Here's a question from reader Donna. She is just learning to use a kitchen torch to caramelize sugar, and it's not going well. She writes:
I have a kitchen torch and CANNOT burn the sugar. I tried brown sugar, granulated and raw sugar and it does not burn. Is it the torch? Should I use turbinado sugar?
Donna, the key to getting a good caramelized top is actually using a very thin layer of fine white sugar. The finer the better, especially since kitchen torches usually aren't very strong. (I have one too, and I wish I would have gotten a real blowtorch from the hardware store instead!)
You want the finest, most consistent grain of sugar possible so that it melts evenly and quickly. Brown sugar has extra moisture in it, so it's not ideal. Raw and turbinado have crystals that are too big. They'll take too long to melt, and they'll melt unevenly so some will burn before the others are golden.
I would suggest pulsing a half cup of regular white granulated sugar in a food processor or blender until it's ultra-fine, then sprinkling a very thin, even layer on the top of your custard or pie, then trying to brulee that.
It usually takes a little while, too; just keep the torch at an even distance from the sugar and carefully pass it back and forth in an even motion until the sugar bubbles then crusts.
Here is a very good and helpfully illustrated post on the proper technique for caramelizing sugar with a torch on crème brûlée:
• Tip: Getting A Good Caramelized Top On Crème Brûlée
Any more tips for Donna?
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I never even bothered with a kitchen torch. It may lack elegance, but I grabbed the blowtorch from the basement and used that - it caramelized the sugar quite easily (and was pretty fun, too).
view sara jane's profile
t takes practice to figure out how to use a blowtorch correctly. The trick is knowing how close to get the flame. With a kitchen blowtorch, aim to have the "inner" blue flame 1/4 inch above the surface. With a plumbing blowtorch, aim to have the nozzle a few inches above the surface.
It is best to go slowly, and do one area at a time. Taking Crème Brûlée as an example, you need to keep the flame quite close to the sugar, and move it about slowly. The sugar should bubble up, then brown before you move on.
Some people are concerned about applying flame to small dishes that might have been made ahead and chilled in the fridge. If you're concerned, use Corningware or Pyrex ramekins.
(from PracticallyEdible.com)
view Minerva of the Airship's profile
In my old restaurant we would put a spoon full of sugar on top, shake it around till it got everywhere, and then dump off the excess. The remaining sugar that stuck was in the perfect thin layer.
view mally313's profile
It's all about heat. Just about anything will burn if hot enough.
That's why I skip out on torches altogether. I just lay a pot of thermite over my custard and ignite it.
Sure it burns a hole in the table, floor, basement ceiling, basement floor, and the earth several feet below... but I'll be damned if that sugar isn't BURNT.
view Citizen Gain's profile
Thanks Citizen Gain I needed a good laugh this morning!
view acushla's profile
I completely agree with using a "blow torch" instead of a kitchen torch. My hardware store had them for a third of the price of kitchen torches.
view G&D's profile
Why not just use the broiler in your oven?
view cara_mia's profile
yes my torch is from ace hardware! I use it only for food. It is amazing how well behaved a house full of BIL's are when I ignite it! I did have one bil say his was to dark but everyone else said they liked it fine. A bigger torch will need pratice so you don't burn too much.
view luv2cook's profile