Help with a "water bath" cooking question?

Easiest thing to do is to fill your cups with the custard you are making. Then place them in the pan you are going to be baking them in. Now place them in the oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan so the water comes half way up the sides of the cups you are baking the custard in.

Bake as directed in your recipe.

When they are done remove individual cups from the pan and if possible allow the pan with the hot water to cool before you remove it.

Pouring the water in the pan while it is in the oven is safest as you do not have to transport a pan filled with hot water to the oven.

I usually boil my water in the tea kettle while the oven is preheating. I then put what is being 'bathed' into the pan that will go into the oven and very slowly pour the hot water around the smaller pan. I'm not sure if this is the 'correct' way to do it but it's the way that's worked best for me.

water in the pan, the water bath for like custards, should be room temperature when you set your custard dishes in it.

I always turn on the oven before I start mixing things. This way any extra expense of preheating the oven is not wasted time, too.

Most of the "preheating" instructions go back to our grandmas and wood stoves. You had to get the oven and kitchen hot before putting your food in to cook. With our nearly instant heating equipment now, I think it is a waste of time, fuels, and money to do much preheating.

There are some things that benefit from being set into "hot" oven. And some of these are souffles, custards, angel food cakes, in other words, the more delicate foods that take a lot of care in the making.

One huge "Don't" is to preheat more than 5 minutes!!! Time and fuel waste! And with everyone telling us to reduce our carbon footprint - this is one of the ways I save fuels! also saves on household budget for cooking!!

preheat the oven. when it is ready put the pan in the oven with the item u r going to cook.then very carefully pour the water in to where u want the line to be.

You need to use boiling hot water when you do the water bath.

depends on what your making...

like a creme brûlée it should be hot water when you place the custard in the oven.

If your cooking lets say pork belly than it can be room temp and doesn't really matter.

Just depends on what your making.

Good luck