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Watching a new cook try to make hollandaise with a whisk made me remember my first time in a real kitchen, back in 2018.
Last week, I saw a line cook at The Millhouse in Portland spend 45 minutes whisking by hand before I finally showed him the trick with a stick blender over a warm pot, which is how I learned it three years ago from a sous chef who said 'speed is consistency' when you've got 80 covers to push through.
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oliviadixon1mo agoMost Upvoted
Honestly, that stick blender trick is a total crutch. Watching someone master the whisk teaches them the feel of the sauce, when it's right and when it's broken, in a way a machine never can. Speed is fine for a chain place, but real skill comes from doing it the hard way first. That cook with the whisk is building a better foundation than the guy just blitzing it. Sometimes the old way is just better.
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river1823d ago
Oh for sure, I've been there. I used to wreck every other batch of hollandaise until I learned to trust my wrist and not rush the butter. You can't fake that muscle memory with a blender, especially when you're trying to save a broken sauce at the last minute. I keep a stick blender around for quick mayo or aioli, but for anything egg based, give me the whisk every time.
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