Thickening of condensed milk, such as in confection-making, is done easily in a bain-marie.Some charcuterie such as terrines and pâtés are cooked in an 'oven-type' bain-marie.Classic warm high-fat sauces, such as Hollandaise and beurre blanc, are often cooked using a bain-marie as they require enough heat to emulsify the mixture of fats and water but not enough to curdle or split the sauce.The humidity from the steam that rises as the water heats helps keep the top of the custard from becoming too dry.

In the case of the crème brûlée, placing the ramekins in a roasting pan and filling the pan with hot water until it is half to two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins transfers the heat to the custard gently, which prevents the custard from curdling. Baked custard desserts such as custard tarts may be cooked in a bain-marie to keep a crust from forming on the outside of the custard before the interior is fully cooked.Cheesecake is often baked in a bain-marie to prevent the top from cracking in the centre.Special dessert bains-marie usually have a thermally insulated container and can be used as a chocolate fondue for the purposes of dipping foods (typically fruits) at the table. Chocolate can be melted in a bain-marie to avoid splitting (separation of cocoa butter and cocoa solids, breaking emulsion) and caking onto the pot.Īn improvised bain-marie being used to melt chocolate. In cooking applications, a bain-marie usually consists of a pan of water in which another container or containers of food to be cooked is/are placed. The open, bath-type bain-marie heats via a small, hot-water tub (or 'bath'), and the vapour-type bain-marie heats with scalding-hot steam. They can also operate at higher temperatures, and are often much less expensive than their traditional counterparts.Įlectric bains-marie can also be wet, using either hot water or vapor, or steam, in the heating process. The dry-heat form of electric bains-marie often consumes less energy, requires little cleaning, and can be heated more quickly than traditional versions. Using different working fluids such as oil in the outer container will result in different maximum temperatures obtainable in the inner container.Ī contemporary alternative to the traditional, liquid-filled bain-marie is the electric 'dry-heat' bain-marie, heated by elements below both pots. When the working fluid is water and the bain-marie is used at sea level, the maximum temperature of the material in the lower container will not exceed 100 ☌ (212 ☏), the boiling point of water at sea level. Since the surface of the inner container is always in contact with the fluid, the double boiler serves as a constant-temperature heat source for the substance being heated, without hot or cold spots that can affect its properties. The maximum obtainable temperature of the fluid is dictated by its composition and boiling point at the ambient pressure. The outer container is heated at or below the base, causing the temperature of the working fluid to rise and thus transferring heat to the inner container. The inner container, filled with the substance to be heated, fits inside the outer container filled with the working fluid (often water, but alternatively steam or oil). Typically, the inner container is immersed about halfway into the working fluid. Under the outer container of the bain-marie (or built into its base) is a heat source. The double boiler comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and types, but traditionally is a wide, cylindrical, usually metal container made of three or four basic parts: a handle, an outer (or lower) container that holds the working fluid, an inner (or upper), smaller container that fits inside the outer one and which holds the material to be heated or cooked, and sometimes a base underneath. Schematic of an improvised double boiler, as used in outdoor cooking

Bain marie pot