How to Cook in a Bain-Marie: Everything You Need to Know About This Method

Bain-marie cooking is one of the oldest cooking techniques known to man, with a history that dates back to (and the birth of its singular name) the times described in the Old Testament of the Bible. This type of cooking is so popular because it is indirect and therefore allows you to cook or heat foods with greater control, especially the more delicate ones.

The bain-marie cooking method, in fact, requires that the food is not in direct contact with the heat but is placed inside a container placed in turn on a pan containing boiling water, which you can then put either on the stove or even in the oven. This involves a very gradual and certainly more delicate cooking of the food, even if it has the disadvantage of cooking more slowly and therefore requires longer times. Let's find out how to cook in a bain-marie correctly and for which foods this cooking method is most suitable.

How to Cook in a Bain-Marie

Using the bain-marie cooking method is very simple: you have to fill a large pot with water, the fundamental element for this technique. The medium pot must be filled for about 3/4, but this is a variable figure because it depends on the food you have to treat and what you have to do in the bain-marie.

• If you have to cook the food, the water must be low and never boiling but lukewarm;
• If you need to heat the food, the water must be abundant and boiling.

The strength of the flame also changes depending on the food you need to cook: to melt chocolate, for example, just set the burner to minimum and have the water just boiling; for sauces and puddings you need a full boil; while for very light cooking  that prevents the food from sticking, you can turn off the burner once the water has reached boiling point.

Also remember that the bottom of the container containing the food should never be completely immersed in the water but should only touch it and, if the water in the bain-marie reaches boiling point during cooking, you should add a small amount of cold water to bring it back to a lower temperature. Once you have followed all these precautions, you must place the container with the food on the pot with the water, put everything on the burner and turn on the heat: the heat released by the boiling water will cook the food in a controlled and slow way.

Bain-Marie Inside The Oven

You can also use the bain-marie technique to cook your food in the oven. The principle is the same: the same rules apply to the amount of water to put in the container as for cooking on the stove, just remember that it is better to choose a container with a flat bottom (obviously suitable for the oven), such as a baking tray, so that it can be placed with greater stability. Remember to set the oven to a temperature of at least 360°F/180°C, heat the water first on the flame and then put it in the tray and monitor the water level to add more if it evaporates.

What Foods Can You Cook in a Bain-Marie?

Bain-marie cooking is particularly suitable for all those foods that, in direct contact with the flame, would spoil and therefore require slower and more controlled cooking. The most well-known use of this technique is certainly the melting of chocolate and butter, in this case by placing the containers on a flame: it is the perfect way to prevent the ingredients from thickening too much or burning. The bain-marie on a flame is also used for sweet and savory sauces, for puddings or for particular melts such as cheese fondue.

Although this cooking is usually associated with the preparation of sweets, it is actually also suitable for cooking savory recipes, especially the bain-marie in the oven. Among the perfect recipes in this case, for example, stand out soufflés and all egg-based recipes, which are cooked in the oven and with the balance provided by the water without the heat reaching the food in a direct and uncontrolled way. The bain-marie in the oven is often used to cook fish, especially swordfish, in order to make it lighter because cooking does not require the addition of other fats.