So what else can I blowtorch?

[Shalmanese]

In this thread, there was an excellent recipe for a passionfruit/chocolate creme brulee which looks utterly divine. The last time I attempted creme brulee was a very clear demonstration of just how wimpy the broiler on my oven was so, on a whim, I wen't down to the local hardware store and bought myself a blowtorch.

Is there anything else I can use it for apart from creme brulee? Steaks? Roasts? Could I make toast art? Anything?

[silverbrow]

On some TV prog I was watching last week, Heston Blumenthal used his blow torch to sear a massive side of beef before he slow (24hrs) roasted it. It did the job, if for no other reason than for about 10seconds the beef was engulfed in flames.

[Macarons&Mozart]

You can use the torch for making a nice "torched tuna" dish...perhaps a nice block of tuna, 'seared' with a blowtorch instead of a pan (one less thing to wash!), and serving it with a nice Asian-inspired sauce...perhaps something with soy or ginger or garlic...scallions and a touch of mirin...sesame oil. Mmmm, I'm getting hungry...a nice summer-time dish w/o getting your kitchen hot and messy!

-Robert Kim

[anzu]

While travelling in China, years back, dog was almost always cooked whole, with a blow torch.

Well, I'm not saying you need to be cooking dog. But surely meat of any kind would benefit from a little touch with a blow torch?

[Almass]

In this thread, there was an excellent recipe for a passionfruit/chocolate creme brulee which looks utterly divine. The last time I attempted creme brulee was a very clear demonstration of just how wimpy the broiler on my oven was so, on a whim, I wen't down to the local hardware store and bought myself a blowtorch.

Is there anything else I can use it for apart from creme brulee? Steaks? Roasts? Could I make toast art? Anything?

←

You can blow torch almost anything going in or coming out of the oven.

- Hey, this pizza needs a crispier cheese=BlowTorch

- Hey, this Gratin will look better with a bit of crust=BlowTorch

- Hey, this pie needs a bit more color=BlowTorch

- Hey, this cheesecake needs some iced brulee=BlowTorch

And finally, the ubiquitous Pavlova looks so much better with the use of a BlowTorch and while you are at it don't forget the meringue crispy on the outside and chewy on the incide.

BlowTorch=No end of fun

[chezcherie]

torch the skin off bell peppers. faster and more even than a broiler or grill.

[Al_Dente]

For a simple dessert or topping for ice cream, split a banana down the middle, sprinkle brown sugar on it and flame away.

[Toliver]

A friend of mine made a "honeybaked"-style ham for Easter this year using her torch. She found a knock-off recipe for the sugar coating on the internet and used her torch to carmelize it around the ham. She said it even fooled some of her family into thinking it was the real McCoy.

[memesuze]

torch the skin off bell peppers. faster and more even than a broiler or grill.

←

what I like about using the blowtorch for this is the ability to char down there in the crevasses

[NulloModo]

How hot does a blowtorch get? Are there big differences in heat output?

I imagine one could do a lot more heat than a skillet on a burner, or even a broiler. Thus perhaps a blowtorch is the best means towards a good black and blue steak?

If you like traditional rare better, perhaps torch it, then bring the inside up to temp a bit in a low oven?

[Shalmanese]

Hmm... thanks everyone, theres been a lot of good ideas here.

We're having tacos tonight and I think I'm going to inaugorate my new blowtorch by filling the taco, topping off with melted cheese and then torching the top so the cheese is nice and bubbly and browned. mmm...

[jhlurie]

How hot does a blowtorch get?  Are there big differences in heat output?

←

The classic blowtorch, for oxyacetylene welding, uses acetylene, which yields something in the range from 5800°F to 6300°F, depending on the gas pressure and oxygen mix. Apparently it's the hottest commonly available torch. Underwater torches use hydrogen, believe it or not. There are some other compounds, called LPG and MAPP, which are occasionally used for these industrial torches. Mind you, it's a bit insane to use any of these for cooking. I don't think they burn clean enough anyway.

The "cook's torches" I see advertised seem to use butane, in other words plain old lighter fluid (which burn around half as hot as acetylene, which is still plenty hot), but I think they might make propane and kerosene ones as well.

[jackal10]

Other uses:

Firelighting - I use it to light the gas, the wood fired oven etc

Releasing mousses etc from metal rings

[Mallet]

How hot does a blowtorch get?  Are there big differences in heat output?

←

The classic blowtorch, for oxyacetylene welding, uses acetylene, which yields something in the range from 5800°F to 6300°F, depending on the gas pressure and oxygen mix. Apparently it's the hottest commonly available torch. Underwater torches use hydrogen, believe it or not. There are some other compounds, called LPG and MAPP, which are occasionally used for these industrial torches. Mind you, it's a bit insane to use any of these for cooking. I don't think they burn clean enough anyway.

