[thechat] Word for this thing...

[Bob Davis]

At 6:25 PM +0530 7/26/02, Madhu Menon wrote:
>
>
>You know when you go to those take-out joints, there are these steel
>contraptions that keep the food hot? You find them all over food courts.
>What's the word for that contraption? I know how it's pronounced:
>"bay-marie". But I don't know how it's spelt. (It's just called a "hotcase"
>in this part of the world.)
>
>Could you help me out?

Most restaurants in the US just call it a steam table.

A bain marie is more commonly used for cooking - especially something
like pana cotta or creme brule. It works along the same principle as
a double boiler, but it's done in the oven, so it has the added
effect of adding a lot of moisture to the oven air. It evens out the
heat (water has a high specific something or other - I can't remember
what it's called, but it holds heat well).

bob

--

bob davis
bob at bobdavis.org
http://www.bobdavis.org/