Cooking school: you can learn to flambé
Set your food on fire, but do it in a way that looks professional. Not the oh fuck, I forgot to take the turkey out of the oven way. It takes some practice, but with these tips your fire show is guaranteed to be a success.
How do you actually keep the fire brigade out of your house and your eyebrows intact? It’s much easier than it looks, but it does require concentration and skills. We’ll help you.
Your first-aid kit
Your best friends in this case are: plenty of water, a fire extinguisher, a long match or lighter, a flameproof surface, a flame-retardant glove and a generous dose of common sense. Make sure you don’t get too close to the fire—the alcohol splatters like crazy, and if you’d rather not get holes in your skin, you’d better keep your distance.
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Fire show
First decide what kind of food you’re going to flambé. It can be anything from crêpes Suzette to steak Diane. In any case, the food must already be cooked. It’s mainly about the show and the caramelisation; it’s not as if you’ll get your steak from raw to medium-rare.
Alcohol content
The alcohol is the key ingredient. That’s what creates the little fire in the pan, not the food. It’s very important to use the right alcohol content: around 40 percent. This determines how flammable your crêpe Suzette is. Go above 40 percent and you risk your eyebrows, beard, eyelashes or whatever. Not recommended. Lower isn’t useful either: then you can forget about the whole fire show.
Tools
Cognac and rum are the standard drinks for flambéing food, but be adventurous and try whatever best suits your dish. A deep frying pan works better than, for example, a soup pot.
Preparation
Pour the alcohol into the frying pan, ignite it with a lighter or long match and let the fire die out naturally. If you lose control of the situation, scream bloody murder. Or simply put a lid on the pan—the flame will go out immediately. No stress.
Flambé god
If you’re looking for maximum theatrics, place your dish in a fireproof bowl or on a fireproof plate. Then heat the alcohol in a pan on the stove; around 55 ºC should do it. Ignite the liquid with a lighter, let your audience take a step back (and get their cameras out) and carefully pour the flaming liqueur over the food. Let the flames disappear once you think the spectacle has gone on long enough. Accept your status as a flambé god.
