How To Reheat Hollandaise Sauce
Hollandaise sauce is always best when served fresh. The eggs and butter used to make the hollandaise sauce might separate if it is left to sit, and if you do reheat the sauce, it might overcook and the sauce might be ruined, turning it lumpy and destroying its flavor.
However, if you must reheat hollandaise sauce, there are some ways to do so delicately, to ensure that the sauce maintains most of its balanced flavor and to keep it smooth and free from lumps.
How do you reheat hollandaise sauce without ruining it? The best way to reheat hollandaise sauce is to reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop just until it is warm. When reheating, you should do it slowly and gently, to avoid overcooking the egg or causing the sauce to separate.
While you should try and serve the hollandaise sauce fresh for the best quality, you can reheat it if necessary, and still enjoy its delicate flavor and smooth texture.
Reheating Hollandaise In The Microwave
Using the microwave to reheat hollandaise is a good option, as long as you use the microwave on a low setting. Placing the hollandaise in the microwave on a medium or high setting will separate and overcook the sauce, and it will be completely ruined.
Here is how to reheat hollandaise sauce in the microwave:
- Place the hollandaise sauce into a microwave-safe bowl.
- Set the microwave to 20% power, or on ‘low’ if that is your only option.
- Microwave the hollandaise sauce for 15 seconds.
- Let it sit for 15 seconds.
- Reheat for another 15 seconds.
- Repeat this process until it is warmed up fully, leaving it to sit between reheating for 15 seconds at a time.
Using a low heat setting, and short 15-second increments to reheat the hollandaise sauce in the microwave is the safest way to ensure that it does not overheat and overcook. It might be a bit frustrating to do but it is the only way to ensure the hollandaise is not ruined.
Pros of Using a Microwave
When using a microwave, you are able to set it onto a low heat setting, which gives you more control of the heat that the hollandaise sauce is exposed to. You are also able to only heat the hollandaise sauce for short periods of time before switching the heat off.
The microwave is also the quickest method to use to reheat hollandaise sauce, as it does not need to be heated up before being used.
Cons of Using a Microwave
If your microwave does not have specific heat settings, it will be almost impossible to heat up the hollandaise sauce without it separating. Microwaves have different power levels, and it can be difficult to determine if yours will end up cooking the hollandaise sauce or not.
It can be really easy to overcook the hollandaise sauce when using the microwave, even if it is left in the microwave for a few seconds too long, and the whole sauce will be ruined and unusable.
Reheating Hollandaise On The Stove
Another way to reheat hollandaise sauce is to do so on the stovetop. You need to be careful when using the stovetop, as it is really quite easy to land up with cooked scrambled eggs, and not hollandaise sauce.
Only use the stovetop if you can set it to low heat, otherwise, there is no point reheating the hollandaise sauce on the stove, as it will definitely cook if exposed to high heat and your hollandaise sauce will not be palatable.
Here is how to reheat hollandaise on the stove:
- Place the hollandaise sauce into a small pan.
- Turn the stove onto the lowest heat possible.
- Place the hollandaise sauce in the pan onto the stovetop.
- Stir the sauce around as it heats.
- Add in a small amount of butter and some water to re-emulsify the sauce, to stop it separating.
- Once just reheated through, remove it from the heat and serve it immediately.
If the hollandaise sauce beings to separate, add in some butter and water and stir it to re-emulsify it. This should fix the problem. Remember to keep stirring the mixture to ensure the hollandaise sauce in the bottom of the pan does not cook.
Pros of Using a Stove
The stove is a good option to use to reheat hollandaise sauce if you can set it onto low heat. You are able to stir the sauce as it reheats, to keep it from separating, and you can easily add in some extra butter or water to re-emulsify it all.
Cons of Using a Stove
If your stove is not able to be set to such a low setting, there is a good chance that the hollandaise sauce could cook and you will land up with scrambled eggs. The hollandaise sauce on the bottom of the pan might also burn and cooked if not stirred enough.
You need to keep a close check on the hollandaise sauce being heated on the stovetop to ensure that it does not start to overcook, or that it does not start to burn.
Tips For Reheating Hollandaise Sauce
Once again, it is always best to serve hollandaise sauce fresh, but there are some tips to serving it after it’s been frozen.
If you are wanting to keep some aside and reheat it to enjoy at a later stage, here are some of our best tips:
- If the hollandaise sauce separates and won’t recombine, you could add in a few drops of water to the sauce while you whisk it. Some water, or even some butter, could help to combine the sauce again, as long as you whisk it together enough.
- If you are making your sauce early, and know you will only be eating it in a little while, you should leave it in a warmer to keep warm until you are ready to use it. Set the warmer on very low so it does not cook the hollandaise, but keeps it just warm.
- Don’t leave the hollandaise sauce in the warmer for longer than 2 hours, as it could pose the risk of bacterial growth, which could lead to food poisoning. This is even more possible if the eggs are not cooked.
- To store hollandaise sauce in the fridge, keep it in an airtight container. You should consume the hollandaise sauce on the same day, or the next day latest, or else the quality will decline and it will be difficult to reincorporate the sauce.
- One other way to reheat the sauce would be to place it in a heatproof bowl and place it over boiling water. The hollandaise sauce can be whisked continuously until the steam from the boiling water reheats the sauce evenly and gently, without cooking it.
The Problem With Reheating Hollandaise
Hollandaise is such a delicate sauce and often takes quite some practice to get right. The trickiest part of making the hollandaise sauce is to cook it gently but not overcook it, which is a very fine line to be aware of.
By reheating the hollandaise sauce, you are risking overcooking it even more than the first time, as the eggs would already be cooked to how they should be. It really is just safer to serve the hollandaise sauce fresh.
Related Questions
We hope that you have found this guide to reheating hollandaise sauce informative. We invite you to review these related questions for some additional details that could be helpful to you.
Can You Save Leftover Hollandaise Sauce?
Leftover hollandaise sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container overnight, and can even be added to a new hollandaise sauce you are making the next day.
It would be best to add in the hollandaise sauce in one spoon at a time to the fresh batch and whisk it together to incorporate it all. It will taste just as good as it did the first time around, and you will have more sauce to enjoy with your eggs!
How Long Will Hollandaise Sauce Last in the Fridge?
Hollandaise sauce will last up to two days in the fridge, as long as it is kept in an airtight container. The lid should be sealed tightly and the hollandaise should not come into contact with other food items.
Can Hollandaise Sauce Be Frozen?
You should avoid freezing hollandaise sauce, as once it is thawed, it will separate and will be very difficult to reincorporate back together.
If you do freeze hollandaise sauce, it should be thawed at room temperature, or in the fridge, and whisked occasionally to try and minimize separation. It should then be reheated gently on the stovetop, or on the lowest setting in the microwave.
Make sure to check out this article for a more in-depth look at ways to store and freeze hollandaise sauce.
How To Reheat Hollandaise Sauce – Review
Hollandaise sauce can be reheated successfully, as long as it is reheated gently and on low heat. It can be done in the microwave or on the stove, with occasional whisking, and the addition of a little bit of water to reincorporate the ingredients.
The sauce has to be reheated very carefully, otherwise, the eggs will overcook, the ingredients will separate, and you will be left with a very lumpy sauce that just does not go very well with an English muffin and poached eggs!
