No, I grill mine outside on the BBQ. :) sorry couldnt help myself. Seriously, I would be interested to see who has them. Sue

cooperbailey - LOL! I got a similar reaction when I asked DH if he thought we might use a salamander more often than a toaster.

Martha Stewart made reference to her's last week on her show when a chef she was working with said to put something under the broiler......"Oh, I'd just use my salamander, wouldn't you?"

Martha and Food Network chefs aside, is there anybody who has and uses one in the home?

I don't get it. Doesn't your oven have a broiler? Why buy a separate and very expensive duplicate?

I don't know, but I'm skeptical that a countertop unit of this type is going to put out enough BTUs to count as a 'real' salamander. I have a feeling it makes good toast, but probably not so good for a steak.

Here is a link to an older thread here about the bluestar unit.

Although this is not an inexpensive unit (much more than a toaster), there is some interesting information about this unit. Makes me want one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Old thread on BlueStar salamander

Thanks for posting the old thread. I want to ask the question why do they call it a salamander for a long time now. I had guessed it was because of the handle but didn't know about the legs and being stuck into a fire or I bet even as old as a wood fire's coals to preheat. Old thread copied section starts.
The reason they're called salamanders is that in olden times (best phrase I can think of) they had a wide flat metal device that they used to brown foods (gratins) and desserts. To get this metal device red hot, it was inserted directly into the fire.
The flat metal head was connected to a long metal pole for handling, and for stability there were four legs attached to the pole. The device looked like and was called a salamander. Since then, all broilers have been called salamanders. End of old thread.
I became interested in one when everyone kept saying a range's broiler works better with the oven door open. If you open the oven door its dumping heat and SMOKE past the lip of any vent system.I trying to avoid this problem as I rework my kitchen . Also I don't want to have to bend over to look into the oven every few second I lazy and I know I burn something. A broiler can ruin an item in a second if you dont watch it when its finishing.
I never have the room or money for one but I sure would like to play with one .
I not a big tree hugger but I do believe in giving a tree a fair break. I like to try eating more broiled steaks . I started charcoal for my family when I was 8 years old.They didnt have a clue on how to do it. So it just routine for me. Now I feel a little guilty about firing up a pit to cook less than 2 lbs of steak for me and my wife for less than 10 mins. of actual use but then again I sure do like the flavor. A perfect broiled steak is pretty good also and it sure does appeal to my old age lazyness.

To assuage some of your guilt, a gas-fired salamader is burning fossil fuel. And a lot of electricity derives from fossil fuels (coal & natural gas). Charcoal comes from readily renewable resources. Superior to most mass produced charcoal is to use hardwood scraps for you cooking. Burn them to the coaling stage & commence to cook. I've cooked a lot of steaks over a grate in the woodstove and the fireplace over hardwood scraps that a lot of people would toss in the landfill. Before we moved across the country, I had an old gas grill rigged up w/ the innards removed to cook outdoors over wood coals when I didn't want the heat in the house.

I covet one! Jeffrey Steingarten (Iron Chef judge) has one in his kitchen. I would love, love love to have one, even though I'd probably only use it once a month and mostly for nachos!

Salamanders are generally better than oven broilers not only because they give off more intense heat, but because they give off very even heat over a wide area - so they brown very evenly. Most gas ovens I have used broil unevenly because the heat is much more intense in the center than on the ends. A lot of electric oven broiler elements don't heat intensely enough to compare to a salamander and can also be uneven depending on how the element is shaped.

I ended up buying a GE Cafe AG oven a couple of months ago because it fit my my needs and my budget better than the Wolf AG (don't know how well it works yet, still in mid-remodel). The one thing I felt I gave up was broiler performance. I have used the ceramic broiler on the Wolf and IMO it was nearly as good as having a professional salamander.

Salamanders are so wonderful for any last minute/final browning, in addition to uses listed in other threads, they're particularly great for barbecue and terriyaki glazes on meats.

If you don't have a great broiler, a blowtorch can be a very good friend for things like creme brulee and gratins, although it takes some practice to keep the flame moving and just far enough away that it doesn't burn the food.

dgmarie - I haven't used the broiler in my new oven, but the one in my Dacor, which was touted to have a great broiler, was just awful. Chefkev talked about uneven heating, and this was the issue. It scorched in some spots and barely heated others. I pretty much stayed away from recipes that required broiling.

