# Looking For a High Power Blow Torch



## marc4pt0 (May 19, 2014)

Just something that can be used to sear foods, other then the typical Hardware Store that doesn't burn all the butane. By that I mean foods just pick up that butane flavor as it's not being totally burned upon exit. 
Something that can sit on work stations in the kitchen.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!!

Cheers


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## nerologic (May 19, 2014)

Dave Arnold at Cooking Issues designed a torch tip that prevents that "torch taste" when using propane or butane torches. It turns out the flavor has a lot to do with the intensity of heat more so than uncombusted gas (according to some lab work at UC Davis). They're releasing the product in one month, if you can wait that long. It's either overkill or exactly what you are looking for. I preordered one to try out.

http://www.cookingissues.com/2013/03/17/patent-pending/

http://bookeranddax.com/faqs

Iwatani makes a handy torch head that clips onto butane canisters as well. About $25, delivers good heat, and butane seems to give less torch taste than propane.


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## nerologic (May 19, 2014)

Alternatively, you can also just torch through a dedicated chinois to get a similar effect of combating torch taste. It eventually weakens and chews up the mesh, though.


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## marc4pt0 (May 19, 2014)

Very nice. Thank you!


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## scotchef38 (May 20, 2014)

Get one that uses MAPP gas.It doesnt leave the residual taste you get from propane or butane.


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## Bill13 (May 20, 2014)

scotchef38 said:


> Get one that uses MAPP gas.It doesnt leave the residual taste you get from propane or butane.



lus1: I switched from propane to MAPP based upon Modernist Cuisine's suggestion and it was a huge improvement, and cheap, 7 bucks a canister.


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## toddnmd (May 20, 2014)

Good to know about MAPP. I recently got the Sansaire, and am looking for a way to sear the outside without necessary cooking. My torch can work on propane or MAPP, so I will give the MAPP a try.


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## NY-Chef (May 20, 2014)

Bill13 said:


> lus1: I switched from propane to MAPP based upon Modernist Cuisine's suggestion and it was a huge improvement, and cheap, 7 bucks a canister.


+3
And remember to start the torch facing away from the food, then bring the flame to the food.don't shoot gas at the food upon ignition.


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## sudsy9977 (May 21, 2014)

The mapp gas is no joke...it seems to work way faster than a regular torch that uses butane....works awesome for me....never noticed any taste issues


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## nerologic (May 21, 2014)

If you decide to go with propane/MAPP over butane and really want power, good combustion, and ease of use, get a Bernzomatic TS8000 or the BZ8250HT for $49 and $69, respectively. The 8250 has the torch on a 5 foot hose, so you don't have to lug the whole bottle around when searing. I think that's ideal for line work. They both have a swirling nozzle that makes for complete combustion and they dump HUGE amounts of heat (>14k BTU/hour w/ propane), so you can get toasting quickly. My favorite feature is that they have the crispest "instant on" triggers of any torch I've used: even with a quick pull of the trigger for a fraction of a second, it's very responsive. I found them cheapest at Home Depot AND you get a free tank of MAP-Pro. You'll get about 1.5-2 hours continuous use out of one tank.

As for propane vs MAP-Pro (true MAPP isn't available anymore, Linde stopped making it in 2008), the jury is out. MAP-Pro only gets 130 &#730;F (a measly ~3%!!!) hotter in air: it's only appreciably hotter than propane when you mix it with pure oxygen (~5200 &#730;F vs 4500 &#730;F). Modernist Cuisine says "We strongly prefer torches fueled by MAPP or propylene gas" without much discussion, but Chris Young (one of the authors that later left the project before MCAH) says propane is really just as good with a good/properly adjusted torch. The way I see it, the key is that if a torch is MAPP-compatible, it usually indicates that it is better made and gives more complete combustion, even with propane, and MC wanted to KISS for editorial reasons.
http://forum.chefsteps.com/discussion/13/mapp-gas-vs-propane-torches
http://modernistcuisine.com/2011/02/torch-tastes/

I use propane with a properly adjusted flame and have no problems. Gotta occasionally twirl the torch tip to adjust the air/fuel mix until there's no yellow in the flame before pointing it at food, and you're good to go. MAP-Pro is too expensive compared to any perceived benefit for me, though I suppose if you look at the actual cost of searing (~10¢/minute with MAP-Pro versus ~3¢/minute with propane), the difference may not matter to you. For me, burning MAP-Pro is about the same cost as paying minimum wage, haha (albeit very part-time), so I go propane.

And it's still the case that radiant heat causes less off flavor than direct flame, so the chinois trick is still pretty useful, even though it's necessarily a bit slower.

Pardon the rant. This is a topic I have spent tooooo much time thinking about and figured I'd pass along my take.


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## nerologic (May 21, 2014)

And I agree that either propane or MAPP kick the pants off of butane because butane torches typically have a lower flow rate of fuel. Butane itself burns about as hot as propane, but the torches just don't dump enough of it fast enough, partly because the tanks get really cold as the butane evaporates out of them. This is once again a limitation of the torch, not the fuel itself, which I found interesting.


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## Phalanx (May 22, 2014)

The TS8000, as mentioned works great. Though it wouldn't fit on your desk, those $50ish weed torches hooked up to propane tanks are great to play with at home.


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