by Elizabeth Kelly

Created on: April 27, 2009

You might have a vague notion of a double boiler. You might even have one in that cabinet. You know the one: where the odd wedding gifts and the it-looked-so-handy-at-the-flea-market appliances go. If you only know the double boiler as that complicated-looking thing your Mom made candy in while she kept one eye on the clock and the other on a thermometer, it's time for another look, and a double boiler "how to."

The double boiler is actually a rather handy appliance for the 21st century woman's cooking, allowing delicate, heat-sensitive recipes to be cooked more predictably. The typical double boiler is made up of Siamese twin pans. The top pan fits snugly over the bottom one, which is filled with water and allowed to simmer, heating the ingredients in the top pan while keeping them far from the stovetop heating element (and thus, far from disaster).

The double boiler pan's predictable and even cooking by steam means that, unlike Mom, you can actually multitask. While the Hollandaise is cooking in the double boiler pan, you can actually prepare the asparagus at the same time. Melting chocolate? All you need is an occasional stir, rather than the eagle eye you need when trying to render the stuff in a saucepan (or even the microwave, where a few seconds too many leads to crystallization).

If you're ready to try out double boiler cooking, start with a simple recipe. Scrambled eggs are heavenly prepared this way, the slow cooking and the moist heat keeping them fantastically fluffy. Eggs are easy on the budget too, so if by chance you're the person who puts the "fool" in "foolproof", there's no tragedy in simply starting over. This recipe allows for wiggle room on the measurements, so it's even easier on the beginner.

Decadent Double Boiler Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

3 eggs

Cream or whole milk

Salt

1 tbsp. butter

Handful of fresh herbs: chives, thyme, basil, etc. (green onion work too)

Fill the bottom double boiler pan with water and simmer over medium heat. Melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk together the eggs and a splash or two of milk or cream in a bowl, and add to the top double boiler pan. Cover the eggs and let cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally (it's okay to peek while they're cooking). Before the eggs are completely set, toss in the fresh herbs and stir again. Remove from heat just before setting, as the eggs will continue cooking a bit after being removed from the heat. Enjoy with toast and fresh fruit.

When you're ready for the fancy-pants double boiler

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