Hollendaise

[Marlene]

For years, the only thing in my house was salted butter. used for everything. As I've progressed further into baking, unsalted butter has made it appearance in my fridge. So.....I'm going to make a Hollendaise sauce tomorrow, which I've always made with salted butter. Is this correct, or should I be using unsalted? I'm so confused

[Suzanne F]

Salted???????

in a word: unsalted

Edited January 24, 2004 by Suzanne F (log)

[Dave the Cook]

I don't have salted butter in the house, so that's what I use -- and I add a pinch of salt to Hollandaise. Actually, I add salt to a lot of things that happen to have butter in them, but Hollandaise, like many things with a lot of lemon in them, can be tricky.

[Marlene]

oy. sorry!

[summertruffle]

You mean to make the clarified butter used in Hollandaise, I'm assuming. In which case, unsalted... definitely.

[Katherine]

You mean to make the clarified butter used in Hollandaise, I'm assuming. In which case, unsalted... definitely.

I've never clarified the butter. Melt only. There's flavor in the residue you'd lose when you clarified it.

I always use salted, but I've found that over the years, salted butter has less and less salt, so the sauce needs more seasoning adjustment.

[summertruffle]

Huh. I was taught to clarify the butter and have always done it that way. I've never tried it simply with melted butter so I honestly can't speak of the difference. And I've always used unsalted butter simply because I like to have complete control over the seasoning of the sauce. But to each his/her own, of course.

[Busboy]

1) I think that clarified butter Hollandaise lacks the taste and depth of sauce made with whole butter.

2) I don't think that the difference between salted and unsalted butter would make a world of difference, as salt is usually added anyway (the quality of the lemon being far more important) except that...

3) I believe, and I have heard it echoed elsewhwere, that because salt acts as a preservative for butter and masks some of the butter flavor, that unsalted butter is generally fresher and of higher quality.

4) So, Marlene, what are you putting it on, anyway? Inquiring minds want all the details.

[Suzanne F]

I was also thinking clarified butter. The extra water and the milk solids in merely melted butter make it a different emulsion, one I'm not used to working with.

When you use salted butter for anything, you lose control over how much salt goes into it. Unsalted lets you "salt to taste" -- a phrase I hate to read in recipes, but practice all the time. In other words, unsalted is better for us control freaks.

[Marlene]

No I don't clarify butter when I make Hollandaise. What am I putting in on? Two things. Eggs Benedict for a breakfast and broccoli for dinner.

[dano1]

unsalted, will taste fresher than the salted variety(unless its not fresh at all). Like busboy said salt is a preservative added to extend shelf life.

hth, danny

[Mottmott]

Julia and Jacques are doing eggs benedict right now on TV. Jacques added a pinch of salt at the end AND another pinch of cayenne.

[ducphat30]

When Jacques and Julia made bernaise, different sauce same mama, he used whole butter (melted). The solids add a lot of butter flavor. I also found that the sauce has a nice viscosity with the whole butter melted vs. it being warm mayonaissy (sp?) with straight clarified.

[cjs]

You mean to make the clarified butter used in Hollandaise, I'm assuming.  In which case, unsalted... definitely.

I've never clarified the butter. Melt only. There's flavor in the residue you'd lose when you clarified it.

I always use salted, but I've found that over the years, salted butter has less and less salt, so the sauce needs more seasoning adjustment.

I'm 100% with you Katherine. I never clarify the butter. I like the flavor much better with salted, just melted butter.

[GG Mora]

I always use unsalted. For everything. Salted butter never crosses the threshold. And I'm in the clarified-butter-for-Hollandaise camp. Like Suzanne F. says – different emulsion.

I used to use unsalted simply because of flavor preference (unsalted tastes more like butter to me) but then had an experience while cooking in a restaurant that really put me off salted butter. One day our supplier inadvertently sent a case of salted butter instead of unsalted. No one noticed, until I set about clarifying 3 lbs. for service. There appeared to be more than double the "crud" – milk solids, whey, whatever – as I was accustomed to. Out of curiosity, I went to the walk-in and checked...yup – it was salted butter. And the crud was a lot, well, cruddier. And it's stuck with me. I just have a subconscious "yuk" thing about mass-pro salted butter. I suspect that, because salt acts as a preservative, the manufacturer can leave more milk crud behind in the butter and the salt will prevent it going off. The unsalted butter has to be more thoroughly cleaned. So I think of salted vs. unsalted as cruddy vs. clean.