A bain-marie (; also known as a water bath in English,,, or ) is a French term for a piece of equipment used in science, industry, and cooking to heat materials gently and gradually to fixed temperatures, or to keep materials warm over a period of time.

When the working liquid 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 degrees Celsius ( 212 F ), the boiling point of water at sea level.

* A bain-marie can be used to re-liquify hardened honey by placing a glass jar on top of any improvised platform sitting at the bottom of a pot of gently boiling water.

Custard is usually cooked in a double boiler ( bain-marie ), or heated very gently in a saucepan on a stove, though custard can also be steamed, baked in the oven with or without a water bath, or even cooked in a pressure cooker.

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.

The name comes from the medieval-Latin term balneum ( or balineum ) Mariae — literally, Mary's bath — from which the French bain de Marie, or bain-marie, is derived.

The bain-marie 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 liquid, 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.

Under the outer container of the bain-marie ( or built into its base ) is a heat source.

A contemporary alternative to the traditional, liquid-filled bain-marie is the electric " dry-heat " bain-marie, heated by elements below both pots.

* Cheesecake is often baked in a bain-marie to prevent the top from cracking in the centre.

* Custard 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.

* Thickening of condensed milk, such as in confection-making, is done easily in a bain-marie.

A double boiler, also known as a bain-marie, is a stove top apparatus used to cook delicate sauces such as beurre blanc, to melt chocolate without burning or seizing, or cook any other thick liquid or porridge that would normally burn if not stirred constantly.

It should then be reduced until the sauce is quite thick, passed through a chinois strainer into a bain-marie and have added two tablespoons of cream.

* Swiss meringue is whisked over a bain-marie to warm the egg whites, and then whisked steadily until it cools.

The second method is to use an, porcelain cup or ramekin with a lid used similarly to a bain-marie.

Next, it is cooked slowly in a bain-marie at 45 ° C while being stirred.

It is also possible to set the sauce into custard cups and bake in a bain-marie until the egg yolks set.

In Brazil, it is common to do this by baking the closed can in a bain-marie, the result being doce de leite.

Thus, it is carried out not with a direct flame but with a bain-marie or steam distillation ; otherwise, the pomace may burn.

The most common preparation is a bain-marie method where a reduction of vinegar is used to acidify the yolks.

Egg yolks and a whole egg are beaten into this mixture, which is transferred into a deep pie dish then baked in a bain-marie until set.

Usually it is cooked together on the stovetop, but other methods exist including microwaving, steaming, baking ( sometimes in a bain-marie ) or freezing ( using gelatin as a thickener ).

Some special appliances are typical for professional kitchens, such as large installed deep fryers, steamers, or a bain-marie.

A second, modern usage, for the term porringer is a double saucepan similar to a bain-marie used for cooking porridge.

* Chocolate can be melted in a bain-marie to avoid splitting and caking onto the pot.

* Classic warm sauces, such as Hollandaise and beurre blanc, requiring heat to emulsify the mixture but not enough to curdle or " split " the sauce, are often cooked using a bain-marie.

* Some charcuterie such as terrines and pâtés are cooked in an " oven-type " bain-marie.

Classical zabaione uses raw egg yolks, but today many may prefer to cook the custard in a bain-marie.

These puddings are made either by simmering on top of the stove in a saucepan or double boiler or by baking in an oven, often in a bain-marie.

The water in Thor's big swimming pool had been covered with a blanket of thick, foamy soapsuds -- fashioned, of course, from zing -- Joyce had dived from the board into the pool, then swirled and cavorted in her luxurious `` bath '' while cameras rolled.

Rather erotically he listened to the bath water running ; ;

The transducer is coupled to the body through a water bath, not shown.

Laboratory display of distillation: 1: A heating device 2: Still pot 3: Still head 4: Thermometer / Boiling point temperature 5: Condenser 6: Cooling water in 7: Cooling water out 8: Distillate / receiving flask 9: Vacuum / gas inlet 10: Still receiver 11: Heat control 12: Stirrer speed control 13: Stirrer / heat plate 14: Heating ( Oil / sand ) bath 15: Stirring means e. g. ( shown ), boiling chips or mechanical stirrer 16: Cooling bath.

Baffled, Archimedes took a relaxing immersion bath and observed from the rise of the water upon entering that he could calculate the volume of the gold wreath through the displacement of the water.

Among the most popular and most common are the Bratwurst ( fry-sausage ), usually made of ground pork and spices, the Wiener ( Viennese ), which may be pork or pork / beef and is smoked and fully cooked in a water bath, and Blutwurst ( blood sausage ) or Schwarzwurst ( black sausage ) made from blood ( often of pigs or geese ).

Hilgard made subjects take an ice water bath.

Maecenas is said to have been the first to construct a swimming bath of hot water in Rome, which may have been in the gardens.

He was killed by the daughter of Cocalus, king of Agrigentum, who poured boiling water over him while he was taking a bath.

Replacing the lime water bath also sped the process up.

It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a bath room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home.

One can demonstrate total internal reflection by filling a sink or bath with water, taking a glass tumbler, and placing it upside-down over the plug hole ( with the tumbler completely filled with water ).

Sous-vide cooking is cooking at temperatures under boiling, usually in a plastic bag and a temperature-controlled water bath in order to have tender, succulent flesh.

In addition, a ritual bath in pure water is performed for the dead in many religions including Islam and Judaism.

However, it is hydrophobic ( does not absorb water easily ), which makes it unfit for use in bath and dish towels ( although examples of these made from shiny cotton are seen ).

The three women were killed, but onlookers rushed the infant home, where she was revived in a bath of hot water.

Scouring may be as simple as a bath in warm water, or as complicated as an industrial process using detergent and alkali, and specialized equipment.

When heating ( or cooling ) in a water bath the flask can be clamped by the neck to a stand or a hooped weight may be placed over the conical part of the flask to prevent it from floating in the bath.