Ramekin (ram-eh-kin), noun: a small dish used for baking or serving. Simple, serviceable, and durable, ramekins are used in the highest of high end restaurants and the humblest of home kitchens. What's so great about them? Read on...
A set of ramekins was a recent addition to our arsenal of kitchenware. We've been using them for baking up things like dessert custards, miniature souffles, and individual cobblers.
To be honest, though, we've found that our ramekins are getting the most use as prep-containers! They're perfect for holding minced garlic, pre-measured spices, and other small ingredient portions that occasionally get overlooked or misplaced in the chaos of bringing a dish together.
Ramekins can be found in any number of shapes and sizes, though they're typically circular and intended for single servings. One of their biggest advantages is in their durability - ramekins can be frozen, microwaved, baked, and run through the dishwasher without worry.
And if they do eventually crack, they're relatively inexpensive to replace. We got our set of 8 ramekins for about $10 from China Fair in Boston, and have seen them elsewhere ranging in price from $.99 to $5 depending on size, material, and brand.
Their simple design also makes them an elegant, understated serving dish. We like that we can take these straight from oven to table without feeling the need to re-plate.
Do you find ramekins to be a useful kitchen tool?
Related: Recipe: Lemon Spongettes
(Image: Flickr member bourgeoisbee licensed under Creative Commons)
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I have two sizes of ramekins -- the traditional small ones and slightly larger, mini-souffle dishes. I love them both for prepping and desserts, but I also use them for savory dishes. I recently made some swiss chard timbales that were steamed in the ramekins, and I frequently use them for making shirred eggs.
nothing better for scrambling eggs
"RAMEKIN: A baking dish suitable for an individual portion. As if the standard item were not diminutive enough, a pottery in France produced the world’s smallest ramekin in 1962. Created as a promotional stunt, the dish was used to cook a one-bean cassoulet topped with a single bread crumb, a feat that Le Monde hailed as 'without any doubt, one of the smallest achievements of our time...and we just can't get over those adorable little potholders!' â€
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There are small ramekins on sale in the dollar section of the west hollywood target. 2 for a buck. I bought 10 and am very happy. Perfect size.
I love my ramekins and use them for everything. One seemingly obvious use for the ceramic ramekin is keeping butter melted for dipping various shellfish meats, other materials just simply don't work as well. I use my ramekin with the tealight candle base of my home fragrance oil burner to keep the butter melted.
They are the perfect size for keeping you from eating too many nuts or olives or other high-calorie food.
They are great for leaving out an assortment of nibbles at a cocktail party when you want to encourage your guests to mingle and not just camp out around the food table.
They are excellent for preparing a small serving of breakfast fruit the night before. Especially helpful if you're not a morning person but are trying to keep up your fruit and veggie intake.
And ditto the "shirred eggs" suggestion.
I have 12! (for a two person household). They are good for dipping sauces - ranch for carrots, salsa for chips, garlic butter for artichokes, etc. I also use them for prep.
My current house doesn't have any, but my former roommates did, and I loved the ramekin for roasting garlic in. It fit perfectly in the toaster oven and made for excellent roasted garlic.
I keep looking at my local Goodwill to try to pick up some "new" ones for my house, so that I'm not tempted to buy the very pretty colored-on-the-outside ones from Williams-Sonoma or Crate and Barrel or whoever it is that sells them. Every time the catalog comes around....
Ditto on their excellent use as prep tools. I need more of that.
1/8 of this recipe in a small ramekin is a perfect dessert for one!
Ooops...I meant 1/6. It's much easier to cut the ingredients by 6 than by 8.
I love my ramekins. I first started using them when I put them on my wedding registry. My marriage didn't sustain the love, But my love for my ramekins will last forever.
I just this morning scored 4 - 6oz. ramekins at the Church Thrift store today!