bain marie
Double boiler setup
A bain marie is a container of hot water used to gently heat or keep food warm.
The inner vessel sits in the water bath, which provides indirect, even heat—essential for delicate preparations like custards, chocolate, and hollandaise that would curdle or seize over direct flame.
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie.
Also called a water bath or double boiler.
- water bathHeated vessel within vessel
- hot waterHeated liquid, or trouble
- double boilerTwo-tiered steam cooker
- steamHeated water's gaseous form
- gentle heatLow sustained temperature
low heat · melting · chocolate · custard · crème brûlée · simmering · keep warm · cooking · sauce · tempering · candy making · warming · insert · pot · kitchen · pastry chef · delicate · hollandaise
- catering equipmentchafing dish, chafer, steam table, bain-marie, food warmer
- restaurant equipmentdeep fryer, fryer, griddle, grill, range
- wet cookingboiling, steaming, simmering, poaching, braising
- French cuisinebaguette, croissant, coq au vin, crepe suzette, croissants
- cookwarepan, Dutch oven, pot, pans, pots
- British Cuisinebangers and mash, bubble and squeak, full English, fry up, high tea
bain marieopen flame
Uncovered burning source
direct heat · blowtorch · salamander · broiler · searing
bain mariehigh heat
Extreme thermal intensity
flash frying · blackening · deep fryer · deep frying · wok cooking