Serious question, has anyone else tried using a sous vide for a large batch of hollandaise?

I was prepping for a 200-cover brunch service last Sunday and decided to try making my hollandaise in a sous vide bath to keep it stable. I followed a recipe I saw online, setting the water to 145 degrees and letting it go for an hour. When I pulled the bags out, the sauce was way too thick, almost like a paste, and it had a weird, almost grainy feel on the tongue. I had to thin it out with nearly a cup of extra warm water and a lot of whisking to get it back to a usable state, which threw off my timing. I think the constant, even heat might have over-cooked the egg yolks in a way a double boiler doesn't. It saved me from having to whisk by hand, but the texture trade-off wasn't worth it. Has anyone else run into this with sous vide emulsions, and do you have a better method for holding a big batch without breaking?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_phoenix1mo ago

Totally get that grainy texture. Had the same thing happen trying to hold mayo in one for a catering gig.

richard_shah1mo ago

Wait, you made hollandaise for TWO HUNDRED people? That's insane.