The Searzall by Dave Arnold

[rotuts]

call them ?   if you have the "Numbers", oddly they can be quite helpful. 

 

1 (888) 280-3321

[jmolinari]

just called amazon...the nice lady tried, but after passing me around to 3 or 4 different people wasn't able to get anywhere. They said to contact the creator.

guess we keep waiting.

[Kerry Beal]

This is not very good news given that these are not, to my knowledge, available in the EU, and many people in the EU, like me, ordered the searzall. I hope as more people around here has it someone comes up with a good compatible & available model. Some comments about it are appearing in the kickstarter page, but some "official" confirmation would be wellcomed

I think you'll find that most of the Bernzomatic heads are readily available in the UK.  I was recently looking for a TS7000 to replace mine who's piezoelectric starter has gone tits up - all the available ones were closer to you.  A quick browse on ebay in the EU shows the TS4000 available.  

[EnriqueB]

I think you'll find that most of the Bernzomatic heads are readily available in the UK.  I was recently looking for a TS7000 to replace mine who's piezoelectric starter has gone tits up - all the available ones were closer to you.  A quick browse on ebay in the EU shows the TS4000 available.  

 

Many thanks, my previous searches weren't successful and more people was commenting the same in the kickstarter page. I'll look that up.

[pbear]

Got my unit over the weekend, but today was my first opportunity to put it through its paces (aside from a quick test drive out of the box for fun).  Overall, I'm pleased with the device, but it's not quite the game changer I hoped it would be.  On the plus side, and most importantly, it delivers on the promise of a good infrared heat source which doesn't produce torch taste.  On the other hand, it's rather slow and requires a lot of manipulation to distribute heat evenly. 

 

For today's tests, I went to the market yesterday and grabbed an assortment of proteins: a small salmon fillet, a ribeye steak (prime), a pork chop (loin, boneless), a bratwurst, a chicken thigh (bone-in, skin-on), another chicken thigh (boneless, skinless), a chicken breast (boneless, skinless) and a bit of ground beef (1/3 lb, 85% lean).  Also had in the fridge a 2-1/2 lb beef heart I had cooked low temp earlier in the week.  Vacuum packed each of the proteins and cooked SV/LT by my usual method (in stages, not all at once); rethermed the beef heart to 120ºF.  Working one piece at a time, pulled each and browned with the Searzall.

 

The salmon, pork chop and chicken did best, albeit taking about four minutes per piece (except the salmon, which only took two as I browned only the top surface).  All these are things I've found hard to brown by conventional means, including a naked torch.  The bratwurst was a disappointment, taking eight minutes and still not truly browned.  I'd rather cook that conventionally.  The ground beef (made into a hamburger) was a little better, but a lot of fuss for what was, after all, just a hamburger.  The ribeye did okay, but I still prefer one cooked conventionally.  The beef heart did okay, but I can get the same result with a hot convection oven and a lot less effort.

 

Bottom line, I'm glad to have the Searzall in my toolbox, but its utility for me is limited.  It's wizard for delicate proteins, but only practical for small quantities.  I can't imagine trying to do a dinner party for eight with one.

[pbear]

BTW, as regards the issue of using the Searzall with a hose, I come out somewhere in the middle.  On the one hand, obviously, if one chooses to use a tool contrary to the manufacturer's specs, it's entirely on you to figure out a way to do that safely.  On the other hand, having spent a couple hours using mine, this isn't rocket science.  The problem is simple.  The head gets very hot and stays so for about ten minutes.  If I were inclined to use a hose, which I'm not, I'd want a reliable physical solution, e.g., a safe place to set down the head while it cools, not one which depends on care and diligence.

[Paul Bacino]

I think dcarch..could solve the problem...by building a resting rack..that would keep the head off the ground or table. [emoji200] snort

 

or  I use a melting tool ( like a soldering iron ) for plastics and it has a collar  around it with hexagonal sides.. so tip is always fulcrumed up and the square sides keep it from rolling around

Edited October 16, 2014 by Paul Bacino (log)

[MelissaH]

I tend to do my kitchen torching in the vicinity of my stove, which has continuous cast iron grates. And that's typically where I rest my torch head to cool: right on the stove grate.

 

While I understand their warnings and cautions and aversion to being sued by someone who doesn't follow the directions, I'm also loath to buy another torch when I have one that works quite nicely for everything else I do with a torch. Maybe when I kill this one, I'd consider going back to one with the cylinder underneath, but I hate the idea of spending at least another $50 on top of whatever the Searzall will cost when it's available for purchase by regular people, plus whatever consumables it will require, just because.

