Handy Holiday Gadget: Double Boiler

It’s snowing in San Francisco! Okay, at least in my kitchen where all of my counters are covered white with powdered sugar, flour and baking soda. As I whip up one holiday treat after another, I dig deeper and deeper into my cupboards for cooking gadgets and contraptions that I don’t really use the rest of the year. Flour sifter, cookie cutters, and hand mixer: I’m talking about you. My double boiler is another one of those items that I admittedly don’t use every day but praise and purr it’s name come holiday season.

A double boiler consists of two pans that nest atop one another. They’re essential when cooking delicate foods like chocolate, hollandaise sauce or custard. I use mine* to melt semi-sweet chocolate and a bit of milk together. Then, I dip homemade, star-shaped shortbread cookies into the melted chocolate mixture. If I didn’t use a double boiler, my chocolate with either scorch or cool down too quickly.

If you don’t want to invest in a double boiler, it’s easy to assemble you’re own makeshift version:

1. Choose a saucepan and a heat-resistant mixing bowl that rests tightly on top of the saucepan.
2. Fill the saucepan with 1-2 inches of water.
3. Bring the water to a very gentle simmer.
4. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan and get cooking!

*My double boiler, pictured above, is from All-Clad.

Tagged as: double boiler, gadget, holiday, tip