Pippa Corbett answered
Cooking custard in a pan of hot water is a good way of ensuring a smooth and creamy texture.
This method works because the heat is transferred to the custard gently and evenly - whereas sticking a ramekin of custard directly in an oven would cause the edges of the usually 'gooey' substance to become hard and crust-like.
Why do we cook custard in hot water?
Cooking something in a 'bath' of hot water is a common technique known as 'using a bain-marie'.
The idea is that, by separating food from a heat source by means of a body of water, the heat is applied more gently to the surface of the food.
When cooking custard, this is a good idea - because it prevents a crust from forming on the outside of the dish before the inside is fully cooked.
This method also stops the custard from curdling during the cooking process.
The steam generated in a bain-marie can also help maintain humidity, and ensures that a dish doesn't dry out.
Bain-maries are also used to melt chocolate, because heating chocolate directly in a pan would result in the outside burning before the inside had even begun to melt. The gentle heat of a bain-marie allows a substance to warm up gradually.
This method works because the heat is transferred to the custard gently and evenly - whereas sticking a ramekin of custard directly in an oven would cause the edges of the usually 'gooey' substance to become hard and crust-like.
Why do we cook custard in hot water?
Cooking something in a 'bath' of hot water is a common technique known as 'using a bain-marie'.
The idea is that, by separating food from a heat source by means of a body of water, the heat is applied more gently to the surface of the food.
When cooking custard, this is a good idea - because it prevents a crust from forming on the outside of the dish before the inside is fully cooked.
This method also stops the custard from curdling during the cooking process.
The steam generated in a bain-marie can also help maintain humidity, and ensures that a dish doesn't dry out.
Bain-maries are also used to melt chocolate, because heating chocolate directly in a pan would result in the outside burning before the inside had even begun to melt. The gentle heat of a bain-marie allows a substance to warm up gradually.
