A creme brulee torch is a controversial kitchen tool used to caramelize sugar on custard. It is a portable device filled with flammable liquids and can cost up to $50. Chefs debate its necessity, with some preferring simple propane alternatives. The torch is also useful for other cooking techniques, but fire safety precautions should be taken.
A creme brulee torch is a kitchen tool primarily used to caramelize sugar. The dessert named after the instrument is a custard dish coated in sugar and placed under heat to create a hard shell. The crème brulee torch is surprisingly controversial among chefs, with some claiming it’s an essential tool and others insisting it’s an annoying nuisance.
Modern torches are usually a portable device filled with butane, propane or other flammable liquids. It is operated by a button or trigger which ignites the butane and produces a flame. Some flashlights include child safety locks to prevent accidental ignition and injury. Creme brulee torches are often sold in combination with ramekins, traditional serving dishes for creme brulee.
To properly create the caramelized effect on creme brulee, you need to use fine-grained white sugar. Hold the torch a few inches from the custard and turn on. Experts recommend moving the torch in concentric circles over the sugar, making sure you don’t stay in one spot for too long. The perfect caramelized custard should break with a distinctive crack, yet be soft beyond the caramel layer. It may take a few tries to get the technique perfect, but since the custard will be delicious regardless, this may not be a big deal.
Creme brulee torches are made specifically as baking torches and as such come with a hefty price tag for a simple item. Most torches marketed for cooking start at around $20 United States Dollars (USD) and can range up to $50 USD. These sets can include stencils, but can also be just the torches. This has led to something of a war between chefs, dividing those who insist on proper tools from those who believe in kitchen innovation.
Alton Brown, the celebrity chef on Food Network TV, advocates eschewing cream torches in favor of simple propane alternatives. These are available at many hardware stores and can cost as little as $10 USD. While not as elegant or refined as the creme brulee varieties, these harder versions seem to work just as well at caramelizing food.
Crème brulee might be the torch’s name, but that’s hardly its only function. A small torch is invaluable for a variety of cooking techniques, such as black pepper husks, glass meats, or quick-melting cheese. Other advocates suggest that a small creme brulee torch is ideal for delicate soldering in electronics.
As with any equipment that uses flammable material, be sure to take fire safety precautions when using a flashlight for any reason. Anyone who uses a creme brulee torch should keep a fire extinguisher in good working order. Make sure that children using flashlights have constant and reliable adult supervision. To protect the skin from accidental burns, the user may also want to wear protective equipment, such as gloves, goggles, or oven mitts.
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