Frozen Desserts yolks
Custard Egg-to-Dairy Ratio Calculator
Every custard has its ratio of eggs to dairy. Choose crème brûlée, crème caramel, pots de crème, crème anglaise, an ice cream base or bread pudding, and start from the dairy you have or the yolks you need to use up.
How to use it
- Choose the custard.
- Start from your milk or cream, or from your eggs or leftover yolks.
- Temper the eggs with the hot dairy and cook or bake to the temperature shown.
How it works
Yolks make custard silky and rich; whites add firmness. So crème brûlée uses about 2½ yolks per cup of cream, crème caramel needs whole eggs to unmold (1½ eggs plus a yolk per cup of milk), and pouring crème anglaise uses about 2½ yolks per cup of milk.
Doneness temperatures are where the proteins have set but not curdled: 170 to 180°F for stirred custards, about 170 to 175°F in the center of baked ones.
Assumptions and limits
- Ratios are classic starting points with large eggs.
- Baked custards use a water bath.
Tips
- Strain custard before baking or chilling for a perfectly smooth texture.
- Bake custards just until the center jiggles; they set as they cool.
- Freeze leftover whites for meringues or macarons.
Recipes to try it with
Questions
How many yolks for crème brûlée?
About 2½ yolks per cup of heavy cream: 5 yolks for 2 cups.
What's the ratio of eggs to milk for flan?
About 1½ whole eggs plus 1 yolk per cup of milk, firm enough to unmold.
What temperature is custard done?
Stirred custards at 170 to 180°F (77 to 82°C); baked custards at about 170 to 175°F in the center.
How do I keep custard from curdling?
Temper the eggs with a little hot dairy first, cook gently and stop at 180°F.