The salamader I was linked to looked like it could toast quite a number of items at one time. Since we do a lot of breakfasts for guests at our cottage, it seemed like a good feature.

I also thought I'd be more apt to use it on dishes that benefit from a little browning at the end - gratins, casseroles, etc., as well as nachos, hot dips, etc. - than I would a tricky oven unit that's more difficult to monitor.

Since we rarely use a toaster, except for weekends, I thought the salamander might be the appliance that offered more options and suited my needs better.

So, does anyone actually have the Bluestar unit? Any opinion whether or not it would be worth it paired with a Wolf DF range? Is the "home approved" version just a glorified toaster, or will it handle steaks well?

The Bluestar isn't a toaster... 2 11 kbtu burners, heating to 1850 degrees farenheit: scary hot, very much a commercial quality unit.

Putting that in context, it won't melt steel [of course], but it could melt aluminum.

Sadly [for me], they also look commercial. Not quite the look I'm going for in the new house:
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but might work for some people, can go on a 48 inch tall countertop(?) or a warming shelf above the range.

No idea as to the suggested price or a 'street' price. I'm hoping to get into the local dealer this week, will get a price then.

BTW: The original salamanders were metal plates heated in the fire, then passed over the food to sear the tops. Some had little feet so they could be stood over the food.

But they were called 'salamanders' because the salamander of folk tales was beleived to be fireproof. Play a prominent role in Hoffman's 'Golden Flowerpot'.

Here is a link that might be useful: the link

Looks like list is $4,535.00 .

Some internet prices popped up from $2100 - $2600.

Due to what happened in the other Blue Star thread I was afraid to give anything other than a list price .
When I said in the earlier in this post about I felt bad about lighting a charcoal pit to cook on it for less that 10 minutes I wasnÂt worried about consuming the actual wood it was the air pollution I was generating. I light the charcoal with lighter fluid (which I know there are more eco friendly ways )it takes a while to get hot then I use it for 10 mins . When finished I shut the lid and it smolders for several hours. ThatÂs why I was saying a salamander would really be nice to do steaks on. Not the same flavor but a high quality alternative to the pit

The salamander I was looking at on the Chef's site was only $199. I think it's likely a glorified toaster - especially compare to the Blue Star. But since I started out looking for just a toaster in the first place, I thought it might fit the bill.

I'm guessing no one out here has one...

So, I'll ask this question, do you think for what I need it for, it's worth a try?

Amck, I see the bluestar as for broiler fanatics that might occasionally use it on a gratin, and cooks who may need the broiler while something else is doing in the oven.

But for toast and the occasional casserole, seems like overkill.

Still, if its not a budget buster...

amck,

I'm going to go a little out on a limb and say "yes, for what you need it's worth a try" with a couple of caveats below in 2nd paragraph. It looks particularly good for toasting a whole bunch of English muffins up at once. Another nice thing about it is that it doesn't really take up that much more space than a normal toaster oven and is only 11" deep.

I had followed the previous post and was interested to learn that there are now probably better choices out there than my old Black and Decker (so I'm probably looking too). The key is whether this chef's unit really performs as it claims to. I'm a little bit concerned about it browning two levels evenly on both sides. I'm also a little uneasy about it being "open faced" and having no door (if I read the link correctly) - you sure wouldn't want to accidentally stick your hand in there. Perhaps it's something that would be better off being a little higher up and out of reach of younger guests if you have any.

It sure would be helpful to see some reviews of it. I'm really interested how this turns out - keep us posted. Here's the link again (hopefully the correct one) for anyone else who's following:

Here is a link that might be useful: Chef's Salamander Broiler link

I have a Bluestar salamander on order. I'm buying it (mostly) for one thing: steak. Top steak houses use salamanders.

Steak was my only temptation. Wife isn't crazy about the look though (above the range) and we don't have counter space for it.

chefkev - I've been away and just saw your last post. In reading the description at Chef's, my eye just ran over the "open faced" description, presuming it alluded to being able to broil open-faced sandwiches, etc.

I clicked on the link again and realized there is no door on it. I think that's an accident waiting to happen - not so much when it's being used, but shortly after when the rods are still hot and people aren't aware they are.

Between that realization and the fact that I cannot find a single customer review, I think I'm going to pass.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Funny how we can miss things in plain sight when we're focusing on other features!