Smoked Cocktails! Wok Hei! Crème Brûlée! Why I Love My Butane Torch

For years, a butane kitchen torch was something I talked myself out of buying. I’d eat crème brûlée at a restaurant, get a hankering for it at home, and add a butane torch to my Amazon cart. Then, I’d hem and haw and decide it was a “want” rather than a “need.” As a gear tester, my kitchen (and basement and garage) are already overflowing with stuff. But then I tested cocktail smokers, one of which came with a small kitchen torch, and the clouds lifted: I should’ve bought a torch sooner.

Why I Love My Butane Torch

First of all, a butane kitchen torch is essential to get that crackling, crunchy sugar crust on crème brûlée. Sure, a broiler will do the job in a pinch, but I’ve never gotten that candy-like, hard sugar layer with that method. But a butane torch’s uses go far beyond this one task. 

We’ve written about how a torch is a great way to get wok hei flavor at home—a method contributor Tim Chin cleverly calls “torch hei.” He writes, “At first whiff, I could detect those tell-tale aromas of a legit stir fry: the greens were smoky, singed, faintly charred in all the right ways. Overall, I thought I'd achieved a worthy approximation of wok hei.” 

In addition to wok cooking, I’ve also turned to my kitchen torch to zhuzh up ingredients. I use it to brûlée fruit, transforming a banana split into a caramelized, brûléed banana split—fancy! It’s also great for searing fish for sushi, resulting in a nice char without cooking the fish through. Beyond this, it has a slew of useful applications: Have a midnight craving for s’mores? Use a butane torch to toast the marshmallows. Is the cheese on your burger still a bit solid? Blast it with a torch so it gets bubbly and melty. Taking forever to light briquettes in your charcoal chimney? A butane torch can help the newspaper catch. 

Oh, and back to cocktail smokers, which is how I first discovered the butane torch-shaped hole in my life. If you buy my favorite budget-friendly cocktail smoker, you’ll need a butane torch to light it (like this one). I tried igniting the wood chips with a regular lighter, and all I got was a trickle of smoke. Then I broke out the butane torch and boom, smoke blasted into my cup with all the force and smoky power of one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. 

In short, a butane torch lets you have fun in the kitchen, opening the door for caramelized and seared edible delights without having to turn on the burner or oven. 

How to Safely Use a Torch

All that said, with great (fire) power comes great responsibility. I’ve done some questionable things with my butane torch, namely, holding a big ‘n puffy marshmallow while torching it—bad idea. Instead, take care when aiming the powerful flame, and don’t light it up near anything flammable. Keep it away from a stove top burner if you have a gas range—accidents happen and this isn’t an accident you want to mess with. Also, make sure the torch’s safety lock is engaged when it’s not in use. It’d be a bad time if you accidentally hit the trigger while it’s stored in the drawer.

Why We’re the Experts

• Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Serious Eats, where she’s been testing gear for more than two years. 
• After getting a butane torch to test cocktail smokers, she fell in love with this kitchen gadget and uses it to toast marshmallows and brûlée fruit, among other things.