There was a water bath in the oven

Engine No.9

So, I was over at my friends house the other week and his girlfriend was roasting a joint of pork for dinner. I noticed the water bath in the oven and called her mad and got thrown daggers for it, but by jaysus it was the most delicious piece of meat I ever tasted in my life.

Then I started thinking she wasn't so mad after all. Given the daggers, I declined to ask, but my Googlefu is failing me on this one.

You good folks might be able to enlighten me... What was the purpose of the water bath? How do I replicate it and will it work for any meat?

Thanks in advance.

SB_Part2

I cooked a roast chicken last weekend using this method. Hadn't heard of it before. I think the purpose of it is to create steam. Can't say I noticed a huge difference by using it.

frostyjacks

Sous vide seems to be in trend at the minute, although I haven't heard of using the oven to do it.

https://freshmealssolutions.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=68:try-sous-vide&Itemid=100088

That method seems like a lot of hassle, having to repeatedly check the temperature of the water. I imagine a slow cooker would do a similar job without the constant attention.

duploelabs

frostyjacks wrote: »

Sous vide seems to be in trend at the minute, although I haven't heard of using the oven to do it.

https://freshmealssolutions.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=68:try-sous-vide&Itemid=100088

That method seems like a lot of hassle, having to repeatedly check the temperature of the water. I imagine a slow cooker would do a similar job without the constant attention.

What OP is referring to is nothing to do with sous vide. A steam bath is used a lot with Chinese style roasting techniques, like with pork belly or duck, as it introduces a moisture element to 180-220 degree heat to keep the meat moist. Sous vide cooks the meat (in most cases) between 52 and 68 degrees

frostyjacks

duploelabs wrote: »

What OP is referring to is nothing to do with sous vide. A steam bath is used a lot with Chinese style roasting techniques, like with pork belly or duck, as it introduces a moisture element to 180-220 degree heat to keep the meat moist. Sous vide cooks the meat (in most cases) between 52 and 68 degrees

How would you get a steam bath working in the oven?

the beer revolu

I suspect that the main reasons for the deliciousness of the pork is the quality of the pork and how it was cooked. Maybe the water bath contributed but bland pork or overcooked pork roast with a waterbath ain't gonna be miraculously delicious.

I'd imagine that there's no more to it than placing a tray of water in the bottom of the oven.

Minder

Put a tray of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Hardly new, bakers do it all the time to develop the crust on bread.

duploelabs

frostyjacks wrote: »

How would you get a steam bath working in the oven?

As minder said, a tray of water in the oven

Minder

pajopearl wrote: »

So, I was over at my friends house the other week and his girlfriend was roasting a joint of pork for dinner. I noticed the water bath in the oven...

What was it that you noticed? Was the oven a fancy steam oven like this Miele? Or was it simply a tray of water in the oven?

frostyjacks

duploelabs wrote: »

As minder said, a tray of water in the oven

Is that not a banne Marie? I thought a water bath was where you vacuum pack the meat and immerse it in hot water.

Alun

A Bain Marie is a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water, used for example when melting chocolate, or making custard.

Vacuum packing meat (or anything else) and cooking in a water bath is called Sous Vide (French for under vacuum).

What we're talking about here is just placing a container of water in the oven to generate steam that helps with keeping the meat moist. You can also place the meat on a rack in a roasting tin with water in the tin, same effect.

Mystery Egg

Alun wrote: »

A Bain Marie is a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water, used for example when melting chocolate, or making custard.

Technically what you are describing is a double-boiler. A bain-marie, again technically, is any kind of water bath, so for example a tray of water into which you place little custards to keep the heat uniform in the oven.

Mystery Egg

This year I cooked a buttered turkey crown on a rack above a roasting tray full of boiling water and aromatics, and tightly sealed with foil. For the last thirty minutes I removed the foil to allow the skin to crisp up. It was a good piece of meat, but it was extremely tender and succulent cooked this way.

Mellor

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Technically what you are describing is a double-boiler. A bain-marie, again technically, is any kind of water bath, so for example a tray of water into which you place little custards to keep the heat uniform in the oven.

But in that sense double boiler and bain marie are the same thing. Traditionally a bain maries was on special stove top (like this), now sometimes that's called a double boiler. Ramekins in a tray in the oven is also a bain marie, and sometimes called a water bath. Functionally there are all the same, to restrict the the temp to under 100 degrees, and keep it uniform as you said.

The water bath is the OP is different, more like a make shift steam oven.

Sousvide different again. Like a vacuum sealed bain-marie/water-bath held at a specific temp. Usually much lower than 100deg.

(I realize you know this, just clarifying for previous posters questioning)

Engine No.9

I actually got the method off her this evening. Seemingly she filled the dish with water and let the pork sit in it while it roasted.

Surely, that's boiling. Even if it is in the oven, no!?

Dizzyblonde

pajopearl wrote: »

I actually got the method off her this evening. Seemingly she filled the dish with water and let the pork sit in it while it roasted.

Surely, that's boiling. Even if it is in the oven, no!?

I think that's called braising.

Mellor

Yeah it's braising, usually done with something most flavourful than water

Speedwell

I've seen recipes for baked cheesecake in which the cake tin is set directly in a larger pan of water, like custard cups. The idea is that it prevents cracking on top, though in my experience "cheesecake gonna crack".

Alun

Regarding the pork, if it's a lot of water involved then that would indeed be braising. However I've seen, and used a method where you put just a small amount of water in a casserole dish, place the pork in that and cook in the oven with the lid on for most of the cooking time then remove it for the last 20 mins or so. The water then mostly evaporates and you're left with a concentrated gravy in the bottom. Would that be similar to what she did?

Annasopra

Alun wrote: »

A Bain Marie is a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water, used for example when melting chocolate, or making custard.

But you can put a bain marie in the oven
http://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-to-make-and-use-70190

Annasopra

Speedwell wrote: »

I've seen recipes for baked cheesecake in which the cake tin is set directly in a larger pan of water, like custard cups. The idea is that it prevents cracking on top, though in my experience "cheesecake gonna crack".

Yeah that's a bain marie as well