A salamander in cooking is a specialized kitchen appliance that is commonly found in restaurants and is essentially a dedicated broiler designed to achieve perfect grilling, browning, finishing, and toasting in half the time of a standard oven broiler. It is a versatile piece of cooking equipment that uses high heat for finishing foods. Salamanders use infrared or radiant heat to push heat down evenly onto food, and they provide more versatility and higher heat capabilities than a standard broiler or cheese melter. Some salamanders can be adjusted to a lower setting to hold food at a warm, food-safe temperature. Salamanders can be used for a variety of cooking tasks such as broiling, browning, glazing, caramelizing, grilling, and even toasting. They are extremely valuable additions to a restaurants kitchen since they allow broiling or finishing to be done in a separate unit, which frees up oven space. Salamanders can stand alone on a countertop or be mounted to the wall. To choose the best salamander oven for your needs, you will need to decide which power type, installation type, heating style, and size works best.