Commercial bain marie
Keep food warm with professional temperature control
Whether you’re catering for a large or small number of covers, a commercial Bain Marie (a ‘water bath’ appliance for keeping food warm) is a must-have piece of commercial kitchen equipment, to maintain consistent and reliable heat in order to keeping dishes on display at the optimum temperature after cooking.
All JLA bain maries are available with ‘Total Care’ – giving you brand new appliances for no capital outlay and protecting you from the cost and hassle of unexpected breakdowns.

Benefits of a commercial Bain Marie
- Keeps food warm and display for instant serving when needed
- Hold pre-cooked ‘batch’ foods like curry or chilli
- Reduce food waste by keeping food heated for long periods
- Increase efficiency by cooking batches instead of to order dishes
- Easy cleaning with stainless steel design
- Ideal for front-of house display – in buffets or canteens
- Great addition to restaurant and hotel kitchens
- Portable for flexible use and easy storage in settings with changing demand
- User-friendly controls – easy for chefs, cooks and general staff to work with
- Wet and dry heat options with various capacities
- Attractive design for professional displays in public catering areas
Browse our Bain Marie range...
We have the solution
Whether you’re concerned about cash flow or 24 hour-a-day repairs, we have the solution for you
Buy outright
- Market-leading machines
- 12 months warranty included
Total Care
- Top of the range machines
- No up-front cost
- No repair bills or call out charges
- 7 day call out service even on Bank Holidays
- Inclusive breakdown cover, with no wear and tear clause
- Engineer response within 8 working hours
- 24/7 phone support
- Annual gas safety certificate
- One monthly payment – no surprises
Service contract
- Parts and labour breakdown cover
- 5 or 7 day call out service
- Engineer response within 24 hours
- 24/7 freephone support
- Annual gas safety certificate
The ideal ‘keep warm’ catering kit - front or back-of-house
As well as making a great addition to restaurant and other hospitality kitchens, JLA’s commercial electric Bain Marie range is ideal for self-serve and assisted serve environments, allowing diners to view the selection of food on offer (canteen-style) as well as serving high volumes of diners that require food at the same time – for example in hotels, care homes, schools and hospitals.
The JLA range of stainless steel Bains Marie comes in a wide variety of configurations – please ask for details using our enquiry form. We can also supply hot cupboards and hot plates to complement your Bain Marie, as well as high quality, reliable commercial ‘servery’ warmers for mass catering food display to suit you and your business.
Commercial Bains Marie FAQs
Wet heat Bain Marie models
Traditionally, a Bain Marie heating system uses wet heat (either hot water or steam) to heat the basin and form a ‘bath’ – or a kind of mini sauna if steam is used – for the food you need to display or keep heated.
Dry heat Bain Marie models
As an alternative, dry heat Bains Marie uses heating elements – just like a small hob or stove – to keep gastronorm pans and batch-cooked dishes at service temperature.
The name ‘Bain Marie’ is the Latin term for ‘Mary’s Bath’ (Balneum), and we’ve adopted the French ‘Bain de Marie’ or Bain-Marie.
While not specifically designed to cook, a Bain Marie is ideal for some of the more delicate food prep, heating and baking tasks in your commercial kitchen thanks to gentler heat distribution. Here are five uses you might not expect for this versatile piece of catering equipment:
- Heat custard or gravy slowly to avoid ‘skin’
- Gently melt chocolate to avoid splitting
- Bake cheesecakes gently to prevent cracking
- Thicken condensed milk for baking or desserts
- Warm sauces like Hollandaise without curdling