Bain Marie Cooking Technique
The "bain marie" is a cooking technique characterized by the indirect transmission of heat. In fact, it is based on the use of a first container that contains hot water, in which a second container is immersed that contains the food to be cooked. The first pan is heated directly on the fire or on a plate.
The peculiarity of the bain-marie is the progression of the thermal rise and the maximum limit of about 100 ° C, beyond which obviously the water cannot go as it reaches boiling.
Cooking in a bain-marie is used for certain creams or for some whipped doughs; today, it is often replaced by some machines such as the pasteurizer or the tempering machine.
The pasteurizer is used above all for creams and sorbets, while the tempering machine for couverture chocolate.
On the other hand, for small quantities the classic bain-marie is sufficient, of which the experts differentiate three types.
Dynamic bain-marie
It consists of a pot in which the water is heated to a temperature of 95 ° C and transmits the heat to another wooden container; inside this, the operator mixes until the compound hardens. The water must never reach a boil.
Static bain-marie
It is aimed at the preparation of puddings whose mixture must be poured into buttered molds, placed in pots half full of water. The prolonged heat treatment can be carried out with water at an intense boil. A variant of this system provides that the container is placed in a pan with high sides, in which the boiling water is placed. Everything is placed in the oven at 200 ° C for at least half an hour.
Non Cooking Water Bath
Warm water is poured into a saucepan placed on a moderate heat source. Inside, in another container, butter creams and other compounds are prepared to be whipped without cooking.
Uses in the kitchen
The water bath can be used in the following ways:
- Melt the chocolate to avoid separation and the typical encrustations of pans on the fire
- Cook the cheesecakes without them sinking in the center or cracking
- Cook the creams without lumps and surface film (also thanks to the rising steam)
- Classic hot sauces, such as hollandaise and béarnaise, which require some heat to emulsify the mixture, but not too much because a high temperature would cause the sauce to curdle or "split"
- Some products, such as terrines and pates, are cooked in a "bain marie in the oven"
- Thickening of condensed milk
- Heat the milk for feedings
- Keep food hot for long periods of time (food warmer)
- Liquefy the crystallized honey by placing the glass jar in the water bath.
