Everyone has their favorite dishes that they have to get if they find them on the menu of a new restaurant. But what if your favorite dish had a chance of carrying bacteria?
Recently, TikToker Dean (@deanbosko), a chef who runs a food and hospitality account, warned viewers about why you should never eat hollandaise sauce from a restaurant. Viewed over 1.6 million times as of publication, the video caused a cascade of comments sharing which foods viewers also suggest avoiding.
Why should you avoid hollandaise sauce?
At the start of the video, Dean explains that he’s been a chef for over 10 years before listing foods that he avoids at restaurants for a variety of reasons. Most of the reasoning revolves around the dishes not being cooked well or how restaurant prices make some dishes, such as soup, not worth it.
But, when Dean reaches hollandaise sauce, his reasoning switches from taste and cooking style to health concerns.
“Hollandaise, Anthony Bourdain has already covered this one, so I don’t wanna get that into it, but once you see the way that they hold it—it’s disgusting—you can never go back. In order to maintain the consistency, you have to hold it smack dab in the middle of the danger zone, and it’s got raw egg. It’s just like a bacteria—it’s gross, Dean said.
But what does Dean mean when he says hollandaise is held in a danger zone to maintain its consistency?
Well, according to Food Republic, hollandaise sauce is made with “melted butter and raw egg yolks, which can pose a salmonella risk.” On top of that, the popular sauce is usually made ahead of time. Food Republic explains how the sauce is “kept between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit,” which is “a range that sits on the upper cusp of what the USDA refers to as the ‘danger zone.’” At this temperature, the number of microbes can double after 20 minutes.
Tasting Table goes a step further by explaining how any dish made with eggs should be prepared to order and served immediately, or you risk eating a bacteria-laden meal. However, the site also adds how Bourdain cautioned people because he’d never seen anyone prepare hollandaise sauce to order.
@deanbosko #creatorsearchinsights what’s on your list? #fyp #foryou #kitchen #hospitality #hospitalityworkers #foodandbeverage #server #cook #linecook #bartender #serviceindustry #restaurant #octopus #scallops #soup #mussels #burger #cooking #dish ♬ original sound – Dean | Food & Hospitality
What do viewers think?
Many viewers were shocked about hollandaise sauce.
“The hollandaise news is devastating to me i need to lay down,” one said.
“I’m very sad to hear about hollandaise. My favorite breakfast is a good Eggs Benedict,” a second added.
“Same. I don’t go out for breakfast or brunch often so they’re a treat. Honestly, the thought of them holding the sauce never crossed my mind. I’m wrecked,” a third agreed.
“I had the worst food poisoning ever from hollandaise sauce,” another shared.
Others claimed that getting sick from hollandaise sauce is very rare.
“I’ve eaten it at least 100 times without a problem, and never even known anyone who had a problem,” a viewer states.
“Just go in the morning. been working at a brunch restaurant for 2 years and i eat holly at 3pm. never gotten sick,” another said.
“You will be 100% perfectly fine, dont worry,” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Dean via TikTok comment.
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