The romance and the reality of fire
There's nothing quite like a flambé. The burst of flame, the hiss of alcohol hitting a hot pan, the aroma that fills the pass — it's theatre, and guests love it.
But fire is also a cost. And like every cost in your kitchen, it deserves to be understood.
The three costs of flame-cooking
1. Energy cost Every minute a burner runs at full flame, you're paying for gas. A commercial gas burner consumes roughly 3–5 kW per hour. A flambé that takes 90 seconds on a high-flame burner isn't expensive in isolation — but multiply it across a busy service, and the energy adds up.
The bigger issue is idle flame. Burners left on between dishes, pilot lights running overnight, equipment pre-heated too early — these silent consumers are where energy budgets quietly inflate.
2. Product loss When you flambé, you're burning alcohol — and alcohol is a purchased ingredient. A 20 ml pour of spirits used for flambé carries the same cost as a 20 ml pour in a cocktail. If your team treats it as "just for the flame," you're giving away product.
Additionally, high-heat cooking methods increase the risk of:
- Overcooking — protein dried out by excessive flame
- Carbonisation — product burned and discarded
- Shrinkage — moisture loss at high temperatures reduces yield
3. Time cost Flame techniques often require active attention — a cook watching a pan, waiting for the right moment to deglaze or flambé. That attention is labour cost. When the technique is reserved for dishes where it adds real value, it's worth it. When it's used for show on every plate, it's margin erosion.
When fire earns its keep
Flame-cooking isn't the enemy. Done deliberately, it adds value that guests pay for:
- Flame-grilled proteins — char marks and smoke flavour justify premium pricing
- Tableside flambé — theatre that elevates the dining experience and the check average
- Wok cooking — high-heat, rapid cooking that preserves texture and nutrients
The question isn't "should we use fire?" — it's "is the fire adding value that exceeds its cost?"
Practical fire-cost discipline
- Cost every flambé — treat the spirits used in cooking the same as the spirits used in drinks
- Schedule burner use — zone your cooking so sections can be shut down during slow periods
- Train for technique — a skilled cook flambés quickly and precisely; an untrained one wastes product and energy
- Measure shrinkage — weigh proteins before and after high-heat cooking to understand true yield
The principle: Fire is a tool, not a habit. Use it where it creates value — guest experience, flavour, speed — and eliminate it where it's just burning money.
Every flame in your kitchen should have a purpose. When it does, it's an investment in your product. When it doesn't, it's just margin going up in smoke.
