Salamander Definition

• The salamander is a kitchen appliance used to brown food. This appliance is most often found in commercial kitchens and looks like a large press that lifts food on a shelf up to an intense heating source. Modern salamanders work similarly to a home-range broiler but are not intended for home use. The original salamander consisted of a long iron rod and a cast-iron disk, which you heated over a burner until the disk became red-hot. You then placed the disk over your food to scorch the top and provide it with a browned crust.
  
  

Salamander Cooking

• Today's salamander appliances are used in commercial kitchens for roasting peppers, browning the tops of meats and casseroles and caramelizing sugar on top of dishes such as creme brulee. Gourmet kitchen appliance suppliers sell home-grade salamanders but they are not cheap. Home-grade salamanders require a professional installation and take up a considerable amount of space. They reach heating temperatures of 1,850 degrees F.
  
  

Hearth Definition

• Unlike the more complicated salamander, the hearth is a simple apparatus that uses an open fire and cooks food that hangs over the flame. A traditional hearth is created from adobe, brick or stones formed into a dome shape, often similar to wood-burning ovens at pizza establishments. Today, hearth cooking is still used as the predominant cooking method in countries such as Niger.
  
  

Hearth Cooking

• Cook whole chickens, legs of lamb and pork roasts by hanging these foods over the open flame. Start the fire in the hearth early and wait until some wood embers form at the fireplace bed before placing meat or Dutch ovens above the flame to cook. If using string or twine, pre-soak the string for several hours in clean water to prevent it from catching fire or fraying during cooking.