I am addicted to the food network. I love watching the chefs (except Martha and Emeril who both make me crazy). My own kitchen has many of the same tools that they use, but every so often they'll have a toy I don't. The toy that I have most desired over the past couple of years of watching cooking shows has been a torch.

I remember welding in an industrial arts class and using a torch. Doing that, it was necessary to adjust the level of various gases to produce a clean flame. I never saw the chefs doing this, but I had an image in mind of spending money and time to make a perfect creme brulee only to have it ruined when the flame from my torch left a sooty top to my dessert instead of carmelizing the sugar properly. Thus, I've avoided torches.

Well, I got a cooking torch for Channukah this year. In my case, it is a Messermeister Culinary Torch. The torch stands just six inches high. The barrel length for the part that the flame comes from is five and a half inches. There is no need here for balancing the gases that create the flame here. Instead, the torch works on "triple refined" butane which means that the flame is super clean and won't leave soot.

The torch is a smaller version of those used by the professional chefs on television, but for household use is ideal. Besides, I don't need something else that takes up more space than necessary. Since getting my torch, I have been having an absolute ball caramelizing sugar on creme brulee. It's great to have the top perfectly brown and the dish and custard properly cool. I'm not a meringue fan, but I have a friend who is a lemon meringue pie fan, so I did have a chance to try it on that. It did a wonderful job of browning the peaks while leaving the rest lovely and white. I've also used this to finish off tarts and to brown bits of turkey that didn't brown exactly right.

My mother has also been playing with it. She has had a great time. Tonight she used it to melt a bit of jam for a glaze. She has also been playing with making pulled sugar and has found it useful for that. She's also used it to char peppers for roast peppers and to make a single carmelized apple that she needed for a garnish she wanted.

Happily, the butane ran out and we had to buy more. ($3.69 per canister). The butane did not come with it originally, though it did come with my gift. I say happily because the calorie count had been rising in our household since this toy arrived. One canister of butane lasts about 3 hours.


We find ourselves looking for recipes with carmelized tops. It's fun to do.

The torch has a chrome handle with a rubberized grip which is texturized to keep it from slipping in your hand. It comes with a safety lock though I wouldn't leave it out around children. (Child safety locks have always been more problematic for me than the children around me.) It also has a storage stand so it doesn't fall over when not in use.

Cleaning the torch is easy. I just wipe it down with a damp soapy cloth. The torch never comes in touch with food, so there isn't much to cleaning.

If you are a cooking show addict and you actually want to make the recipes you watch, I would recommend the Messermeister Culinary Torch. It's fun and it'll give you options you never had before.

Recommended: Yes