Butane Torches: The Ultimate Kitchen Tools
The butane torch is well-known to dabbers, jewelers, researchers, and artists. They use it for everything from conducting important scientific experiments to creating stunning fashion accessories and artwork, to copping what some consider the ultimate buzz.
But there’s another arena where the butane torch shines just as brilliantly as it does in the lab or the artist’s studio, and that is the kitchen. The butane kitchen torch is an indispensable tool for any aspiring chef and is a staple of world-class restaurants from Moscow to Paris to Los Angeles.
Below, we’re going to take a quick look at some dishes that just wouldn’t be the same without a good kitchen torch.
- Crème Brulee – Crème Brulee, quite literally “burnt cream” is one of the most popular deserts in upscale restaurants worldwide. It consists of a rich custard base that is covered with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar. That hardened caramelized sugar would not be possible without the trusty kitchen butane torch.
- Seared Steak – A kitchen torch can be used to prepare a prime cut of meat in a way that produces an extremely savory result that will melt in your mouth. Rather than placing the steak in the oven or on a grill, the chef uses the torch to sear each side leaving the center tender and juicy.
- Browned Meringue – If you have ever wondered what creates those luscious-looking brown tips on the lemon meringue pie or banana cream pie you see in a high-end restaurant, wonder no more. It’s the result of the skilled application of the kitchen torch utilizing refined butane like Puretane, Ignitus or Whip-it!.
- The Secret to Serving Ice Cream – You just dropped a couple of large on dinner for yourself and your significant other. But as you exit the restaurant you only have one question on your mind: how did they manage to create such perfect scoops of the rock-hard ice cream that came with dessert? They did it by heating the scoop with a kitchen torch. Now you know.
- Roasted Peppers – Roasted peppers are a staple of high-end restaurants but if you’ve ever tried to make them at home you know it’s hard to get them just right. So what’s the secret? Using a high-quality kitchen torch with quality fuel like Newport Butane.
- Creating Burnt Sugar Garnishes – Burnt sugar garnishes are a must for any high-end restaurant that prides itself on its attention-getting deserts. There are several ways to create burnt sugar garnishes but one of the best is to place a metal cookie cutter on a metal cooking sheet, fill the bottom of each form with sugar and then melt the sugar with the torch.
- World-Class Chocolate Glaze – Some restaurants will drizzle Hershey’s Syrup over their deserts. More exclusive restaurants will place high-quality dark chocolate into a metal tin and heat the tin with a kitchen torch until the chocolate melts and drizzle that over the desert.
- Eye-Opening Salads – Some restaurants will go to great lengths to ensure their menu items grab the attention of patrons. That desire can extend to their salads. One way to use a kitchen torch to make a memorable salad is to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the salad and then use the kitchen torch to melt the cheese.
Final Thoughts
The butane torch is an incredibly versatile tool that has myriad applications in the kitchen, as well as in the research lab, the art studio, the jeweler’s shop, and the dabber’s home. To make sure you always get the best from your kitchen torch remember to always use high-quality refined butane.