Help my creme brulee keeps browing on the top!?

Question

I've tried everything. It all works fine up until I go to bake it. I preheat oven to 300F as directed and after 5 mins, you see the custard boiling in the oven, I keep baking it for 30 mins as directed, and it's all brown on top. I am using a water bath with it. What am I doing wrong? Is my oven too hot? Note: the same thing happened when I tried to make cheesecake or cookies, they just burn after 10 mins. Something wrong with my oven or is it something I'm doing wrong?

It's not suppose to be brown on top before the sugar is put on top of the creme brulee. I'm just doing the step where you prepare the custard.

Answer 1

Its not your oven. You are in fact actually doing everything right. The reason why your creme brulee is browning on top, is that you haven't covered it. Try this: Before you bake, take a sheet (depends on how many you make) of grease proof baking paper, and cut to size, so that each paper fits in the dish on top of each creme brulee, make sure it sticks to the top of the pudding, but don't press it in. After baking, remove each paper and your creme brulee should not be burnt.

Answer 2

Are you putting the creme brulees (cookies, cheesecake etc) at the top of the oven?
Try moving the food to a lower shelf; at least middle or bottom to prevent it burning. Heat rises remember.
If that doesn't work it may be worth reducing the temperature a little.
It could be that the recipe you are following uses a different type of oven to you (e.g. an electric oven or a gas oven) and they miscalculated the temperate conversion.

Keep working at it because once you master it, you'll become a creme brulee genius and you can experiment with extravagant flavours and additions. Good luck!

Answer 3

Actually, it's okay if they get just a little brown in places on the top, but if this not what you want, then try pulling them a little early or turn your oven heat down. It is possible that your oven is incorrectly callibrated, in which case you would either need to call someone to fix it or figure out how much it is off and adjust accordingly each time.
To tell if the brulees are done, open the oven door and slightly jiggle the pan they are in. If the brulees jiggle a little then settle, they are done and you can pull them. (They will set a bit more after they sit in the pan) However, if you jiggle them and they don't settle (looks wavy) leave them in a few more minutes.

Answer 4

It sounds to me that your oven might not be calibrated to the right temperature. Buy an oven thermometer. They are inexpensive and available at Target or WalMart and hang right on the oven rack. Preheat the oven to 300 for 15 minutes, and see what the thermometer says. Check again at 350 and 400. All the readings should have a consistent difference. Then you'll know what to set your oven at and the burning should stop.

Answer 5

your oven could be a little too hot but creme brulee is supposed to burn on top, chefs have been known to use a gas burner to make this happen don;t worry as long as your custard sets and it looks good, don't forget to put a spring of mint on top

Answer 6

Its probably your oven but I actually thought creme brulee was supposed to brown at the top.

Answer 7

How deep is your water bath? it shouldn't come all the way to the top of the ramekin, but pretty close. Use an oven thermometer to check your oven temp, they are pretty cheap at the hardware store. If all checks out, try steaming the custard. it should go faster, anyway.

Answer 8

Here is a great site to go and check out...
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe.php?id=32&title=Creme+Brulee+(Cr%26egrave%3Bme+Br%26ucirc%3Bl%26eacute%3Be)