10 ideas to get the most out of ramekins

The ramequin (or ramekin) is a versatile, beautiful and cheap utensil that many of us have at home but many times we only use it to prepare custard or yogurt, prepare a soufflé or to serve appetizers. As the uses that we can give them are many and varied, Beatriz (author of To Be Gourmet ) brings us 10 ideas to make the most of ramekins . Starting today you will look at these mini-beauties with twinkle in their eyes! I leave you with her:

I particularly like Emile Henry's cookware, not only for its quality and durability, but also for its aesthetics. The jar for storing utensils , the well-known chimney-shaped salt cellar , the versatile trays for the oven ... Everything has a special charm.

But when I got hold of the ramekins , I didn't imagine the number of different uses I was going to give them. The initial idea, it was in summer, was to use them to serve ice cream. I thought that being ceramic they would keep cold much better than any other type of cup or glass, and they would even be great for taking the ice cream upright without fear of it spilling, which could happen in lower and more open containers.

Following that same reasoning of maintaining temperatures, I also began to use them for coffee. They are an ideal size, not too big, not too small. Then for the hot chocolate… one day a very concentrated infusion…. And from there, for a lot of other things.

I have the No. 8 Emile Henry ramekins , but there are other formats that you can give the same uses to. They come in a set of 2 (you can see them all here ), and because they are designed to last forever in the kitchen, they are a very profitable investment.

I never imagined how versatile they could be, so I am going to share with you ten ideas to get the most out of them:

1. To serve a hot chocolate, coffee or tea : every day it is more fashionable to serve coffee in glasses without a handle (which is the shape of Emile Henry's ramekins, especially number 8), but it also keeps it longer hot time because it is ceramic. There is a model precisely in mocha color that I love and I use it a lot with guests. It always surprises me and they ask me where they can find it.

2. To present pasta or grissini: One day I used them to offer "Tolosa cigarettes" (they are butter cigarettes) at the time of the after-dinner meal or some wafers to accompany the coffee. And if we want to accompany the pasta with the typical Grissini and butter, I break them in half and present them in these containers as well.

3. If you are one of those who make your own jams , they are great to present two or three flavors at a breakfast or snack. They have that air of "homemade" that gives them a special charm.

4. To present simple desserts: ramekins are great for presenting yoghurts (how rich and beautiful a yoghurt with raspberries looks when presented there!), custard or rice pudding.

5. As a container , in the broad concept that this entails: At home we use them to store blue cheese that crumbles easily, and we use it from there. It is also perfect for storing the remains of an ingredient that you have left over when making a preparation, or it is great as a container to serve part of a pica-pica (some peanuts or other nuts, some cubes of cheese or olives...).

6. To present ice creams , as we said at the beginning... It keeps them cold for longer because they are ceramic. And you can put some mini oreos, some sweet marshmallows as a topping… My children customize them as if they were the little glasses from those frozen yogurt stores that we all know. They can also go in the freezer, so you can also make your own ice cream in them, adding yogurt and direct to the fridge.

7. To bring mayonnaise, pink sauce or any other sauce to the table. And if it is a long table or you offer several sauces at the same time, serve each one in several small glasses so that they are within reach of all diners. Nothing prevents you from using the ramekins for hot sauces as well.

8. As small pots for planting herbs and decorating the kitchen. Can you imagine them? I think it's a great idea, a friend has 6 in her kitchen, in a row, with thyme, rosemary, coriander... and it looks perfect. Of course, you have to be careful with the water because it does not drain below, so you have to put very little.

9. They can be used to make mug cakes , the typical cup cakes that children love, and older ones too; It is still a very original way of presenting a cake or a coulant. It is enough to pour the dough (up to ¾ parts of the glass, because it rises) and bake as usual until the needle comes out clean.

10. For a small cream as a starter in a long menu, garnished with roe, or croutons, and also for a small gazpacho in summer topped with extra virgin olive oil.

And these are my ten ideas, but I'm sure that while you've been reading, some more have occurred to you, so if you share them in comments, great! And so we added it to our list and enjoyed it even more.

NOTE: Ramequins are ceramic utensils or containers that can go in the oven, refrigerator and microwave and come in various sizes and shapes, although they are usually round and not very tall. What differentiates Emile Henry's ramekins from the rest is the quality of the ceramic: Emile Henry makes them from Burgundy clay (with great qualities) and is fired at more than 2000 ºC; has a collection of precious and varied ramekins in colors and shapes, and offers a 10-year guarantee.