Fear of Flambe

[Blue Heron]

Over the years, I have seen many good recipes calling for flambe or lighting alcohol in preparation of a dish.  I've always wished I could try this, but I am too overcome with fear to even attempt.  Can one do this in a home kitchen, or is it best left to professionals?  I have a hood over my stove...I don't want it to catch on fire (or myself for that matter).  How dangerous is it?  Does one need to go to a special class to learn?

[Wilfrid]

Can I broaden the question slightly?  I have fearlessly tried to flambe dishes, but have the opposite problem.  I get a faint blue flame which swiftly extinguishes itself with no discernible effect on the food.  How do we steer a course between sputtering and conflagration?

[Stone]

Quote: from Wilfrid on 9:19 am on Jan. 22, 2002

Can I broaden the question slightly?  I have fearlessly tried to flambe dishes, but have the opposite problem.  I get a faint blue flame which swiftly extinguishes itself with no discernible effect on the food.  How do we steer a course between sputtering and conflagration?

Try more lighter fluid.

[helenas]

this is atip from epicurious site:

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tried it once, but the brandy i used didn't want to flame at all.

I guess something to do with the spirit evaporated from brandy during the storage ( i used some bottle of brandy that i had for a while)

[Blue Heron]

That was a good tip.  I never thought about trying it in a chafing dish.  That way I could try it out on the deck and see how high the flames shoot, before trying it indoors.   Does one just use a long match to light it, or throw a match into the ladel or pan (then fish it out later)?

[Wilfrid]

The match question is important.  I have tried using a match, and got an unmistakeable taint of sulphur in the food - I certainly advise against throwing the match in.  i have resorted to using long wooden skewers (which themselves have to be dipped in spirit in order to be lightable).

Dstone001:  How much lighter fluid do you think I should pour into my food?  About a pint shouldn't be too toxic, right?

[=Mark]

There are a lot of factors involved.  How much alcohol is present in the liquor used, how much of what is already in the pan will there be to dilute the liquor, and how hot is the pan?

Ideally you should use at least 80 proof liquor in a pan whose contents have been reduced as much as possible and kept hot as possible without burning.  Assuming a gas range is being used, add the liquor with the pan flat on the burner, then as soon as you finish pouring a small amount of liquor (an ounce or 2) pull the pan towards you an inch or so and tilt it back (i.e. lift the front of the pan).  This exposes the back of the pan to a bit of the gas flame which will ignite the fumes.  It is best to raise the size of the gas flame just prior to this to ensure it will light.  Tilting also ensures that flames or spatters are aimed away from the chef.

[Wilfrid]

That's good and clear, Mark, thanks.  I may have been working at too low a temperature in the past, and then inadvertently cooling things further by adding the spirit.

[Catseye]

I share Blue Heron's nervousness about flambe'ing.  I've had both results: the wimpy blue flame and once, enormous gouts of fire that shot to the ceiling and panicked me into dumping the dish upside-down into the sink and running water on it.   (And it was expensive, too!)

So thanks to you all, who posted replies to Blue Heron's question.  I am enboldened to try it again.

Related:  I once waitressed in a restaurant that offered flambe'ed stuff.  I'm 5'3" and not strong; shouldering a tray of flaming whatsis eight inches from my face from the pickup station to the table is the closest I ever want to get to visceral terror.

Cats

[Wilfrid]

Quote: from Catseye on 8:08 pm on Jan. 22, 2002

 I've had both results: the wimpy blue flame and once, enormous gouts of fire that shot to the ceiling and panicked me into dumping the dish upside-down into the sink and running water on it.   (And it was expensive, too!)

I have had leaping flames from fat fires in the past, and when I attempt to flambe I am in the habit of keeping a wet and expendable towel or dishcloth to hand so that I can smother flames rather than fling the dish at the sink.

[Katherine]

There are several important points to consider here:

1. As  Mark Stevens says, the alcohol needs to be at least 80 proof.

2. The alcohol should be gently warmed before using it (try setting it in a bowl of hot water). It's the fumes that will catch fire, not the liquid, and 80 proof alcohol needs to be heated to produce fumes.

3. The serving dish should be placed safely on the table before starting the operation. Everybody lean back!

4. Pour the warmed alcohol over the dish, and light it. After it burns for a minute or so, stir it to put out the flames, and serve.

NEVER CARRY SOMETHING WHICH IS ON FIRE! A restaurant that required a server to carry a flaming dish from the kitchen could have unlimited liability if the server catches on fire. The whole purpose of the DR flambé is to impress the diners, and there's no reason to put anyone at risk here.

[Jinmyo]

When adding the cognac or brandy, be careful about the flames following the stream up into the bottle. Hold the bottle by the neck, pour a few jots instead of a stream, or cut off the stream by snapping the bottle back sharply.

[Wilfrid]

To avoid the bottle risk, maybe drip it in from a shot glass or something similar?

[Katherine]

A pyrex measuring cup is not very romantic, but reasonably safe here.

[Rachel Perlow]

I use my long handled metal 1/4 cup measuring cup (only filled about 1/2 way, i.e. 2 Tbs of liquor, depending on the recipe). Again, not as pretty as using the bottle, but safer, less awkward to use, and more attractive by a small margin than the pyrex.

[Bux]

For maximum safety, you might consider turning off all flames near the pan while you pour the alcohol, but it's not like squirting lighter fluid on hot coals. As Wilfrid points out, grease will burn as well as alcohol. I've always thought that one of the reasons to flambe a dish on the stove is to burn off some of the grease. The other reason is just to burn off the alcohol in the brandy. If all you get is a blue flame or if you get no flame at all, you've still removed the alcohol by evaporation. I don't believe the flame contributes anything to the flavor of the dish and I'm not sure it makes cooking any more entertaining for the cook. I've gotten a flame with Madera, which is certainly less than 80 proof, by tilting the pan over a high flame on a commercial burner, but I suspect fat in pan was a contributory factor.

Reasons to flambe at the table, especially in a restaurant, generally have more to do with showmanship than anything else. I know some people who object to having the alcohol in their dessert lost to the fire, but their complaints can usually be silenced by offering to buy them a drink.

[Jinmyo]

Whether showing off at the table or just amusing yourself in the kitchen safety has it's place but... You know, jeez... What's the point if it isn't just a bit scary?

[Lordof7]

Resurrecting this to ask a follow-up safety question:

Is flambee-ing in a non-stick pan a no-no? I have done this several times, and I always wonder if its a bad idea. I always thought its the alcohol vapors burning, so the non-stick surface shouldn't itself be on fire, but I've alway wondered.

(To clarify, I am a bit worried about the chemical dangers of fire on or near those non-stick surfaces.)

[jsolomon]

Actually, it's not that dangerous. You see, the alcohol must vaporize before it can burn. This keeps the surface of the pan right around the boiling point of the alcohol--which is lower than that of water.

Also, you don't generally need your burner cranked to the "smelt steel" setting to flambe`, so it's really not all that destructive on your PTFE pan.

[Smithy]

I'd have explained about the flame temperature being much lower than the teflon breakdown temperature, but jsolomon beat me to it.

I keep a pan lid on hand for fire control, rather than a wet towel. Slapping the lid on the pan if the flames get too high is a bit less messy and at least as effective.