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The bar across the top scrolls sideways. These are the same stops, with the job of each one written out.

Emulsion

Yolk emulsions — mayonnaise and hollandaise

Suspending a great deal of fat in very little water, held there by the lecithin in an egg yolk.

What you are actually controlling

  • yolk
  • temperature
  • rate of addition
  • water content
  • agitation

Naming the dials is most of the difference between cooking and following. Everything below is a way of moving one of these.

How it goes wrong

  • broke on the way up
  • broke on standing
  • scrambled
  • too thick to move

If your result is on this list, the step it belongs to is named below and so is the way back.

The loop

Yolk emulsions — mayonnaise and hollandaise5 steps. Each step shows the cue that confirms it worked below the step, and above it the way it fails together with the correction that returns you to the same step.GOES WRONGA thick sticky yolk thatwill not move.1Start with a yolkand a little waterLOOKS RIGHTLoose, glossy, slightlyfoamy after thirty secondsof whisking.GOES WRONGIt stays thin and yellowand then goes slick.2First oil, drop bydropLOOKS RIGHTIt thickens and pales intosomething that holds awhisk mark.GOES WRONGIt seizes into a stiffpaste and then splits.3Then speed up, andthin as you goLOOKS RIGHTIt stays movable. A spoondrawn through leaves achannel that closes…GOES WRONGGrainy yellow flecks — theyolk has cooked.4For hollandaise,keep the heat gentle…LOOKS RIGHTThick, pourable, and warmenough to be pleasant onthe wrist.GOES WRONGA skin, then separation,then a puddle of butter.5Hold it warm, nothotLOOKS RIGHTStill glossy and pourablean hour later.
Read down, not just across. Below each step is the cue that says it worked; above it, dashed, is how it fails and the correction that sends you back to the same step.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Start with a yolk and a little water

    Yolk plus a teaspoon of lemon juice or water. The water phase is what the fat gets suspended in, and there is very little of it.

    Looks right
    Loose, glossy, slightly foamy after thirty seconds of whisking.
    Goes wrong
    A thick sticky yolk that will not move.
    Way back
    Add water a few drops at a time. Too little water is the most common reason an emulsion refuses to start.
  2. 2

    First oil, drop by drop

    The first two tablespoons decide everything. Add them almost one drop at a time, whisking constantly.

    Looks right
    It thickens and pales into something that holds a whisk mark.
    Goes wrong
    It stays thin and yellow and then goes slick.
    Way back
    Stop adding. Put a fresh yolk in a clean bowl and whisk the broken mixture into it slowly — the same fat, a second chance at suspension.
  3. 3

    Then speed up, and thin as you go

    Once it is thick, oil can go in a thin steady stream. Loosen with water or lemon whenever it stiffens.

    Looks right
    It stays movable. A spoon drawn through leaves a channel that closes slowly.
    Goes wrong
    It seizes into a stiff paste and then splits.
    Way back
    Thin it before it splits, not after. A too-thick emulsion has run out of water for the fat to disperse into and will break from that alone.
  4. 4

    For hollandaise, keep the heat gentle and moving

    Over barely simmering water or off the heat entirely, whisking. Butter warm, not hot.

    Looks right
    Thick, pourable, and warm enough to be pleasant on the wrist.
    Goes wrong
    Grainy yellow flecks — the yolk has cooked.
    Way back
    Nothing brings scrambled yolk back. Start again and keep the bowl off the water for ten seconds at a time. Yolk sets between about 65 and 70°C, which is not far above where you want the sauce.
  5. 5

    Hold it warm, not hot

    A finished hollandaise keeps for an hour in a warm spot. It does not keep on a burner and it does not keep in a fridge.

    Looks right
    Still glossy and pourable an hour later.
    Goes wrong
    A skin, then separation, then a puddle of butter.
    Way back
    Whisk in a spoon of warm water. If it has been over direct heat, it is finished.

Watch somebody do it

Third-party video. Opens in a new tab — nothing is embedded and nothing is fetched from a video platform until you click.

Reviewed video for this technique. Reading a cue is one thing; seeing it is faster.

Others in emulsion