The "cook's torches" I see advertised seem to use butane, in other words plain old lighter fluid (which burn around half as hot as acetylene, which is still plenty hot), but I think they might make propane and kerosene ones as well.

←

LPG = liquefied petroleum gas (e.g: propane) and is quite common as torch fuel. I usually use a big propane torch ($15, Canadian Tire) because that's what's in the garage and I can't see coughing up $40 for a weaker cooking torch. It's quite a beast though, and can be hard to control

[Corinna Dunne]

Our blowtorch came in particularly handy one Christmas when the turkey we had ordered was not properly plucked and there were a lot of stubborn quills and feathers left behind to taunt us. It just torched them off! I have to admit that my blowtorch is totally under utilised, so nice to see this thread. I need to resurrect it.

[chefreit]

In this thread, there was an excellent recipe for a passionfruit/chocolate creme brulee which looks utterly divine. The last time I attempted creme brulee was a very clear demonstration of just how wimpy the broiler on my oven was so, on a whim, I wen't down to the local hardware store and bought myself a blowtorch.

Is there anything else I can use it for apart from creme brulee? Steaks? Roasts? Could I make toast art? Anything?

←

You can blow torch almost anything going in or coming out of the oven.

- Hey, this pizza needs a crispier cheese=BlowTorch

- Hey, this Gratin will look better with a bit of crust=BlowTorch

- Hey, this pie needs a bit more color=BlowTorch

- Hey, this cheesecake needs some iced brulee=BlowTorch

And finally, the ubiquitous Pavlova looks so much better with the use of a BlowTorch and while you are at it don't forget the meringue crispy on the outside and chewy on the incide.

BlowTorch=No end of fun

←

Hey, honey your legs need a shave= Blowtorch

Hey, aren’t you going to wash that fork that just fell in the litter box= Blowtorch

Hey, the pizza guys unibrow is distracting me= Blowtorch

Hate that annoying ear wax build-up=Blowtorch

This could go on forever!

I know I’m going to be deleted!

[savvysearch]

cheese on top of a French Onion soup, butter.

[snowangel]

I love my blowtorch. It's one of the propane ones from Menards (a Minnesota Home Despot, only more friendly, and less expensive). In addition to suggestions above, they are great for lighting a charcoal grill, lighting fireworks and cigarettes.

Most of all, I love it for (as suggested above) roasting peppers, tomatoes, etc.

[KatieLoeb]

Marshmallow on a skewer?

[memesuze]

Marshmallow on a skewer? 

←

If I'd had one when I was a kid, I wouldn't have gotten in trouble for roasting marshmallows on the bathroom heater

[Shalmanese]

Success! Last night, I blowtorched some cheese on top of nachos and today, I put an aged standing rib roast in the oven for 4 hours on very low heat until the inside hit just medium rare and then blowtorched the outside to brown it.

My first impressions of this thing is that it's amazingly hot, an order of magnitude hotter than anything I've handled before in my kitchen and that requires quite a bit of forethough and care. Experimenting today by making blowtorch toast, the blowtorch was so hot that the tiny tufts of bread rising above the surface were completely blackened before the rest of the bread even browned, leaving a rather unappetizing speckled black surface.

BTW: I have a propane, industrial version, not a butane one in case that matters. The flame when put on maximum extends about 6 inches out.

[Shalmanese]

I think blowtorches in the culinary world are in the place kitchen scales and thermometers were 20 years ago. Nobody has them so nobody writes recipes involving them so nobody has the urge to go out and buy one. But once you have one, then it changes your style of cooking so dramatically that you couldn't imagine life without one. Has anyone actually written a blowtorch cookbook yet? It seems like a quite lucrative market niche.

[Darcie B]

I think a blowtorch cookbook would be great. Call up the BernzOmatic folks and get writing!

To further enhance your blowtorch experience, might I suggest the following accessory? Flame Spreader. As the name suggests, it allows the flame to spread out so you can torch a wider swath at one time, increasing your efficiency.

[Patrick S]

How hot does a blowtorch get?  Are there big differences in heat output?

I imagine one could do a lot more heat than a skillet on a burner, or even a broiler.  Thus perhaps a blowtorch is the best means towards a good black and blue steak?

←

I just had one of those why-haven't-I-done-this-before moments. I can't wait to try this with a good steak.

According to this article on Jewelry making, maximum torch temps for different fuels are as follows:

Acetylene-6300°F

Butane-4995°F

Hydrogen-4850°F

MAPP-5301°F

Propane-5252°F

I don't know the temerature of a typical broiler element, but I know its much lower than a torch flame!

[Shalmanese]

I remember a certain steakhouse advertising that their special, high capacity broilers could reach up to 3000F. I assume home broilers would be considerably wimpier.