If you’re new to foodservice, your first thought might be that a salamander is one of those odd looking, colored lizards that go in the water or on land, but for the purpose of this post, we’ll assume we’re all in the industry or at least want to be. A salamander is a specialty broiler that is fast to heat up and simple to use, with some salamander broilers reaching temperatures over 1000oF. You’ll also hear salamanders referred to as finishing ovens and sometimes cheese melters, although not all cheese melters are salamanders. In commercial foodservice equipment, there are two types of salamander broilers. One type is to be part of a commercial range while the other salamander broiler can be a standalone appliance.
Salamanders can be used for a variety of cooking tasks such as broiling, browning, glazing, caramelizing, grilling and even to toast. If you have a salamander in your commercial kitchen, it is likely used to broil appetizers, caramelizing sugar, melt cheese and heat sandwiches, finish french onion soup, or heat a finished plate so everything is piping hot. There are many chefs that swear that they use the salamander frequently during every day part.
Why would you use a salamander rather than a broiler? First, a salamander produces very high heat in an energy efficient manner for broiling a steak and searing proteins like beef or chicken and giving them a steakhouse taste and feel that wouldn’t be achieved with an in-oven broiler. Additionally, the low heat or moderate settings are ideal for more delicate menu items including seafood, melting cheese and caramelizing sugar on desserts like crème brulee. Additionally, salamander broilers easily fit into most all commercial kitchens so they don’t take up value floor space. We even carry a salamander wall mounting kit for our Equipex SEM60Q or SEM60VC Salamander Finishing Ovens. Finally, salamander broilers are popular in busy restaurants and commercial kitchens because foods that are being finished with a salamander don’t take up valuable oven space being utilized to prepare other menu items.
