The Kitchen Tool That Makes Hot Water Baths A Breeze

The silkiest, creamiest, and smoothest desserts like cheesecake, crème brûlée, and flan all use one critical technique when baking to ensure perfect results: A hot water bath. Also known as a bain-marie, using a hot water bath is a gentle and effective method where hot water, combined with the heat of the oven, slowly and evenly sets a custard, preventing separated, tough, or cracked results.

It sounds easy enough (and can prevent various issues when making cheesecake), but transferring a heavy pan with sloshing water across the kitchen is nerve-wracking and potentially disastrous. Luckily, a simple kitchen tool, a tea kettle, makes setting up a hot water bath faster, easier, and safer. A kettle allows you to easily pour water into the pan and eliminates the need for carrying a tray of hot water across the kitchen.

To create a hot water bath, set the pan with the uncooked recipe inside a larger pan, say a 9-inch springform pan inside a roasting pan. Then, using a tea kettle, add enough hot water to the larger pan to come about halfway up the sides of the smaller pan. Finally, bake until the custard is set. 

Whether using an electric or stovetop tea kettle, its main function is to heat water, keep it hot, and provide an easy-to-pour spout. Having a spout makes pouring hot water safer because you can more easily direct the flow of water into the pan. It also reduces the risk of the water splashing into your custard, marring the creamy top or breaking the smooth emulsion.

To use a tea kettle for a hot water bath most effectively, place the double pan setup on an oven rack without water. Then, carefully pour the hot water into the larger pan until it reaches the level you need, and close the oven door. No balancing a moving water level, no heavy pans to lift. Plus, since kettles keep the water hot for a while, you can easily top off the water level during baking if it dips lower than desired.