Torch Lighter Uses: 8 Things You Can Do Beyond the Kitchen

Most people buy a torch lighter for one reason — usually BBQ grilling or lighting charcoal. But a quality butane torch is far more versatile than you'd expect. From cooking techniques to DIY projects, here are eight creative ways to use your torch that go beyond basic grilling.

1. Caramelise Desserts Like a Pro

Crème brûlée is the classic example, but you can torch-caramelise almost any dessert at home. Sprinkle sugar on top of phirni, kheer, or even sliced bananas and hit it with the torch for a crackling caramel crust. It takes seconds, looks impressive, and tastes incredible. Restaurant-quality desserts, right in your kitchen.

2. Char Vegetables for Smoky Flavour

Baingan bharta (smoky aubergine) traditionally requires roasting brinjal directly on an open flame. A torch gives you more control — you can char exactly the areas you want without overcooking the inside. The same technique works beautifully for roasting tomatoes for chutney, charring corn on the cob, and giving bell peppers that perfect smoky skin.

3. The Dhungar Smoking Technique

This traditional Indian technique infuses smoky flavour into dals, raitas, kebabs, and even biryani. Place a small steel bowl inside your dish, add a piece of charcoal, and use your ZORACook Handheld Butane Torch (₹238) to light it until it's red hot. Pour a teaspoon of ghee over the charcoal and cover immediately. Two minutes of smoke transforms the dish completely. Full method: our dhungar guide.

4. Perfectly Sear Meats

After cooking sous vide or pan-frying a steak, use a torch to quickly sear the outside for a beautiful crust without overcooking the interior. This technique gives you steakhouse-quality results at home. Works wonderfully on tandoori chicken pieces too — a quick torch sear after oven cooking gives that authentic charred look.

5. Light Charcoal and BBQ Grills Instantly

This is the obvious one, but worth mentioning because a torch does it so much faster than lighter fluid or matchsticks. Point the flame at your charcoal for 30-60 seconds and you're ready to grill. No chemical taste from lighter fluid, no waiting 20 minutes for coals to catch. Pair it with the ZORACook Arc BBQ Lighter (₹189) for a complete outdoor cooking setup — see our home BBQ guide.

6. Melt and Shape Candle Wax

If you make candles at home or enjoy candle crafts, a torch helps you smooth imperfections in the wax surface, fix tunnelling in pillar candles, and seal the area around wicks. It's much more precise than using a hair dryer and works faster too.

7. DIY Plumbing Fixes

Small plumbing soldering jobs around the house — like fixing a copper pipe joint — need a focused flame. A butane torch handles copper joints up to about 15 mm (½"); for ¾"+ pipe or a full plumbing run, a propane or MAPP torch is the right tool. The honest limits are covered in our DIY plumbing guide. Always keep a fire extinguisher nearby for any heat work.

8. Art and Craft Projects

From heat-shrinking wire connectors to wood burning art, resin art finishing (popping bubbles in epoxy resin), and embossing with heat-sensitive powders, creative crafters find endless uses for a reliable torch.

Watch: the ZORACook butane blow torch

A short look at the ZORACook refillable butane blow torch range. Both torches refill from a standard cassette-type butane can, give an adjustable blue flame up to about 1,300°C, and are made for kitchen and light workshop work — they solder, they do not weld.

Choosing the Right Torch

Not all torches are created equal. For kitchen and home use, you want adjustable flame control (so you can go from gentle to powerful), a comfortable grip for extended use, a stable base so it doesn't tip over, and easy butane refilling.

ZORACook makes two, and they suit different people:

• Handheld Butane Torch — ₹238. Compact, ergonomic, adjustable blue flame around 1,300°C, with a built-in safety lock. The better pick for kitchen work and homes with children.
• Brass Blow Torch — ₹219. Solid brass body, adjustable valve, and tough enough to double as a workshop tool. The better pick if uses 7 and 8 above appeal to you.

Both refill from a standard ₹199 butane can. Side-by-side comparison: best butane torches under ₹500 in India.

Safety Tips for Using a Torch

Always point the flame away from your body and face. Use on heat-safe surfaces only. Keep away from children. Store upright in a cool, dry place. Never leave a lit torch unattended. Refill in a well-ventilated area, away from open flames — step-by-step refilling guide.

One Tool, Endless Possibilities

A torch is one of those tools that seems like a luxury until you own one. Once you start using it, you'll find new uses every week. From elevating your cooking to tackling home projects, it's a surprisingly practical addition to any Indian home.

For Indian kitchen jobs specifically — dhungar, bharta, papad — the kitchen blow torch guide goes deeper, and this review of the handheld butane torch follows one from kitchen to campsite. None of this replaces a stove lighter: for the burner itself, use a kitchen gas lighter.

Frequently asked questions

Can a butane torch be used for resin and epoxy art?

Yes. A quick pass over freshly poured epoxy pops the bubbles that rise to the surface. Keep the flame moving and hold it well above the resin. A torch is easier to control here than a hair dryer, which blows dust across a wet surface.

Can a butane torch replace a heat gun?

For small focused jobs, yes — heat-shrink sleeving, popping resin bubbles, softening a bead of wax. For anything needing even heat across a wide area, such as stripping paint or bending a large plastic sheet, a heat gun is the right tool. A torch concentrates heat into a small spot by design.

Can a torch fix candle tunnelling?

Yes. Play a low flame briefly across the raised wax rim until it melts level, then let it set. Use the softest flame setting you have, keep the torch moving, and do not do it while the wick is lit.

Do I need a different torch for craft work than for cooking?

No — one butane torch does both, provided the flame is adjustable. What matters is control: you want to dial down to a soft tip for wax and resin, and up to a tight jet for charcoal and soldering. Both ZORACook torches have adjustable flames.

Can a butane torch weld metal?

No. A butane torch solders — it melts plumbing solder to join small copper joints up to about 15 mm (½"). It does not reach welding temperatures and will not fuse metal together. For ¾" pipe upward, or any structural work, use a propane or MAPP torch, or proper welding equipment.

Shop ZORACook specialty lighters — butane torches, arc BBQ lighters & more. Refills come from the same 225 g butane cans that fuel ZORACook stoves. Free shipping across India. Keep away from children. Use in ventilated areas.