Info Hub: Kitchen
HOW TO BROIL FOR FAST FLAVOUR
Use your oven’s broiler to quickly make meat or vegetables with more intense colour and crispness. It’s as simple as selecting the “broil” option on your console, waiting roughly five minutes, and then loading your dish on a rack closer to the top of the oven for thinner foods or a lower rack for thicker foods. You will have to closely monitor its cooking progress as the high heat of broiling can burn food that’s left in for too long.
A broiler can also be used to brown a pizza or add a nice crunch to the top of mac and cheese. This article explores this incredibly helpful setting that can elevate your dishes.
WHAT IS THE BROIL SETTING?
A broiler is activated via the “Broil” setting and uses the top heating element in the oven to apply high temperatures to the top of dishes. It’s a method for quick, high-heat cooking and differs from baking, which uses both the top and bottom elements at a lower temperature.
Ultimately, broiling is a technique similar to grilling where intense heat is used on one side of food at a time.
WHAT TEMPERATURE DOES BROIL REQUIRE?
If your oven only has one broil option then this setting’s temperature typically ranges from 500°F to 550°F. Some models will allow you to choose between low, medium and high or even set the temperature manually. With many manual options, low is 400°F, medium is 450°F and high is between 500°F to 550°F.
WHAT IS A BROILER PAN?
Select ovens come with a metal broiling pan comprised of a rack on top of a drip pan. The pan has slits on top to allow for air circulation while keeping the food crispy by elevating it over its juices.
An alternative to a broiling pan is to use an oven-safe cooling or roasting rack on top of a standard baking sheet or metal sheet pan. We recommend using a baking sheet with raised edges to stop juices or other liquids from dripping onto the bottom of the oven and making a tough-to-clean mess.
STEPS FOR USING AN OVEN BROILER
Broiler instructions tend to vary based on the oven, so start by consulting your Use and Care Guide for specific information. If you’re using a recipe, it’s also a good idea to consult it for broiler instructions beforehand.
Learn more about effectively using your oven.
STEP 1: PREHEAT THE BROILER
Locate the “Broil” setting on your oven console and turn it on. If applicable, select the temperature setting, which should be determined by what you’re cooking. A good rule is higher for thinner, fast-cooking foods and lower for thicker foods that may need more time to cook.
Next, let the broiler preheat for at least five minutes.
STEP 2: PLACE A DISH UNDER THE BROILER
Begin by selecting the right cookware for whatever you’re cooking. Good options typically include broiler pans and cast iron skillets but you can use any shallow metal pan.
Move the oven rack to the slot directly below the broiler or a couple of slots down. Deciding on the rack placement depends on what you’re cooking. Remember, closer to the heat is better if you want a quick sear and farther away works if you want to give food more time to cook.
STEP 3: CLOSELY MONITOR THE BROILING PROGRESS
Closely watch your dish as it cooks because food can burn fast on the broil setting. Depending on what you’re cooking, you should consider adjusting the food throughout to get an even cook and colour all over. If you see that it’s browning too quickly, you should reposition the rack to a lower slot, reduce the temperature, or even switch to the bake setting to cook food for a little while before finishing on the broil setting.
Stick to these guidelines when broiling meat, vegetables and casseroles, and remember that certain foods may need to be flipped halfway through their cooking time:
| FOOD | TYPE | RACK POSITION | COOK TIME (MINUTES) | TEMPERATURE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef |
Steak, 1" thick Hamburger patty, 3/4" thick |
4” from boiler 3” from boiler |
8-12 (med/rare to med) 6-8 (med) |
130–135° F (med rare) 135–145° F (med) 160° F (well) |
| Chicken |
Cutlet, breast Thigh, drumstick, wing |
4” from boiler 6” from boiler |
10-12 15 - 20 |
165° F |
| Fish | Filet, 1/2" thick | 3-4” from boiler | 5-6 | 145° F (130° F for fish steaks like tuna or swordfish) |
| Prok | Chop, 1/2" thick Chop, 1" thick |
3” from boiler 6” from boiler |
10-15 19 - 21 |
145° F |
| Vegetables | Zucchini, peppers, onions, tomatoes | 3" from broiler | 10–20 | |
| Garlic Bread | 1" thick | 3" from broiler | 1–2 | |
|
Cheesy Dishes |
Macaroni & cheese, lasagna, casseroles, quiche (browning after fully baking as directed) | 3" from broiler | 1–2 |
LEFTOVERS DON’T HAVE TO BE SOGGY
Another useful function of the broil setting is to reheat leftovers so that they maintain their crispness and don’t get soggy.
