Transcript: Blowtorch

Food Science
Episode “Blowtorches”

Dr. Kiky Sanford: Yeah I said firepower but this isn’t a blowtorch. It’s just a lighter and I don’t think its going to get the job one with browning my steak. However this kitchen blowtorch, I don’t think it will brown my steak very well either. It might brown the outside, but it will take awhile. It cost about $25 and they can be found at any local gourmet food store or online at Gourmet food catalogs.

Now sometimes this flame isn’t quite big enough for things that I ant to do in the kitchen, and that’s when I turn to something else, the Benzomatic, self-igniting propane blowtorch. Now this is like a blowtorch that I am used to, it’s found at hardware stores rather than gourmet food shops, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used in your kitchen.

It runs on propane, which is a hydrocarbon just like butane, it has three carbon atoms, and here as butane has four. Both gases are from the processing of petroleum and natural gas products. It has a nice feature where you have a screw starter to get the gas going. And the igniter works nice ad easy, ands you get a big flame. You let the igniter go and you can change the flame, turn it down and even off by adjusting the amount of gas that comes out through this little thing on the back.

The nozzle is great because it allows a much larger amount of gas to come through, opens up that flame so you get a really good, big flame for your jobs in the kitchen. Now it’s also really handy because it can be found at hardware stores. It’s about $25 which is very similar to the price o the kitchen blow torch that is found at the gourmet food shops. But because it is at a hardware store it might make it a little bit easier to find.

Now what can we do with these blowtorches that we will enjoy eating? I think crème Brule sounds kind of nice. Both of these can do a nice job of browning and hardening the sugar shell on top of the crème Brule, you try the little blowtorch and you get a nice little flame as you can see. But there is a slow browning it takes a much longer period of time to get that sugar where you want it. If I try my propane blowtorch, my big flame, I am turn it up nice and high, the sugar starts sizzling almost instantly. That is going to be quick Brule if I ever saw one.

Other things we can do, we can brown the outsides, make some roasted red bell peppers.
Roasted red bell peppers are really great in sauces. I you want to make it yourself this makes it very easy to do. For an alternative you could just go to a grocery store and buy it, but this makes it a lot more fun. By having flame in the kitchen is definitely something to look forward to.

So you see here I have a nice blackened outside on this bell pepper, I can scrape t right off, the bell pepper is, mmm starting to release all those nice flavors. Other things we can do, you can roast nuts. I got some pine nuts here. You can roast them as opposed to putting them in the oven to cook or even putting them in a pan to fry.

You can take other things, like a pineapple for instance, you can slice it up add some brown sugar and melt the brown sugar over it, it will happen nice and quick, and what a way to bring dessert to your table with your propane blowtorch.

And last but not least, in the middle of the summertime, when corn is plentiful. I usually enjoy having a nice ear of corn, that when I didn’t have one of these in the kitchen I used to have to cook it over my open flame of my gas stove. But now propane makes it easy, roasted corn on the cob, in my hand. It’s not just food, its science.

Hi I am Dr. Kiky Sanford, and you are watching food science,