![creme brulee](https://www.suddenlunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/creme-brulee.jpg)
Great Ways to Use a Blowtorch in the Kitchen – in Addition to Crème Brulée
In this post ...
A blowtorch in the kitchen is such a boon and not only for making Crème Brulée ~ here’s lots of other good ideas.
How to Use a Blowtorch in the Kitchen
~ Make sure the dish receiving the flame is on a metal tray on a heatproof surface.
~ Move anything flammable out of the reach of the flame – alcohol, oily rags, paper, your hair, bits of your or anybody else’s body, etc.
~ Don’t apply the flame to anything alcoholic – it may burst into flames.
~ Hold the flame an inch or more above the surface.
~ Sweep the flame slowly back and forth across the surface you are caramelising. Don’t stop in any one place or you risk burning it.
~ You can, of course, caramelise the top of a large dish but a blowtorch is particularly good for enhancing small individual dishes, such as crème brulées – but other things too.
Things to Brulée with a Blowtorch
Caramelise Fruit
~ Grapefruit for Breakfast – sprinkle caster sugar on the cut halve of grapefruit and then caramelise with your blowtorch. A much nicer breakfast than uncaramelised grapefruit!
~ Pineapple slices
~ Caramelize lemon or other citrus slices for garnishing.
~ Banana slices or the tops of stuffed bananas.
![caramelised orange slices](https://www.suddenlunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/caramelised-citrus-fruit.jpg)
Sugar Crusted Porridge
Sprinkle your porridge with sugar, maybe a flavoured sugar and torch till golden for an exceptional breakfast. If, even after this wonderful porridge improvement, you have some left (not the crunchy bits, I presume) see here for lots of ideas for leftover porridge.
Enhance Cheesecake
I used to put A Personal Lemon Cheesecake on the menu and finished it off with a quick caramelisation just before serving. Here are some easy no-bake cheesecakes that would benefit from this treatment.
![toffeed apple crumble](https://www.suddenlunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/toffeed-apple-crumble.jpg)
Toffee Apple Crumble
I made this delicious apple crumble variation some years ago but, at the time I didn’t have a blowtorch. Now I have, and instead of pouring caramel over the finished dish I sprinkle it with caster sugar and torch it instead,which is even better than the original version. I suggest you do the same!
Rice Pudding Brulée
To me this is a vast improvement on the unbruléed version. You can, of course, brulée hot rice pudding but I prefer to use chilled, possibly leftover, rice pudding with a little cream stirred into it. Divide between ramekins or other individual dishes, maybe with a little jam or fresh fruit or what have you in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle with sugar and brulée away.
Cinnamon Toast and More
If you just have a toaster but no grill making cinnamon toast is, sadly, not possible – unless, of course, you have blowtorch to caramelise the sugar topping! See here for how to make cinnamon and other deliciously flavoured toasts.
![sgared toast](https://www.suddenlunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cinnamon-toast.jpg)
Chicken or Duck Liver Pâté!
These smooth pâtés are always best served with something sweet; cranberry sauce, onion marmalade or caramelised onions for instance, but they are superb with a crunchy caramelised sugar topping which also contrasts so well with their creaminess!
Enhancing Dishes with a Blowtorch in the Kitchen
Enhance anything that’s not quite as temptingly golden brown as you’d like, for instance …
![meringue browned with blowtorch](https://www.suddenlunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/lemon-meringue.jpg)
~ Meringues (foolproof meringue recipe here) with lots of variation) or Lemon Meringue Pie.
~ Things you don’t see the top of till you turn them out, tarte tatin for instance or upside-down pineapple cake.
~ Gratins, pasta bakes etc.
~ Cheese on Toast
~ The croûte on top of French Onion Soup.
Crisp up disappointingly uncrisp things such as …
~ If your pork crackling is not as brittle as you hoped run the blowtorch over it till it is.
~ Similarly crisp up bacon if you are not happy with it.
![crisp bacon](https://www.suddenlunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/crisp-bacon-slice.png)
![](https://www.suddenlunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/suzy-bowler-food-writer-e1601837825849.jpg)
Suzy Bowler
Having been a somewhat itinerant chef for over 30 years I was amazed, on my return to the UK, at the blatant food waste that now seems to be rife in the country; amazed and irritated. So much so that I decided to start a blog about spontaneous cooking from leftovers to show people that there are great alternatives to throwing food away.