 

Or maybe I just spent too much time in grad school, where you have to make do with what you have?

[dcarch]

I think dcarch..could solve the problem...by building a resting rack..that would keep the head off the ground or table. [emoji200] snort

 

or  I use a melting tool ( like a soldering iron ) for plastics and it has a collar  around it with hexagonal sides.. so tip is always fulcrumed up and the square sides keep it from rolling around

 

The concept for this item is nothing new, and I doubt it is patent-able. Propane infrared camping heaters have been around for a very long time.

 

Camping heaters come with a plastic adapter base for the tank to stabilize the heater. 

 

For the Searall, the solution to prevent the torch from falling/tipping over and allowing different torches to be used can be extremely simple and inexpensive to incorporate.

 

A plastic disk with a small magnet in the middle.

 

dcarch

Edited October 16, 2014 by dcarch (log)

[dcarch]

------- it delivers on the promise of a good infrared heat source which doesn't produce torch taste.  On the other hand, it's rather slow and requires a lot of manipulation to distribute heat evenly. -------------------

 

 

I think I posted sometime ago that the design may work better if:

 

1. The shape should be rectangular instead of round to give better IR distribution.

 

2. Inside the metal cone there should be a light weight insulating ceramic cone. This will prevent the outside from getting too hot and may almost double the IR heat output. 

 

dcarch

[jmolinari]

got my ship notice 5 minutes ago!

[btbyrd]

I just got mine but haven't had a real chance to put it through its paces. I will say, however, that after seasoning it and using it briefly a couple of times there's no way I'd ever use it with an unapproved hose torch. This thing gets so hot it's sort of scary. I didn't have any serious protein ready to go, but I did have a couple bratwurst on hand.

 

The bratwurst was a disappointment, taking eight minutes and still not truly browned.  I'd rather cook that conventionally.

 

Thanks for sharing experiments with us. It's interesting to hear about how the Searzall did on a variety of foods. That said, this was not my experience at all with my bratwurst. I was able to brown the outside in well under a minute. I split them in half and got a crust on the interior in about 45 seconds. Then toasted cheese on top in another 30 seconds or so. This thing packs serious power.

 

I'll report back after I've had time to do some more testing.

[pbear]

Interesting.  Just to confirm.  This is apples to apples, right?  That is, raw bratwurst cooked by SV/LT?  Cuz a commercially cooked bratwurst would be an entirely different animal, so to speak.

 

BTW, on review it occurs to me I neglected to mention which torch I'm using.  It's the TS4000.

[Chris Hennes]

The salmon, pork chop and chicken did best, albeit taking about four minutes per piece (except the salmon, which only took two as I browned only the top surface).  All these are things I've found hard to brown by conventional means, including a naked torch.  The bratwurst was a disappointment, taking eight minutes and still not truly browned.  I'd rather cook that conventionally.  The ground beef (made into a hamburger) was a little better, but a lot of fuss for what was, after all, just a hamburger.  The ribeye did okay, but I still prefer one cooked conventionally.  The beef heart did okay, but I can get the same result with a hot convection oven and a lot less effort.

 

Fascinating, those times seem completely crazy to me. I have not used it on proteins at all, but I feel like I've broiled everything else in the house this week! I'm using the TS8000 and I'm quite sure that if I put something under it for four minutes the food would literally be reduced to ashes. I've broiled bread, chips, cheese, potato, and peanut butter, and none took more than about 30 seconds to reach a dark brown stage. Slower than a naked torch, but faster than a broiler. Out of curiosity, when using the naked torch how long does browning your items take?

[dcarch]

"-----I have not used it on proteins at all, but I feel like I've broiled everything else in the house this week! ---"

 

Not kidding - it is probably the best paint peeler money can buy.

 

Kidding - It can dry you hair in 2 seconds. :-)

 

Wondering - I use a regular torch to re-seal SV bags and to re-size SV bags. I bet this will work much better. Better control, Coffee roaster?

 

dcarch

Edited October 17, 2014 by dcarch (log)

[rotuts]

""  Coffee roaster? ""

 

in inexperienced hands, this is probably a Coffee Scorcher.

[dcarch]

""  Coffee roaster? ""

 

in inexperienced hands, this is probably a Coffee Scorcher.

 

First high heat, the chaffs will immediately come off and actually burned away into ash.

 

Then less heat for the first and second crack.

 

possible?

