Bain-Marie

A bain-marie, also known as a French water bath, is simply one container nestled inside a larger container that is filled with water. When heat is applied, the water comes to a boil, and slowly heats the chamber of smaller inner container. Because the inner container is heated only by the water, it never reaches temperatures above 212°F/100°C. This technique allows the cook to heat such things as chocolate, sauces or custards without the risk of scorching. A bain-marie can come in multiple shapes and sizes. The most common is a double-boiler, but a chafing dish is technically a bain-marie as well.

You can improvise a bain-maire buy placing a bowl inside a sauce pan with water. Of course, the diameter of the top of the bowl must be larger than the pan so that the outside edge of the bowl rests on the rim of the pan. The water level in the pan should be a half inch (1.5 centimeters)  below the bottom of the bowl. The bowl should not touch the water.