Béarnaise...

[Azer]

Ahh, the worlds worst sauce to make. Are there any ways to speed things up so my arm doesn't fall off once or twice a day? Or is there no other way rather than whisking over a double boiler 'til world ends?

[tspapa]

short answer..no. My wife makes it in a blender at home, but it wont hold up that long.

[garball]

Are you using a balloon whip with more numerous thinner wires? Is your bowl large enough for your sauce? It's easier if it's not too deep. Unless you're making a 90 yolk hollandaise, there shouldn't be any limbs falling off.

[Azer]

Large bowl, normaly 20 yolks, thin large ballon whisk, I wish it was a whip, still takes me 4 - 6 minutes standing over a double broiler. Whisking doesn't ususally bother me, expect over heat for a long period of time.

Yes, using a blender never works well. It rarely holds up one hour rather than the 6 - 8 whisking it by hand.

[cheftilka]

keep in mind that bearnaise is a warm emulsion sauce that should be kept between 35-37 degrees celcius any hotter the mix will curdle any cooler and it will set, this may explain why your mix is splitting so easily. Unfortunatel, because you need to keep it at this temperatur it needs to be thrown out after about two hours because of potential bacteria growth...hope this helps

[garball]

Depending on how often you need it; you could make it to order one or two yolks at a time or a 12 yolk every hour. Just make a large batch of your reduction and keep it and your butter in a store n pours on the line. I have also seen the RobotCoupe method make many an emulsion sauce that have held up until no longer safe.

[Randy]

100 ways to make a Bearnaise, 101 ways to mess it up.

Some days mine will last 5 minutes, most days 6 hours.

[bohica]

Putting the sauce in a thermos will help keep it for a couple of hours on the line.

As to the comment of whisking until your arm falls off:

The heat source you are using as a double boiler is boiling water right? Well you could speed up that process by placing your eggs (in the shell of course) in warm water first. Then crack and separate. The warm egg yolks will help speed things up. Also make sure your double boiler is "boiling" so when you place the bowl of yolks over it you will start to cook the yolks immediately.

Also remember you are not whipping the eggs you are just vigorously stirring them. You don't want to add volume to the eggs.

[Fincher]

throw a damp tea towel over the bowl so it won't move, make sure you don't get the towel close to the flames

and use this:

[chefthomas]

I use my kitchen aid bowl because it has a handle and use a deep fryer for heat to the egg yolks at first pulling them to & fro ajusting the heat as needed, with the aid of a stick mixer w/whip attachment...never had a problem with it that way

[deltadoc]

I'm not even a professional chef or cook (anymore), but I haven't used a double boiler for bearnaise in like 25 years.

I just put it on a gas flame. All mise en place before I begin. I prepare the reduction first, let it cool completely, then I put in all the yolks. Bring it up to temp quickly, and just as it starts to thicken, I start adding the already melted clarified butter.

Goes quickly, and I always keep a shot glass or two of ice cold cream just in case the sauce breaks, which really isn't very often. Actually, can't remember the last time I broke a bearnaise.

doc

[Randy]

deep fryers & ice cold cream....change my previous comment to 102 ways to make Bearnaise sauce.

[chefa1a]

most of the key points are covered

i think the blender method makes a better emulsion if done right, holding in the thermos is another trick to help longevity

to make one on the fly during service; reduce tarragon , white wine, shallots and vinegar in a small sauce pan. add small pats of butter like a buerre blanc, then off the heat, whisk in an egg yolk

not a true bearnaise but boggles the minds of young line cooks who say my sauce broke or should i "86" this dish