7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:This thread was supposed to be about using a siphon. I have made hollandaise using a siphon and while OK, in my opinion a siphon only adds difficulty and mess for the home cook. I can see the convenience of a siphon in a commercial kitchen where the hollandaise can be held in a water bath for service.
In a home kitchen nothing beats a copper pot over direct heat. And as I have found the CSO at 125 deg F. holds the hollandaise indefinitely.
The siphon is nice if you have a lot of stuff going on, want to do the hollandaise well in advance, and don't want to worry about it at all.
But more importantly, it's going to give a different texture. You get a lighter-than-air pillow of hollandaise that you can't get any other way. If you want a more traditional consistency, I don't know if the siphon will work. Traditional methods (whisk or blender) probably make more sense.
Another question is cooking methods. A lot of people who whip the hollandaise in a siphon cook it sous-vide. I've only done this once, but see the advantages as far as perfect control over thickness, perfect cooking, and indefinite holding.
