Or keep it warm in a scrupulously clean wide-neck thermos while you do the last-minute meal preparations.

[Nicko]

I seem to remember Julia Child talking about freezing hollandaise. In general I always made it for service and then threw what ever was left over out. I used to re-use beurre blanc sauces a lot though.