See that Your Culinary Torch Earns the Space It Takes!
The presence of a culinary torch in a kitchen is the sign of a truly accomplished home cook. It’s a must-have for making perfect crème brûlée, but it can also be used for so much more if you think outside the box.
It does take a bit of space to store, however, thus you want to be sure you’re using it often, so it earns the space it takes. To help you put yours to better use, here are a few ideas on what to do with it (outside of creating that exquisite crispy skin on crème brûlée) that I gleaned from the wonderful site, www.thespruceeats.com::
Brown the topping on mac ‘n cheese. If you don’t have time to bake macaroni and cheese in the oven, you can still fake the crispy, oven-baked crust with a culinary torch. Here’s an easy recipe to practice this technique:
2 parts whole milk
2 parts elbow macaroni
1 part grated, sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Dijon style mustard per cup of cheese
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
Make a Tuna Melt or Patty Melt. If you don’t have a toaster oven and don’t want to turn on the broiler of your oven, you can still make a tuna melt or salmon melt. Assemble the melt, then use the culinary torch to melt the cheese on top until it bubbles. Hold it a little further away until the cheese melts, then bring it in closer to make the cheese brown and bubble.
Roast Peppers. This is easier with a culinary torch than under a broiler or on the stovetop because you can direct the flame with more precision. Place halved peppers (with seeds, etc. removed) on sheet pan or fire-proof plate. Have a large glass or metal mixing bowl and some plastic wrap ready. Beginning with one small area, work the flame of the culinary torch back and forth over the pepper until the skin blackens and blisters.
Use a pair of tongs to turn the pepper to reach all sides, moving the torch over the surface of the skin until all of it is blackened. Immediately place the pepper in a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap so that the pepper can steam in its own heat. After the pepper has cooled (approximately 10 to 15 minutes), uncover the bowl and remove the pepper. Under running water or using a paper towel, rub off the blackened skin. Cut away the stem and scrape the seeds out of the inside.
Brown Meringue. A culinary torch will perfectly caramelize the peaks of meringue topping on lemon pie or baked Alaska. When you’ve topped your dessert with the meringue, simply work the flame of a culinary torch deftly over the topping until it is lightly browned.
Brûlée a Grapefruit. For an elegant way to serve grapefruit, cut it in half and sprinkle it lightly with brown sugar. Use the culinary torch to broil the surface of the grapefruit, melting and caramelizing the sugar.
Finish a Gratin. The culinary torch gives au gratin potatoes a crisp, beautifully browned crust. After completely baked, sprinkle the gratin with finely grated parmesan cheese and perhaps a light drizzle of truffle or olive oil. Work the culinary torch back and forth over the surface of the gratin until the cheese and potatoes begin to crisp and brown.
Toast Marshmallows for S’Mores. Enjoy campfire season any time of the year by using a culinary torch to make s’mores indoors. Have graham crackers and pieces of milk chocolate bars ready. Spear a marshmallow on a metal skewer (or place loaded graham crackers on a cookie sheet) and use the culinary torch to brown it evenly, beginning with the torch further away so that it has a chance to heat through without getting burnt, then bringing the flame closer to finish the browning. Immediately transfer the marshmallow to a chocolate-topped piece of graham cracker, using another graham cracker to scrape the marshmallow off the skewer, topping it with the cracker.
Make a Perfect French Onion Soup. This favorite and fancy-looking soup isn’t complete without a gooey layer of cheese-covered croutons. A culinary torch can melt and crisp the cheese much more easily than trying to navigate a sheet pan of brimming soup bowls under the broiler. Ladle soup into bowls, float a toasted piece of bread on top, and drape a slice of Gruyere cheese over the whole bowl (tradition dictates that the corners of the bread hang over the sides). Prior to serving, use the culinary torch to melt and brown the cheese topping.
