Modernist Cooking At Home

  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • Techniques
  • Equipment
  • Cookbooks
  • Blog

Food Torch Review

One of the drawbacks of sous vide cooking is that you never achieve that brown crust full of delicious flavor that traditional roasting or grilling achieves.  These brown bits of goodness occur because of the maillard reaction and can only develop at extremely high heats not used in sous vide cooking.

There is, however, an easy solution to this problem…torching.  Using a good torch, you can quickly put a brown crust that is both delicious and visually appealing on any piece of meat or fish (like this swordfish recipe). Think of this as a crème brûlée torch on steroids.

 

Iwatani Torch Burner Professional

Food Torch

The rolls Royce of food torches, the Iwatani puts out consistent reliable flames that create amazing crusts in no time.  This is the torch I ended up purchasing after months of frustration with the torch reviewed below.  It is of a very similar price to other brands, but with a much better quality.  Don’t waste your time with anything else.

This torch uses butane canisters which are very inexpensive and it uses them efficiently.  I’m still on my first can of the five pack I bought 6 months ago.  You simply twist the torch onto the canister and are good to go; no messy filling of compartments.  The flame never goes out no matter how quickly you move the torch around or at what angle you are holding it.  The lighting motion is very simple with an twist to open the fuel line and a pull of the trigger to ignite.  I’ve never had to attempt ignition more than one time and have never had the flame go out.

Make sure you pick up the right butane canisters when you buy the torch.

 

Orka & BonJour Torches

 

These two brands have a variety of torches of a similar price to the Iwatani, but with much worse quality.  Both brands are better suited for crème brûlée which doesn’t need the consistent high heat needed for quickly searing meat after sous vide cooking.

Reviewers complain of inconsistent lighting and flame stability and difficulties in filling.  Don’t waste your time with these brands.  Go for the Iwatani.

Share this:

  • Tweet

Related posts:

Vollrath Mirage Pro InductionInduction Cooktop Review Swordfish & Mango SalsaSous Vide Swordfish with Raspberry Mango Salsa Default ThumbnailReview of Under Pressure by Thomas Keller Review of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking

Filed Under: Equipment

Comments

  1. Renner says

    May 2, 2014 at 09:04

    Hi! Which one is better??

    Iwatani Torch Burner Professional OR BonJour Creme Brulee Pro Culinary Torch with Fuel Gauge??

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Bethanie says

      June 6, 2014 at 09:32

      The Iwatani is by far better. Anything for Creme Brulee simply doesn’t have the power you are going to want and need for searing off meat.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Me

Learn about me and how I went from a frozen pizza queen to a burgeoning modernist home cook! … Read more

Recent Posts

  • Sous Vide Lobster Tail Salad with Sous Vide Poached Egg
  • Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator Review
  • Sous Vide Meatloaf with Hazelnut Crust
  • Scallops, Beet Juice Pickled Turnips and Beet Ice Cream
  • Chocolate Brownie with Sous Vide Crème Anglaise

Recent Comments

  • Alejandro Palacios on Vacuum Sealer Reviews
  • Jamie on Sous Vide Buttered Lobster Tail, Hen of the Woods, Bone Marrow, Pearl Onions
  • Eric Park on Reverse Spherification
  • Jamie on Sous Vide Buttered Lobster Tail, Hen of the Woods, Bone Marrow, Pearl Onions
  • Al Harris Jr. on Vacuum Sealer Reviews

Recent Posts

  • Sous Vide Lobster Tail Salad with Sous Vide Poached Egg
  • Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator Review
  • Sous Vide Meatloaf with Hazelnut Crust
  • Scallops, Beet Juice Pickled Turnips and Beet Ice Cream
  • Chocolate Brownie with Sous Vide Crème Anglaise

Copyright © 2024 www.modernistcookingathome.com - Privacy Policy