What is a Bain Marie?
Invented by the alchemist Mary the Jewess, the Bain Marie is a unique cooking device used to warm food gently. The name is derived from the medieval Latin term balneum Mariae, meaning "Mary's bath". The name of this cooking device has been translated into Tamil as 'banua rai', meaning "double boiler". The Bain Marie is often used to heat chocolate, but it is also used for making custards and steaming soft doughs. The Bain Marie is a straightforward device to make. First, you put a bowl over a saucepan. The saucepan is then filled with hot water. It allows for indirect heat, which is ideal for delicate foods and keeping ingredients consistent in temperature. Initially, the Bain Marie was used in alchemy. Mary was an early alchemist who lived in Alexandria in Egypt in the first and third centuries A.D. She was also known as Mary the Prophetess. Although none of her writings survived directly, they were recorded in the writings of others. Today, the