Double boiler; Who Has One?

[GadgetGuy]

I used to have one.

Now I find myself in need of one again, so this time, I fetched one of my smaller stainless steel bowls & tried it on top of and partially inside a small 2-qt pot, and it works!!

And the pot's glass lid fits on it perfectly!

So if you don't have one, but don't want to buy one, you can always improvise & make do!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Here it is! The glass lid fits right on top of the bowl perfectly!!

 

[ElizabethB]

Not something I ever considered buying since the bowl on pan works just fine.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Most people are doing it that way now.

 

[Elawin]

I've never had a double boiler, and don't see the point. A bowl sitting nicely in the pan or roasting dish if in the oven works just as well. With my old pans, the small lidded saucepan used to perch quite nicely on the medium sized one.

 

[Morning Glory]

What are you using the double boiler for @Shermie and others? I don't have one either and I'm struggling to remember when I last had need of one,

 

[Elawin]

The only time I've ever used one was for melting chocolate. The heat of an electric hob can be a little too hot for some things. When I do get round to making mascarpone, I shall need one - well, a bowl that fits nicely in a saucepan.

 

[GadgetGuy]

What are you using the double boiler for @Shermie and others? I don't have one either and I'm struggling to remember when I last had need of one,

To make thick custard or pastry cream for banana pudding, or custard for ice cream. I hope to have an ice cream maker by this spring or summer.

 

[medtran49]

We sort of have one. It's not like my mom's Reverware DB that was an actual oddly shaped, decent sized pot with its own handle and lid that fit down into the bigger saucepans, but is a relatively shallow, small volume insert that fits the larger of our saucepans. We've had it for years. I don't even remember if it came with 1 of the saucepans or was an aftermarket, generic product. Hardly ever use it. I used to use it for Christmas baking purposes, but don't do much of that, if any, anymore.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Our mom had one of those old vintage retro-style units.

The bottom pot was actually wider than the pot that fitted inside it.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Here it is!!

 

[GadgetGuy]

The one that I had before was like THIS.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Never used a proper one.
If i need one is a glad bowl inside a saucepan which I have used for melting chocolate and making both custard and ice cream (egg based).

I think a couple of the recipes my husband does requires one as well, usually for the sauce when it must not be heated above a certain temperature.

 

[GadgetGuy]

They don't seem to be that much in demand now, since most people are improvising a makeshift one, by using this method.
But they are still being sold.

 

[Elawin]

Since this thread was first started, I have noticed several recipes which say you need a double boiler, but haven't a clue why. They are all the sorts of things (mainly sauces, custards etc) which work perfectly well in a normal saucepan so long as you keep an eye on them so they don't burn.