A “bain-marie” is a water bath. Bain means “Bath”, but it is just not clear where the “Marie” part came from!
Regardless, a bain-marie, or water bath, is a terrific and easy approach to cooking a custard like a crème brûlée. Cooking your crème brûlée in such a water bath does two things. First, it cooks the custard gently, heating it gradually. It also controls the temperature since the water temperature can’t exceed boiling (212 degrees). The result is that the custard cooks evenly and won’t curdle.
Directions for a Bain Marie (note these directions are also shown in each Crème Brûlée recipe)
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Farenheit. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and remove racks above it if necessary.
- Fill a large teakettle or pasta pot with water and put it on the stove to boil.
- Using a pan with high sides (like a roasting pan), cover the bottom with a dish towel. This prevents the ramekins from sloshing about in the water bath when you remove the pan from the oven.
After You’ve Made The Custard Mixture
- Put the ramekins in the pan. Fill each ramekin about half to two-thirds full with the crème brûlée mixture, distributing the mixture evenly among the ramekins.
- Slowly add the water to the pan, filling about 2/3 up the side of the crème brûlée ramekins, or about to the level of the mixture inside. Note that you can add the water first, then the ramekins, however, it is tough to gauge how high to fill the pan unless the ramekins are in the pan first. Make sure not to slosh water in the ramekins. If you do get some water on them, just blot them with a paper towel. Using a teakettle with a spout will make it easier.
After Baking Is Done
When done, remove the pan from the oven and take the ramekins out of the pan by using tongs. Place them on a wire rack so they can cool evenly. Don’t leave them in the water bath or they’ll continue to cook.
Use kitchen tongs to remove the ramekins. If you use oven mitts, they’ll get wet, and the hot water can burn your hands, even on the inside of the mitts.
More Crème Brûlée Tutorials
Check out all of our crème brûlée tutorials.
Crème Brûlée Tutorial #1: How do I make the crème brûlée smooth and not lumpy?
Crème Brûlée Tutorial #2: Use a bain-marie (water bath) for a great crème brûlée
Crème Brûlée Tutorial #4: How do I create the caramelized crust? Kitchen Torch or Broiler?