Eggs and dairy
How to keep dairy sauces from curdling
Stop milk, cream, sour cream or eggs from separating into grainy bits in a hot or acidic dish.
Step by step
- Take the pot off the boil before dairy goes in; keep it at a gentle heat after.
- Warm sour cream or yogurt first by stirring a little of the hot sauce into it.
- Use full-fat dairy, which holds up better than low-fat.
- Add acidic ingredients like lemon or wine before the dairy, or after it has cooled a bit.
How you know it's done
The sauce stays smooth and creamy. In batters, a slightly curdled look after the eggs is normal; the flour brings it back.
Common mistakes
- Boiling a sauce with sour cream or yogurt in it.
- Adding cold dairy to a very hot pot all at once.
Simmerbee recipes that use it (6)
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Classic Spaghetti Carbonara
- Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff
- Lemon Cream Cheese Bundt Pound Cake
- Soft Sugar Cookies (No Rolling Pin Needed)
- Weeknight Beef Stroganoff
In those recipes the word is underlined in the steps; tap it for the short version. In hands-free cook mode, ask “How do I curdle?”
Related techniques
More eggs and dairy
WhiskBeatWhip creamSoft and stiff peaksSeparate eggsBrown butterMelt chocolate