reduces the alcohol content of the food modestly. In one experimental model, about 25% of the alcohol was boiled off. The effects of the flames are also modest: although the temperature within the flame may be quite high (over 500 °C), the temperature at the surface of the pan is lower than that required for a Maillard browning reaction or for caramelization. Whether or not there is a change in flavor as a result of flambéing is unclear. Some claim that because the flame is above the food, and since hot gases rise, it cannot significantly affect the flavor. Indeed, experimental work shows that most people cannot tell the difference. That said, in an informal taste test conducted by the Los Angeles Times of two batches of caramelized apples (one flambéed and one simmered), one tester declared the "flambéed dish was for adults, the other for kids." Others, however, dispute this and quote celebrated French chefs who claim that flambéing is strictly a show-biz aspect of the restaurant business that ruins food but is done to create an impressive visual presentation at a dramatic point in the preparation of a meal. Safety For safety, it is recommended that alcohol not be added to a pan on a burner and that the cook use a long fireplace match to ignite the pan. Flambé dishes Examples of popular flambé dishes include: Bananas Foster Bombe Alaska Cherries jubilee Christmas pudding Crêpes Suzette Feuerzangenbowle Flaming beverages Gundel Palacsinta Steak Diane Crème brûlée See also List of cooking techniques References External links Cooking techniques Culinary terminology French inventions Table-cooked dishes