The Only Type Of Lighter You Should Use To Safely Flambé Your Food

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Ask ten people what they think is the most impressive culinary technique, and we're sure many will say: "The thing where you light the food on fire." Known as flambé, this century-old technique is undeniably a stunning show — but pulling it off safely requires more than just confidence and a lighter, especially if that's a regular old pocket lighter.

In their roundup of tips for flambéing dishes like a professional chef, trained chef and veteran cooking instructor Danielle Turner mentioned that a normal lighter is the wrong tool for the job. Instead, you'll want to reach for a long utility lighter, also called a multi-purpose or candle lighter. This tool features a long "nozzle" that'll keep your hand a good distance away from the flame when it flashes, saving your hair from singeing. 

You'll find these types of lighters in the kitchenware section of just about every grocery store or supermarket, and there are plenty of cheap models like the BIC Multi-Purpose Lighters and the BIC EZ Reach Lighters that will do the trick. Other than flambéing, these lighters are also useful for a bunch of other things, such as lighting a barbecue grill or getting a fireplace going, hence the name "multi-purpose." 

"I've seen plenty of videos of chefs using a regular lighter, so why not?" you ask. Well, nobody said it's impossible, but that doesn't mean you should. When you spark the alcohol, the flame can ignite very quickly. Chefs with lots of practice can probably pull their hand back quickly enough to avoid injury, but why risk it? Worse, for people who are flambéing for the first time, you may jerk your hand and spill the food — not a big deal normally, but remember, it's burning.

Beyond the singed hair and fire hazard, another problem is that your focus would be on keeping your fingers from getting burnt instead of honing in on cooking the food. Your audience is there for the flames and the sizzle, but your job is to safely manage the flambé and ensure the alcohol boils off properly. Needless to say, the latter's far more important. Using a regular lighter just tasks on extra hassle for no gain at all.

Still determined to keep the theatrical element alive? There's an alternative that can be a bit more elegant than a multi-purpose lighter: fireplace matches. They're longer than normal matches, so they'll be able to keep your hand safely away from the fire, too. Strike one with a flourish, touch it to the pan, and you've got all the showmanship of flambé while keeping your eyebrows exactly where they belong!