Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Not a perfect solution, but this is a useful gadget if you're interested in pushing your sous vide cooking to the ultimate. Why would you want a Searzall? Following the completion of sous vide cooking, most cooks like to finish the cooking process with a sear to produce Maillard reaction flavors and attractive coloration on the food. Doing this in a cast iron skillet works but often ends up cooking too far into the food instead of just searing the outside surface (think a thin gray band near the surface of an otherwise rare steak). Another choice is using hand-held gas torches. Unfortunately, using direct butane or propane flames on food can sear unevenly due to the small but intense heat source, plus taint the food's flavor with uncombusted gas smells. The Searzall addresses this problem with a design that incorporates stacked diffusion screens. These screens diffuse the handheld torch's flame and catalyze any uncombusted gas, giving a nice even searing heat with no off-flavors. The Searzall works well for searing food surfaces evenly and superficially, without producing a penetrating heat that cooks the food interior. With careful use you can get a perfect seared exterior without having flakes of carbon on the food surface, or a gray band just under the surface of your rare meat, or oddly gas-tainted flavors. The Searzall does, however, have a couple of disadvantages. The Searzall mounts on the end of a (not included) Bernzomatic TS8000 propane torch, and should be fueled by a green camping-style 16.4-oz propane tank (also not included). Use only the TS8000 or TS4000 torch, none other. For safety's sake, use only 16.4-oz propane tanks, as the taller and thinner ones are more prone to tip over. Don't use MAP gas, it runs hotter and the Searzall diffusion screens may not tolerate it. It is absolutely essential that you calibrate the Searzall's mounting position on your torch head, and "season" the Searzall before its first use. The Searzall website has a helpful video that is well worth watching. The Searzall arrives with an extra set of screens as well as the calibration spacer and a small Allen wrench to mount the Searzall collar on the head of your Bernzomatic torch. After seasoning the Searzall body displays a very nice blue and indigo coloration. You'll use the Searzall on food that's about to be plated, with circular motions comparable to airbrushing. The Searzall should be held very close to the food, with the Searzall's wire cage nearly touching the food surface. With a bit of practice you can achieve a great surface sear without overcooking the interior of the food. On the downside, I do not see any easy method to sear multiple plates for a group of people. Each piece to be seared will take a minute or two per side. This might be impractical and lead to delays and cold food, but it works great if you're searing only a couple of plates. Also keep in mind that you'll have to buy a Bernzomatic TS8000 torch and a 16.4-oz camping-style propane cylinder. These purchases nearly double the price of the Searzall.