prepared on the stovetop by making a crème
anglaise, pouring it into dishes, and
caramelizing the sugar topping with a red-hot
metal plate, or “salamander.”
The Surprising Science of Water Baths
Most cooks know that oven heat can be
moderated with a water bath. Though the
oven may be at 350ºF, the liquid water
can’t exceed 212ºF/100ºC, the temperature
at which it boils and turns from liquid into
vapor. Less well known is the fact that the
water temperature can vary over a range of
40ºF depending on the pan containing the
water and whether it’s covered. A pan of
water is heated by the oven, but it’s
simultaneously cooled as water molecules
evaporate from the surface. The actual
water temperature is determined by the
balance between heating of the water mass
through the pan, and evaporative cooling at
the water surface. More heat accumulates