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It does take a bit of space to store, however, thus you want to be sure you’re using it often, so it earns the space it takes. To help you put yours to better use, here are a few ideas on what to do with it (outside of creating that exquisite crispy skin on crème brûlée) that I gleaned from the wonderful site, www.thespruceeats.com::
Brown the topping on mac ‘n cheese. If you don’t have time to bake macaroni and cheese in the oven, you can still fake the crispy, oven-baked crust with a culinary torch. Here’s an easy recipe to practice this technique:
Easy As Pie Mac 'n Cheese
Ingredients:
2 parts whole milk
2 parts elbow macaroni
1 part grated, sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Dijon style mustard per cup of cheese
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine milk and macaroni in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until the pasta is cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off heat but leave pan on the burner and stir in cheese and mustard. Add more milk if needed, to achieve a creamy consistency; season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Spoon into bowls, sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs, and brown the breadcrumbs with a culinary torch until the cheese bubbles and the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Make a Tuna Melt or Patty Melt. If you don’t have a toaster oven and don’t want to turn on the broiler of your oven, you can still make a tuna melt or salmon melt. Assemble the melt, then use the culinary torch to melt the cheese on top until it bubbles. Hold it a little further away until the cheese melts, then bring it in closer to make the cheese brown and bubble.
Roast Peppers. This is easier with a culinary torch than under a broiler or on the stovetop because you can direct the flame with more precision. Place halved peppers (with seeds, etc. removed) on sheet pan or fire-proof plate. Have a large glass or metal mixing bowl and some plastic wrap ready. Beginning with one small area, work the flame of the culinary torch back and forth over the pepper until the skin blackens and blisters.
Use a pair of tongs to turn the pepper to reach all sides, moving the torch over the surface of the skin until all of it is blackened. Immediately place the pepper in a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap so that the pepper can steam in its own heat. After the pepper has cooled (approximately 10 to 15 minutes), uncover the bowl and remove the pepper. Under running water or using a paper towel, rub off the blackened skin. Cut away the stem and scrape the seeds out of the inside.
Brown Meringue. A culinary torch will perfectly caramelize the peaks of meringue topping on lemon pie or baked Alaska. When you’ve topped your dessert with the meringue, simply work the flame of a culinary torch deftly over the topping until it is lightly browned.
Brûlée a Grapefruit. For an elegant way to serve grapefruit, cut it in half and sprinkle it lightly with brown sugar. Use the culinary torch to broil the surface of the grapefruit, melting and caramelizing the sugar.
Finish a Gratin. The culinary torch gives au gratin potatoes a crisp, beautifully browned crust. After completely baked, sprinkle the gratin with finely grated parmesan cheese and perhaps a light drizzle of truffle or olive oil. Work the culinary torch back and forth over the surface of the gratin until the cheese and potatoes begin to crisp and brown.
Toast Marshmallows for S’Mores. Enjoy campfire season any time of the year by using a culinary torch to make s’mores indoors. Have graham crackers and pieces of milk chocolate bars ready. Spear a marshmallow on a metal skewer (or place loaded graham crackers on a cookie sheet) and use the culinary torch to brown it evenly, beginning with the torch further away so that it has a chance to heat through without getting burnt, then bringing the flame closer to finish the browning. Immediately transfer the marshmallow to a chocolate-topped piece of graham cracker, using another graham cracker to scrape the marshmallow off the skewer, topping it with the cracker.
Make a Perfect French Onion Soup. This favorite and fancy-looking soup isn’t complete without a gooey layer of cheese-covered croutons. A culinary torch can melt and crisp the cheese much more easily than trying to navigate a sheet pan of brimming soup bowls under the broiler. Ladle soup into bowls, float a toasted piece of bread on top, and drape a slice of Gruyere cheese over the whole bowl (tradition dictates that the corners of the bread hang over the sides). Prior to serving, use the culinary torch to melt and brown the cheese topping.
Sources:
- www.thecannibal.com
- www.allcreated.com
- www.amazon.com
- www.cookingontheweekends.com
- www.pinterest.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
