How to Use a Kitchen Blowtorch (Sunday School)

An in-depth look at how to use a kitchen blowtorch, including a look at the safety features!

Kitchen blowtorches are versatile pieces of kit that can catapult ordinary desserts and dishes into extraordinary creations. In this guide, I'll walk you through the anatomy of my kitchen blowtorch, a GenWare MicroTorch supplied to me by Viking Direct for the purpose of this blog post. I'll also share a few ideas of how you could use a blowtorch and why every aspiring patisserie chef needs one!

Welcome to the very first Sunday School--a new endeavor here on Anyonita Nibbles. I'm planning on bringing you a different cooking tutorial or guideline focusing on how to use ingredients, kitchen equipment or how to execute various techniques the first Sunday of each month!

How to Use a Kitchen Blowtorch

Written by: Anyonita Green

From giving color to peaks of Italian meringue to caramelizing sugar for crème brûlée and other uncommon uses like smoking hay for cooking, blowtorches play a varied and vital role to many endeavors in the kitchen. Originally a welder's tool, blowtorches have a long history of use in professional kitchens and thanks to companies producing smaller versions, home cooks are able to use them as well.

Safety when using a Kitchen Blowtorch
Please take every care and precaution necessary when using a blowtorch. Ensure that your working area is free from extraneous flammable materials such as paper, linens and aerosols. When filling and refilling your blowtorch, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions. It is always best to fill blowtorches in well-ventilated areas such as outside. You'll know your blowtorch is filled because it will produce a bit of back spray, indicating that there is no more room inside the canister. Leave the blowtorch upright for two minutes to ensure that any residual vapor has dissipated.

The Anatomy of a Kitchen Blowtorch
For the purposes of this demonstration, I'll be using my GenWare MicroTorch blowtorch. Check your instructional manual or manufacturer's website for instructions on how to use yours.

Here's the front of my blowtorch. Where the flame comes out.

On either side of the blowtorch, are different functions. Here's the gauge to determine how much gas is supplied. The greater the gas, the larger the flame emitted. Simply slide the control forward to increase the amount of gas or backward, to decrease.

This blowtorch has the option for a continual stream of fire, handy if you are using the blowtorch over a large area, such as burnishing the topping on lemon meringue tarts or for brûléeing the sugar coated flesh of brûléed peaches.

The child safety lock is located at the back of this blowtorch, right beneath the button for administering the flame. Slide the latch down and fully depress the circular button to start the flow of fire.

Here's the GenWare Micro Torch in action, ready to make some burnished magic!

How to Choose a Kitchen Blowtorch
Every blowtorch isn't going to look like mine, so use these photos as a reference point, but take the time to study the manual and instructions supplied with your kitchen blowtorch. When choosing a blowtorch, be sure that it meets the following features:

• is designed for and/or suitable for use in domestic kitchens
• has a safety lock or stop valve
• comes with a canister of butane for filling
• has sufficient instructions on use, storage and purchasing butane 

Using your Kitchen Blowtorch 

No matter what you use your blowtorch for, please be safe and follow these tips:

• position the blowtorch a safe distance from your face and other flammable materials
• if your stove top or hob has a vent, have it switched on to extract any fumes or smoke
• when burnishing delicate foods such as meringues, the peaks tend to catch fire, be ready to blow them out
• hold the blowtorch about two inches away from the food and once it has begun to color, move it to the next bit of food. Prolonged exposure to flames, usually encourages food to catch fire.
• be sure to store the blowtorch and butane out of reach of children and open flames.
  

Recipes Requiring a Kitchen Blowtorch
Click each photo to be taken to the recipe.

Stop back by tomorrow (Monday); I'll be sharing a very special crème brûlée recipe with you!