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I’m not here to tell you that you need a kitchen torch; if you’re like most home cooks, you probably don’t. A culinary torch is the kind of kitchen tool that is necessary in only very specific situations—caramelizing the sugar on a crème brûlée, for instance, or blast-browning a sous vide steak—and if those situations don’t apply to you, well, use that cupboard space for something else.
Let’s be real, though: There are plenty of kitchen tools you don’t need but covet anyway. And in my humble opinion, the best kitchen torch is a whole lot more awesome than, say, a purpose-built squash seed-scraper, or a WiFi-enabled spoon rest. Because playing with fire is fun. And so are you. This is me giving you permission to buy one of the most fun kitchen gadgets out there just for the hell of it, even if all you ever do is dig it out of the cabinet every once in a while and click it on a few times when no one is looking. And who’s to say a cooking torch is just for cooking? Scare/impress your guests by using it to light some candles or get really into shou sugi ban—a propane torch is a multipurpose tool. You don’t need it, but you do deserve it.
If this entreaty is speaking to you in any way, here are some of the best kitchen torches to consider.
For culinary butane torch newbies: Jo Chef Butane Kitchen Torch
This little refillable butane torch can reach flame temperatures of up to 2730°F and is what you want for toasting a baked Alaska or lemon meringue pie, melting cheese atop French onion soup, or browning the marshmallow topping on a s’mores-inspired situation you found on Pinterest. You’ve seen something like this on The Great British Bake-Off, I’ll bet, a show I hear is very charming. The Jo Chef kitchen torch is lightweight, doesn’t take up too much space, and comes with about as much butane fuel as you’ll probably use in 10 years. (And if the fuel gauge shows you’re running low, not to worry, you can purchase additional compatible butane canisters.)
This cutie is great for kitchen blow torch beginners because of its intuitive design, safety lock to guard against accidental ignition, and adjustable flame size. It’s ideal for desserts because it’s easy to wield in tighter spaces—a tight little tongue of concentrated flame that won’t accidentally set your tablecloth on fire when you’re trying to torch a dessert tableside. It is also great for lighting rows of birthday candles for your grandma without getting Lighter Thumb.
For the pyromaniac in all of us (…just me?): Bernzomatic TS8000 High Intensity Torch
Often sold in hardware stores, Bernzomatic offers a wide array of professional-grade torches for everything from soldering to woodworking, with varying fuel types and flame intensities. While this particular model, the Bernzomatic TS8000, sounds like a character from the Terminator movies, it’s basically a small flamethrower, with the angled nozzle producing a whooshing jet of intense flame that, in all honesty, is kind of scary, but in a cool and fun way. The trigger unit itself is small and easy to stash in a drawer, which is a plus, but it needs to be attached to one of those bulky green propane cylinders you use with a camping stove in order to work, which makes the whole thing fairly heavy and awkward.
But the power. The POWER. This heavy-duty bad boy has the firepower you need to touch up the crust on a standing rib roast or glazed holiday ham, get a batch of charcoal fired up at a barbecue, finish off a sous vide or reverse-seared steak, or get a quick char on roasted veggies for extra smokiness. Press the lock button on the front for when you want a continuous flame without pressing the ignition button, or dial down the intensity a bit with the adjustable flame knob on the back of the unit. It’s also clutch for when you invited friends over for a backyard campfire but are having a hard time getting the fire going even though you were a Boy Scout for eight years—it will create a distraction AND save you from humiliation.
For the sous vide gear dads: Booker & Dax Searzall Torch Attachment
This one’s a top pick for the real Heads and professional chefs, a niche product within a niche category—and it is, as they say, pretty sick. The brainchild of legendary food nerd Dave Arnold of Booker & Dax fame, the Searzall is essentially a metal cone that screws onto the end of a torch head unit like the Bernzomatic TS8000 and concentrates that intense blast of flame across a circle of heatproof alloy mesh, effectively turning your torch into a high-powered hand-held broiler fit for any professional kitchen. Cool, huh? This makes a powerful torch a bit more manageable to wield for longer periods of time, as is sometimes necessary when browning meats that were cooked sous vide or even cooking thin cuts or fillets of fish from raw.
It also promises to eliminate “torch taste.” What is that? Apparently, it’s an off-flavor that some people detect in food that has been torched without a Searzall but is really just a neat piece of information you can toss to dinner party guests while they watch you blast their entrée with the heat of a thousand suns.