Do I Need a Salamander in My Kitchen?

[thecuriousone]

Hi All- As someone who recently remodeled her kitchen, I have plenty of new, cool, digital everything appliances.

I have not however, been able to produce the golden brown sizzling broiled items that I so desire to make. Is this a technique issue or do I need to find additonal space for a salamander in my kitchen?

My attempts at "broiled to gold brown perfection" or "flash under a broiler until the gratin is golden brown and bubbling" usually end up with more of a pock marked acne look. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Smithy]

Hi All-  As someone who recently remodeled her kitchen,  I have plenty of new, cool, digital everything appliances.

I have not however, been able to produce the golden brown sizzling broiled items that I so desire to make.  Is this a technique issue or do I need to find additonal space for a salamander in my kitchen?

My attempts at "broiled to gold brown perfection" or "flash under a broiler until the gratin is golden brown and bubbling"  usually end up with more of a pock marked acne look.  What am I doing wrong? 

Thanks in advance for your comments.

←

What kind of oven/broiler are you using now? Granted it's digital, but what else can you tell us about it? How far below the broiler element are you putting the pan? What kind of pan are you using? What else, if anything other than the oven, has changed between then and now?

[Jinmyo]

Yes, you do need a salamander.

[Holly Moore]

What Jimmyo said.

I've got a Garland range with salamander and probably get as much use out of the salamander if not more.

I even use it as my toaster.

[Rachel Perlow]

That's funny, I use my toaster as a salamander!

Seriously, my Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven has a good broiler, and it heats up much faster than the much more powerful broiler in my Garland range.

[andiesenji]

The salamander was the thing I missed most when I parted with my old Garland range many years ago. The big grill/griddle plate on top was the second, although it was the devil to clean and had to be worked over with a hone from time to time.

I used the salamander all the time for so many things it is difficult to think of the most useful applications. Of course it cooked a lot of steaks and chops, mushroom dishes, the usual.

I supposed that being able to slide an entire tray of creme brulee under it and have them all carmelized at once was a great advantage. The same with trays of gratin dishes. The kids also used it as a toaster, first toasting a slab of bread (I used to make double sized homemade loaves so they would have a slice that was the equivalent of two slices of regular bread) then buttering it and laying on some cheese (and in one case jalapeno peppers) then sliding it back under the salamander to melt and toast the cheese. Very quick.

They also used it to heat leftover pizza, for breakfast as it was much quicker than the oven.

My husband liked broiled ham steaks with a slice of pineapple sprinkled with brown sugar, then under the salamander until the top was carmelized.

Tater Tots were also roasted/toasted in it.

[irodguy]

The answer is yes you need a salamander. Now that being said you need to make sure you have insulation etc that will work. They do have a tendency to get rather warm.

[fifi]

Well, actually, no matter how charming a pet they might be, the kitchen is probably not the appropriate place to keep a salamander. They normally inhabit damp areas near fresh water. They really don't have a lot of personality, either.

Oops... THAT salamader.

Does anyone know why the heck they call them that?

[snowangel]

Well, actually, no matter how charming a pet they might be, the kitchen is probably not the appropriate place to keep a salamander. They normally inhabit damp areas near fresh water. They really don't have a lot of personality, either.

Oops... THAT salamader.

Does anyone know why the heck they call them that?

←

Peter espied me perusing this thread and said "but mom, we don't have enough room in the kitchen for an aquarium!"

[marlowe]

I once had a gecko in my room in Calcutta. I was staying at the Tolleygunge Club. I was told that it was good sign, as they ate bugs...

But to the point, I once saw an interview with Garrison Keillor on TV, and behind him in his home kitchen, was a Garland salamander. So there you go -- if it's good enough for a praire Lutheran, it's okay for the rest of us.

[SteveW]

I think Martha Stewart use to have a Garland salamander in the kitchen of her television show. How much does one of these babies cost?

-Steve

[Smithy]

Well, actually, no matter how charming a pet they might be, the kitchen is probably not the appropriate place to keep a salamander. They normally inhabit damp areas near fresh water. They really don't have a lot of personality, either.

Oops... THAT salamader.

Does anyone know why the heck they call them that?

←

Maybe because the salamander was once reputed to live in fire? It was considered a magical beast in medieval times.

I'm just guessing; today is the first I've heard of a salamander being a kitchen implement! To me, it's a portable, very hot heater with blower that you put at an airplane intake to preheat the engine during subzero weather. I was surprised to read of one small enough for kitchen purposes. Nonetheless the connection seems solid: the fire creature.

[Taboni]

At $1000+ I am thinking Rachel's Cuisinart Toaster Oven is a better bet. But then again I am probably the only person on this board who doesn't have a professional or pseudo professional range at home. Just couldn't justify the expense at the time, and I can turn out some pretty great stuff on my middle of the road jenn air convection range. It actually gives me great inspiration catching glimpses of peoples appliances on the food blogs and seeing some awesome dishes being prepared on less than state of the art equipment.

Edited November 25, 2004 by Taboni (log)

[thecuriousone]

Hi all- Happy turkey day and thanks for the the info.

I have what was at the time the top of the line kitchen aid. the black one with the digital touch pad. angled on the front. It has the convection oven and for most things it steps up to the task admirably. That's why I think I need some technique tips. This stove does everything else I ask quickly and with style.

I guess I'm wondering about my assumptions that it is fact overhead heat that gives that great color. When I look in professional kitchens I never see things burning, always browning quickly and prettily. Yet at home, If I put a piece of toast in the upper 1/3 of this oven and choose convection broil, In the time it takes for me to turn my back, the toast is brown and on its way to become cinders.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have nothing bad to say about this stove, I just need some help.

