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How long can you keep hollandaise?

post #1 of 19
12/23/00 at 10:37am
Thread Starter 
I was thinking of eggs benedict for the Xmas breakfast but because of other things I'll have going on, there's no way I can make it right then.

How can you extend the stove life of hollandaise, make it a couple of hours earlier and still have it be in good shape when used? Or am I just tilting at windmills here? Please advise.
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post #2 of 19
12/23/00 at 12:50pm
Live to cook,

Hollandaise is a four hour sauce. You should throw it out and start over after that. Remember that it is a egg base product. You should not mess with egg base products. I know that it is a pain in the butt, but safty first.

When you make it keep it on the stove while you cook, but not too hot.

D. Lee

[This message has been edited by Dlee (edited 12-23-2000).]
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post #3 of 19
12/23/00 at 3:34pm
Thread Starter 
Dlee, do you just keep it on low? Put it in a warmer?

The four hour thing, is that a bacteria/safety thing, or is it that the sauce will separate/curdle?
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post #4 of 19
12/23/00 at 4:07pm
Live to cook,

Just keep it on the stove away from any direct heat. Or keep it in any warm place. No direct heat.

The four hour thing is a bacteria/safty thing.

D. Lee
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post #5 of 19
12/23/00 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks again D. Lee.
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post #6 of 19
12/24/00 at 1:28am
technically speaking, or perhaps based on a food law thingy, in Aus, any sauce kept over 4 hrs has to be brought to the boil at least x amount of minutes. Like this is possible.

Im sure, bacterially speaking, this rule will extend to many parts of the world.
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post #7 of 19
12/24/00 at 10:36am


How about keeping it in the fridge and warming it when you're ready to use it.
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post #8 of 19
12/24/00 at 10:48am
I've heard that if you put it in the refrigerator it turns into a hard lump of lemon butter that separates and curdles on reheating. If I needed it in two hours and had time to make it now, I would definitely try the insulated food jar method. Where I used to work they would put the pan in a "warm" place on top of one of the ovens, where sometimes it would cook and break, and other times it would chill and crystallize, depending on whether the oven was in use.
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post #9 of 19
12/24/00 at 12:08pm
live_to_cook, Yes there are many "modern" ways to make hollandaise sauce. It is my recomodation that the best way is the classic way. As dlee said just keep it in a warm place (internail temputure should not exceed 110 degrees) As nick shu pointed out ,which is true here as that a sauce that has been sitting for four hours must be brought to a boil...165 degrees for fifteen minutes. This is of course impossible with hollandaise. You can not boil it,and you can not hold it above 140 degrees (HAACP)you can hold this sauce safely for four hours,But understand there are two reason this sauce is not being made by Chefs like it used to
#1 People are just eating lighter preparations of food. Hollandaise and the like are artery killers.
#2 It is a breeding ground for many food born pathogens...foods must be keep below 45 degrees or above 140 degrees,this sauce misses the boat on both ends.
cc
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post #10 of 19
12/24/00 at 12:30pm
To keep a holandaise in the fridge .... never heard that before. The thing with hollandaise is that it is a very temperamental sauce. What I mean is it breaks in a heart beat too cold or too warm.

Live to cook,

One way I can recomend is to, seperate your egg yolks, and keep them in the fridge. Then you can keep your butter warm till you need it. Then when you are ready to serve, fifteen minutes before service you go ahead and make your sauce.

D.Lee

[This message has been edited by Dlee (edited 12-24-2000).]
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post #11 of 19
12/24/00 at 12:57pm
Dlee


I've kept hollandaise in the fridge and never had problem with it. It tasted very good and no curdle.
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post #12 of 19
12/24/00 at 1:23pm
It is ok to keep your eggs in the fridge.
But it is important to let them temper before you start,Or you will not incorporate enough air or butter and it is more apt to break
cc

[This message has been edited by cape chef (edited 12-24-2000).]
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post #13 of 19
12/25/00 at 6:03pm
Sisi,

How do you reheat it? Also how long would/did you keep it in the fridge?

Thank you,
D.Lee
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post #14 of 19
12/25/00 at 7:58pm
Thread Starter 
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.
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post #15 of 19
12/26/00 at 8:43am


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.
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post #16 of 19
1/2/01 at 11:46am

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.
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post #17 of 19
1/2/01 at 12:10pm
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.
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post #18 of 19
4/26/11 at 12:45pm
It is hard to just make one serving of Hollandaise sauce. I quickly put the left over in a zip lock and put it in the fridge. The lemon juice ( I use tarragon vinegar in mine instead of the lemon juice) is acidic enough to keep it safe over night in the fridge. The next day I warmed it up in the zip lock, and heated it in hot water from the faucet! It turned out very well!
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post #19 of 19
4/27/11 at 12:49am

Sadly, being an egg product, it's best kept a temperature right smack in the middle of what the health code calls the "danger zone."  Not safe to keep for long periods of time.  I also do not recommend you order it in a restaurant either. 

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