One of the most mind-blowing meals I ever ate occurred when I was 12 years old. The main course and sides were good, if unmemorable, but my jaw dropped during dessert when my friend’s mother whipped out a blowtorch—as in a bona fide welding torch from the hardware store—to finish off the crème brûlée.
Keep in mind that this was years before competitive cooking became a fixture on TV shows and in people’s kitchens. So to watch Mrs. Doyle heft a bulky metal tool (while wearing a welding mask!) and ply a live blue flame to the tops of a French custard dish to get it to caramelize properly was… more
Sig Nordal 