Melting sugar on creme brulee with blow torch Whenever I try to melt the sugar on top of a creme brulee with my kitchen blow torch, I find that the sugar takes forever to discolour even slightly, let alone melt. Eventually isolated patches of sugar start to burn. At this point I usually stop as I don't want to eat burnt sugar.

I hold the torch so the flame ends just above the sugar, and I move the flame around constantly.

What I end up with is sugar that isn't totally melted into a nice layer, but is still granular but somewhat stuck together. The texture isn't right at all - I want that smooth layer of sugar.

What am I doing wrong?
The technique for creating a proper layer of melted sugar on your creme brulee involves three important elements:


After you add the sugar, gently swirl the ramekin to create smooth layer of sugar. You don't want it too clump or be uneven.
Gently 'kiss' the sugar with the tip of the flame, moving the flame around to heat evenly, just until the sugar starts to flow.
Hold and rotate the ramekin to cause the melting sugar to flow around the cup and form an even layer. 


Your goal is to distribute the heat, and sugar, evenly and smoothly around the top of your custard.

The technique to use is easier to pick this up by seeing it rather than reading about it. Alton Brown did a segment on Creme Brulee on Good Eats where he demonstrates the technique. 

(if the link fails, you can Google "Alton Brown Creme Brulee on You Tube")