In essence, it is a heated bath that can be used both to cook food and to keep food warm over time. The term itself has become more loosely used to describe the type of pan used. So while its origins are focused on cooking and heating, modern bain maries are also commonly used to hold cold food items as well.A bain marie (ban mah-REE) is the fancy term for a hot water bath. It's used for cooking delicate foods like custards and terrines to create a gentle and uniform heat around the food.There are two main types of bains marie used in commercial kitchens – dry well and wet well. A dry well bain marie heats the air underneath the pan by using an electric element. A wet well bain marie relies on hot water to heat the food.A bain-marie is a double-walled oven pot with water in between the walls. This construction limits the maximum temperature to the boiling point of water, which is 212°F (100°C).The name comes from the French bain de Marie or bain-marie, in turn derived from the medieval Latin balneum Mariae and the Arabic ḥammām Māriyya, all meaning 'Mary's bath'. In his books, the 300 AD alchemist Zosimos of Panopolis credits for the invention of the device Mary the Jewess, an ancient alchemist.We're a global consultancy that helps the world's most ambitious change makers define the future. Across 64 offices in 39 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition and redefine industries.A kitchen hot water bath, known as a bain marie, is a little less calming. It involves boiling water, hot ramekins, and potentially burnt fingers. Yet to make a flan or a crème brûlée, you'll need to put your custard in a bain marie while it bakes in the oven.