At $1000+ I am thinking Rachel's Cuisinart Toaster Oven is a better bet. But then again I am probably the only person on this board who doesn't have a professional or pseudo professional range at home. Just couldn't justify the expense at the time, and I can turn out some pretty great stuff on my middle of the road jenn air convection range. It actually gives me great inspiration catching glimpses of peoples appliances on the food blogs and seeing some awesome dishes being prepared on less than state of the art equipment.

←

[Rachel Perlow]

Uh oh, I think we've found one part of the problem. The instructions with my Garland specifically state to NOT use convection with the broiler. The point is direct, from the top, heat.

You also may have the rack too high if things are burning that quickly.

[andiesenji]

Regarding salamanders. The original utensil was much different from those we use today.

I have one of the original kitchen utensils called a salamander, an antique from the early 20th century, ca. 1901.

Unfortunately it is packed away in a box, otherwise I would take a picture so you could see it.

It is a round cast iron plate on a fairly long handle which has a hollow end so a wood handle can be stuck into it.(more about this later).

The plate itself has holes in it and was intended to be thrust through the firebox opening into the hottest part of the coals inside the stove and kept there until it was glowing red hot.

The dish to be toasted on top, was brought close to the stove and the salamander was withdrawn from the coals, brushed off with a stove broom, then held over the dish until the perfect degree of browness was achieved. This was the only way they had for browning meringues on top of ice cream or other chilled desserts and also for carmelizing sugar-topped items or melting cheeses.

Now about the handle. The salamander was fairly heavy and the heat of course radiated up the handle so about 2/3 of the handle is hollow and tapers inside.

A wood handle (about the size of a broom handle) was tapered to fit inside the handle and these were kept in a bucket of water next to the range. This caused the wood to swell but also to be slightly pliable on the surface and also protected the wood from the heat of the iron. When ready to use, the handle was banged into the salamander and fit tightly. After use, the heat would dry the wood which would shirnk and make it easy to remove the handle from the salamander for use in pots that had similar type handles because it was easier to use two hands on the handle with these heavy pots and easier to control them if you could keep your hands further apart on the handle.

Edited November 25, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Marlene]

Uh oh, I think we've found one part of the problem. The instructions with my Garland specifically state to NOT use convection with the broiler. The point is direct, from the top, heat.

You also may have the rack too high if things are burning that quickly.

←

I don't know Rachel. My KitchenAid oven has a convection broil setting.

[francois]

I have never seen a real salamander. How would it compare to the infrared broil in my gas oven (DCS)? Is it much more powerfull??

[fifi]

I don't know Rachel.  My KitchenAid oven has a convection broil setting.

←

Then I am also confused. I can't see how convection would work with broil. Broil is radiant heat pretty much. I would think that moving air around in that operation would be counter-productive. Maybe I am missing something here. (Wouldn't be the first time. )

[MelissaH]

In following this thread, I'm a little surprised that my browning-on-top solution hasn't been mentioned: a blowtorch. I swear by mine for creme brulee, and have also been known to use it to even out the color on top of other dishes. Just don't hold it too close, and keep it moving!

[Jinmyo]

Regarding salamanders.  The original utensil was much different from those we use today.

←

That was fascinating. Thanks.

[iamthestretch]

Sod the historical perspective. Now I know they exist, I demand to be provided with one of these bad boys for my grilling pleasure. I wonder how hot those funky bath tap/burner controls actually get?

[Andrew Fenton]

Well, actually, no matter how charming a pet they might be, the kitchen is probably not the appropriate place to keep a salamander. They normally inhabit damp areas near fresh water. They really don't have a lot of personality, either.

Oops... THAT salamader.

Does anyone know why the heck they call them that?

←

Maybe because the salamander was once reputed to live in fire? It was considered a magical beast in medieval times.

Yah, salamanders live in wet, rotten old logs. Put a log like that on the fire and the little beastie will come crawling out as it heats up; hence, medieval folks believed that they live in fire.

Re: the cooking implement. I believe I saw an old-tyme salamander (like that andiesenji describes) at Monticello: didn't Jefferson (OK, his cook) use one when he introduced crême brulée to America?

[JPW]

Well, actually, no matter how charming a pet they might be, the kitchen is probably not the appropriate place to keep a salamander. They normally inhabit damp areas near fresh water. They really don't have a lot of personality, either.

Oops... THAT salamader.

Does anyone know why the heck they call them that?

←

Maybe because the salamander was once reputed to live in fire? It was considered a magical beast in medieval times.

Yah, salamanders live in wet, rotten old logs. Put a log like that on the fire and the little beastie will come crawling out as it heats up; hence, medieval folks believed that they live in fire.

Re: the cooking implement. I believe I saw an old-tyme salamander (like that andiesenji describes) at Monticello: didn't Jefferson (OK, his cook) use one when he introduced crême brulée to America?

←

I was always led to believe that the name came from the circuitous route of the burner as it bends back and forth across the underside of the roof.

[nwyles]

I have never seen a real salamander. How would it compare to the infrared broil in my gas oven (DCS)? Is it much more powerfull??

I have a DCS at home and the infrared broiler is great.

I have a salamander on my Garland stove at the restaurant and I have not turned it on in 7 years. I found it to be way hot in my kitchen and I did not need it that often. I have three ovens, ten burners, a griddle, a grill and a fryer. We can get along without a salamander in a restaurant. On that note, people can not believe we do not have a microwave. I can't for the life of me think of what I would use it for.