The Popular Sauce Anthony Bourdain Avoided Ordering On Poached Eggs

A perfectly poached egg with a runny center is delightful on a slice of toasted sourdough, but add a drizzle of sauce and this humble dish is transformed into an upmarket brunch that could easily be served at a bougie restaurant. However, there's one popular sauce that iconic chef Anthony Bourdain avoided ordering on poached eggs: hollandaise. An emulsion of butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, and seasonings, hollandaise often makes an appearance on brunch dishes like Eggs Benedict. Funnily enough, Anthony Bourdain famously hated brunch because he equated his time as a brunch cook with periods of his life where he was struggling with substance abuse. But, why did he avoid Hollandaise in particular? Bourdain described it as "a veritable petri-dish of biohazards" in his memoir "Kitchen Confidential."

"Bacteria love hollandaise," Bourdain explained, "and hollandaise, that delicate emulsion of egg yolks and clarified butter, must be held at a temperature not too hot nor too cold, lest it break when spooned over your poached eggs. Unfortunately, this lukewarm holding temperature is also the favorite environment for bacteria to copulate and reproduce in." If you've ever made Hollandaise before, you'll already be aware of how tricky it can be to achieve the sauce's distinctive creamy texture and keep it that way (the ingredients are whisked constantly over simmering water until velvety smooth). The French sauce is also prone to splitting when reheated, which is why chefs have to stabilize it by keeping it warm. A steady temperature prevents curdling and guarantees it looks appealing when served.

In 2000's "Kitchen Confidential," Anthony Bourdain also pointed out that, "Nobody I know has ever made hollandaise to order. Most likely, the stuff on your eggs was made hours ago and held on station." Likewise, aside from these behind-the-scenes observations, the bestselling author also warned that certain shady eateries would make the sauce using the leftover butter served at the table to manage costs. This unsavory practice involves heating the butter until clarified before straining it to remove any possible crumbs and other impurities that it may have gathered while sitting at the table. Only then is the butter slowly streamed into a mixture of egg yolks and seasonings to create the smooth sauce. 

As Bourdain was aware of this unpleasant custom, it likely compounded his decision to refrain from ever ordering hollandaise at restaurants himself. The world-renowned chef also disliked the way a serving of hollandaise significantly bumped up the cost of an otherwise affordable dish of poached eggs. He decried the classic French mother sauce, home fries, and fruit garnishes as "cliché accompaniments designed to induce a credulous public into paying $12.95 for two eggs" in a viral article for The New Yorker, published in 1999, in which Bourdain spilled several trade secrets from the hidden underbelly of professional kitchens.