In what recipes is a blow torch called for? I just got one as a gift, but my poor arteries can’t handle creme brulee on a regular enough basis to justify owning one.
How long does it take to blow torch a frozen turkey to doneness?
So you “can’t handle creme brulee”, eh? Well, to be honest, I’m not a big fan of creme brulee myself (regardless of diet restrictions), so I can’t blame you one bit.
Still, I’d imagine a blow torch would be handy for any situation where you want something browned and crispy on top without cooking it any more. Anything topped with cheese, for example. If you’ve baked that perfect casserole but the top isn’t what you want it to be, or you want to throw some cheese on their after the baking is done, just torch it a sec and and it’ll be perfect.
You could brown meringue or roast marshmellows. And burn Xmas Peeps!
You could cook the outside of the turkey pretty quickly, leaving salmonella city on the inside. Stick to deep frying like a normal person. 
Bananas foster can be ghetto made with a small torch. Basically anything you would fininsh in a salamander can be done with a small torch. Nachos, small pizzas, meringue, etc.
Unfeasibly long. A torch is intended for high temperature at a small point - not for transferring large amounts of thermal energy. It’s the difference between a static spark (high voltage, minimal duration, low total energy) and a car battery (low voltage, much longer duration, much higher total energy).
Oh, I’m a fan. I’d swim in the stuff if I could. But the ingredients are:
Egg yolks
Heavy cream
Butter
Lard
Bacon grease
Crisco
Goose fat
WD-40
The Alaskan shore line
The entire sub-strata of Iraq
Heh heh. 
Heeeey …
OK, now I’m starting to think you’re making things up … :dubious:
It seems that anything I would put under the broiler for 2 minutes might work. A quick BBQ glaze, for instance.
Sometimes I omit the lard.
tdn – We went to two restaurants in the past few months that had creme brulee, which I’d never had before, so we tried it. MilliCal loved it – except for that hard-crackle sugar crust on the top (that’s so hard to make and that some people die for). The second time we tried it, she insisted that someone else eat the crust off.
Oh dear – the “crust” is the best part!
Oh the humanity!
As God is my witness I thought Peeps were made of asbestos!
If you’re interested in expanding outside of the realm of cooking, small blow torches are great for lighting sets of fireworks with the fuses twisted together. I suggest making a Flaming Goat to go with it.
Is it the Forth of July yet?
At sushi bars, I’ve seen them take a long 1" x 2" “stick” of raw tuna, and lightly “torch” it on all sides, slightly cooking and blackening the exterior. The interior remains transluscent, red and raw. Then they proceed to slice it for sashimi or sushi. It’s topnotch with soy, lemon and finely sliced green onions.
I image it would be great for roasting peppers. And if you have never done this, you are in for a treat.
You can make very good rare steaks with a big-ish one, though if you want to do a Pittsburg rare, you want a welder’s torch. Same idea, only even more so.
Can I ask what a broiler is in the spirit of hands-across-the-ocean understanding?
American Broiler = British Grill