Double Boiler

- what good cooking means with less of oil and more of steam

The concept of a double boiler is rather historical. As humans evolved and began cooking their food to make it more delicious, edible and safe for the body, various methods of cooking also came into existence. The idea of a metal pot came when metal was first discovered but even before that tree trunks were in use for storing water, bamboo sticks for storing food and similar natural products were already acting as containers for the vast and various needs of man. The discovery of fire and the intelligent use of bamboo sticks made food not only safe and easily digestible, it also added flavor to the food and made it delicious for human consumption. A large bamboo was cut up in a stout stick size piece so that there were three nodes or joints and the top node was carved out with a knife. A finer hole was made between the two middle nodes and the bottom node remained sealed. Water was filled in from the top so that it passed down to the bottom node and filled the hollow till the first node after the base. The middle inter node was left hollow, and in the top, food was stuffed in. The stick was inclined with the help of a stout wooden branch fork, which held the bamboo at the top. Fire was lit at the base and the water was allowed to boil in the bottom node. The steam from the water passed through the middle hollow node and cooked the food at the top.

The modern day double boiler is made of solid steel or thick aluminum with copper as the base since copper is the best conductor of heat. It consists of two cookers, one to hold the water and the other in which the food is cooked. The two parts are so made that there is no place for steam to escape while the water in the bottom boils. The steam generated cooks the food at the top container. There is less use of oil and lesser amount of boiling to be done since the heat from the steam cooks the food in the top container, which requires an airtight lid covering. Usually there are a number of variations in the double boiler available today. There is the auto cook feature that will let a shrill whistle out to inform you that the food being cooked is ready and needs to be checked or taken off the heat. Generally sauces and prepared in these equipments since the constant stirring of eggs over slow heat without direct contact with the heat gives the sauce the perfect taste that it is supposed to have. Melting of chocolates in the double boiler is also the best way to keep the consistency and taste value of the chocolates.

While melting a chocolate or preparing a sauce with even consistency, do not cover the top pan with a lid since this may require constant stirring. In addition, do not use the auto cook feature of the double boiler since preparation of these items require constant supervision.