First thing you need to know (and it should be in the recipe) is that if you are using gas to cook, it's a smart idea to turn off the flame before you light the match. Turn it back on once the flames have burned off.

I don't think you will ruin your pan. It doesn't burn at a very high heat. That said, is it teflon or some sort of other coated material? Hate to say it, as you've just invested, but those pans are not very good for you and they never last.

The flash point of alcohol is lower than the temperature of boiling water. If you are fine boiling water in your pans, burning some alcohol vapor should also be fine.

OP here, lol, I know, I was going to put the concern about lighting myself on fire here as well, but I thought I'd just stick to the "will I ruin the non-stick pan" issue!

I think if you are cooking impaired you should probably not do this lol

That said, it is not that hard to do just like lighting a grill. Just make sure you don't knock it while it's on fire. You don't have to light it on fire at all if you don't want to

Thanks to you and this board, I have my new non-stick cookware!

And found a very interesting recipe on the Wall St. Journal (apple pie minus the crust) which I want to make.

Just read it and in part, it says: "Pour Calvados (apple brandy) into pan. Use a long match or candle lighter to ignite alcohol. Boil until flames subside, 1 minute."

Darn Journal always makes things a little dicey for cooking-challenged folks like me. What do you think?

TIA!

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303465004579327172573202460?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5