 

 

dcarch

[Chris Hennes]

This talk of brats made me hungry, so I went and picked up a package for lunch. I cooked one in a water bath to a a core temp of 140°F and then hit it with the Searzall. Here's the video (sped up 6x) showing that it took three minutes to reach my preferred level of browning. I wasted some time at the beginning getting a feel for the appropriate torch distance, so it would probably take an experienced Searzall user more like 2:30 or so.

 

 

(Higher-resolution video is available at YouTube)

[rotuts]

""   possible? ""

 

as 'everything is possible'  maybe

 

you need a set up where the SZ is stationary and the coffee is mixed/rotated at some sort of reasonable rate.

 

you can taste one burned bean, for sure, in any roast.

[btbyrd]

Interesting.  Just to confirm.  This is apples to apples, right?  That is, raw bratwurst cooked by SV/LT?  Cuz a commercially cooked bratwurst would be an entirely different animal, so to speak. BTW, on review it occurs to me I neglected to mention which torch I'm using.  It's the TS4000.

 

Yep... raw brats cooked SV. I'm using a TS8000, but I don't think that should make as dramatic a difference as you're noting. How far are you holding it from your food? You really have to get up on it (like half an inch or so away).

 

"-----I have not used it on proteins at all, but I feel like I've broiled everything else in the house this week! ---"

 

Not kidding - it is probably the best paint peeler money can buy.

 

Kidding - It can dry you hair in 2 seconds. :-)

 

Wondering - I use a regular torch to re-seal SV bags and to re-size SV bags. I bet this will work much better. Better control, Coffee roaster?

 

dcarch

 

I'm not sure it would offer you more control when resealing bags. The Searzall's heat is much more diffuse and less precise than the flame of a torch. I also don't think it's a good way to roast beans because the heat's too intense even on its lowest setting. If you hold it far away, you might be able to pull it off but I doubt you'd be able to consistently roast an entire batch. Doing it on the stovetop would be a much better technique.

[dcarch]

 

 

I'm not sure it would offer you more control when resealing bags. The Searzall's heat is much more diffuse and less precise than the flame of a torch. I also don't think it's a good way to roast beans because the heat's too intense even on its lowest setting. If you hold it far away, you might be able to pull it off but I doubt you'd be able to consistently roast an entire batch. Doing it on the stovetop would be a much better technique.

 

Here is the technique i can share with everyone. A very useful one if you have to have a very large bag, or special shaped bag.

 

1. Cut the bag(s) to size.

 

2. where you need to seal, use a flat metal plate to put on the area to be sealed, leaving about a 1/4" of plastic on one side of the metal plate.

 

3. Use heat to melt and seal the 1/4" of plastic. The metal plate prevent the other parts of plastic from melting.

 

dcarch

[dcarch]

This talk of brats made me hungry, so I went and picked up a package for lunch. I cooked one in a water bath to a a core temp of 140°F and then hit it with the Searzall. Here's the video (sped up 6x) showing that it took three minutes to reach my preferred level of browning. I wasted some time at the beginning getting a feel for the appropriate torch distance, so it would probably take an experienced Searzall user more like 2:30 or so.

 

 

(Higher-resolution video is available at YouTube)

 

It will be interesting to try this.

 

Put the brad in a curved thick aluminum foil tray and Searall. Don't melt the aluminum.

 

The infrared reflected from the aluminum may cut the time in half.

 

dcarch

Edited October 17, 2014 by dcarch (log)

[scubadoo97]

Coffee roaster?

dcarch

Better keep those beans moving fast

[cdh]

Mine arrived today!  Now awaiting on the torch to get here too so I can put it to use.

[mgaretz]

Here is the technique i can share with everyone. A very useful one if you have to have a very large bag, or special shaped bag.

 

1. Cut the bag(s) to size.

 

2. where you need to seal, use a flat metal plate to put on the area to be sealed, leaving about a 1/4" of plastic on one side of the metal plate.

 

3. Use heat to melt and seal the 1/4" of plastic. The metal plate prevent the other parts of plastic from melting.

 

dcarch

 

So what we need now is a special clamp or clip that would take the place of the metal plate and hold the bag closed while you seal.  I'm thinking of the application where you SV something, cut open a corner of the bag to remove the juices (say, to make gravy), and reseal the bag to keep the meat warm while you prepare the gravy.  The clamp goes on the bag, leaving your 1/4" edge exposed.  Hit it with the torch, remove the clamp and the bag goes back in the bath.