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Comment by garbageman | Hacker News Reader

Salamander broiler would be incredible to have at home. We get decent results from using a cast iron pan thats as hot as we can get it. At most we can sear 2 steaks as it tends to cool off pretty quick even under high heat. Got any better alternatives that a home cook could use?

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I've tried a blowtorch and a barbecue, but they're not as good as cast iron. Best results from just spending $15 on a second cast iron.

Are you just heating the bare cast iron to crazy hot temperatures and then putting the steak in?

I've thought about trying that, but I'd need to first strip the seasoning off the pan to avoid all kinds of nasty flavors. The second pan makes sense...

I heat it bare, then seconds before I put the steak in I pour some peanut oil, which immediately begins smoking.

Reverse sear over sous vide -- moisture is the enemy of crust.

Cheap knock off a Big Green Egg with hardwood charcoal can get to 650°F or so pretty quick, and does an amazing job of finishing up after a reverse sear.

A blow torch might be worth trying. I'd think it's still not as good as a hot broiler because it's heating a relatively small area.

I feel like I am better off with cast iron or stainless steel compared to slightly bigger torch. Stainless steel allowing some deglazing for sauce. Torch is still too small area and burns more so sears.

As noted in an earlier comment of mine, I have one (actually made for burning weeds) connected to my gas grill tank, and a fancy Japanese one inside. They're honestly pretty rinky-dink. What they are good at is transferring heat just to the crust. But they only do a small patch at a time, and you have to hover for far longer than you'd think. Like, you do a little patch, leave the torch there for 30 seconds, move on. They just don't pump enough energy into the crust fast enough for them to be a general solution. I use them for touching things up, or crisping up a bit.

You tried an actual hardware blowtorch. Thats never failed me, though these days I just finish on a ripping hot stainless steel skillet.

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