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How to Flambé

  • Blanca Valbuena
  • November 2, 2010

Anyone familiar with Hannah Montana has probably seen the scene where Hannah is waiting for her Tennessee Flambe. If you are not familiar with the scene, here’s what happens: the ferret climbs up the major’s leg and the flambe goes out of control. Maybe not such an original joke, but it reminded me of how fearful most people are about experimenting with  flambeing.

Flambeing is a method of cooking in which one ignites alcohol (brandy, rum, etc…). The result is that the alcohol burns off and the flavor of the spirit remains. Remember that you are working with liquid that is ON FIRE, which is extremely dangerous. Here are some tips to keep a flambe disaster from happening in your kitchen:

  • Stand away from the pan that you are going to flambe
  • NEVER! EVER! pour the alcohol directly from the bottle into a heated pan (the flames will run up the bottle and onto your arm, even worse, the bottle can explode
  • Use spirits that are 80 proof (40% alcohol)
  • Heat the food that is to be flambed, if the food is cold, it will stop the process
  • Heat the spirit until it is warm in a saucepan prior to igniting
  • Do not allow the spirit to come to a boil, you will burn off the alcohol and the spirit will not ignite
  • Pick a flambe pan that has a long handle with round deep sides
  • Remove the pan with your heated spirit from the stove before flambeing
  • Tilt the pan away from you before setting the spirit on fire (again to keep the flames IN the pan)
  • Use a match to ignite the spirit (they sell long ones at culinary stores)
  • Set the spirit on fire immediately to assure that the alcohol burns off, otherwise the food will get a harsh alcohol flavor
  • Light the fumes coming off the spirit, not the liquid itself
  • Let the flame die down completely before finishing your dish
  • Do not imbibe said spirit while flambeing, you will want to do this completely sober
  • DO NOT walk around with the flambe pan while it is ignited, this is asking for disaster
  • Keep a large metal lid on hand. In case your flambe gets out of control, cover the pan with the lid

Recipes that use flambe method:

Apple Beignets with Apricot Sauce

Bourbon Corn Chowder

Chicken Flambe

Emeril’s Bananas Foster Ice Cream Pie

Lamb Chops in Hazelnut Crust with Rosemary Cream

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