Temper eggs
Tempering eggs is slowly whisking hot liquid into beaten eggs so they warm up without scrambling. It is the key step in custards and pastry cream.
Also called Tempering eggs, Temper the yolks.
To temper eggs means to warm them slowly by whisking in a little hot liquid before adding them to a hot pan. If you pour cold eggs straight into hot milk, they cook in lumps. Tempering raises their temperature gently so they blend in smoothly. You use it for custards, crème pâtissière, ice cream bases, and some soups and sauces thickened with egg.
How to do it
- Whisk the eggs or yolks in a bowl, often with the sugar, until smooth.
- Heat the milk or cream until it steams and small bubbles form at the edge.
- Put a damp towel under the egg bowl so it does not slide.
- While whisking the eggs without stopping, pour in a ladle of the hot liquid in a thin stream.
- Add a second ladle the same way. You want about a third of the hot liquid in the eggs.
- Pour the warmed egg mix back into the pan, whisking.
- Cook gently over low to medium heat, stirring all the time, until it thickens as the recipe says.
How to tell it is done
The tempered egg mix is smooth and warm, with no specks of cooked egg. A pouring custard is cooked when it coats the back of a spoon, at about 77 to 82°C (170 to 180°F).
Why it works
Egg proteins set as they heat. Heated fast, they set in clumps and squeeze out liquid, which is scrambled egg. Diluted with liquid and heated slowly, the proteins spread out and thicken the whole mix evenly instead.
Common mistakes
- Pouring the hot liquid in too fast or all at once. The eggs scramble.
- Stopping whisking while you pour. Ask for help or anchor the bowl.
- Letting the custard boil afterwards when it has no starch. It curdles. Custards with flour or cornstarch can boil.
- Not straining. Pass it through a sieve to catch any small bits that did set.
In recipes
"Temper the yolks" or "gradually whisk in the hot milk" both describe this step. In French cooking, egg yolks and cream stirred into a sauce at the end are a liaison, and they are tempered the same way.
Related terms
- Crème pâtissièreCrème pâtissière is a thick custard of milk, egg yolks, sugar and starch, used to fill eclairs, tarts and doughnuts. Here is how to make it smooth.
- WhiskTo whisk is to mix quickly with a wire whisk to blend, smooth out lumps or add a little air. Here is how to whisk well and which whisk to reach for.
- Coat the back of a spoonA sauce that coats the back of a spoon is thick enough to cling in an even layer and hold a line drawn through it. It is the classic test for custard.
- CurdleCurdling is when milk, cream or egg sauces separate into lumps and thin liquid. It happens from too much heat or acid. Here is how to stop and fix it.
- LiaisonA liaison is a mix of egg yolks and cream stirred into a hot sauce or soup at the end to thicken and enrich it. Temper it first so the yolks do not curdle.
- Pass through a sieveTo pass through a sieve is to push a sauce, purée or custard through fine mesh to remove lumps, seeds and skins. Here is how to do it fast and cleanly.