Broiler fear!

[Angelina]

I have a confession to make...I avoid like the plague any recipe that involves broiling because that darn thing burns anything I put in there. The idea of putting chicken in the broiler and let it roast for whatever number of minutes, fills me with dread, since I know all I will get is a charred outside and a raw inside. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif Same thing goes for just about anything else I broil. I know you are supposed to measure how far from the heat it is, but where is the heat? And what kind of pan can I use in there? Are my Creuset pots good enough?....and if I ever figure it all out, can I broil things when the recipes say to grill, since I am apartment-bound and I do not have a grill?
Thank you!!!

[Kerri]

I have just recently started broiling, so I understand you fears. Everytime I try to broil something, it makes the smoke alarm go off! How broiling is different from baking, I believe, is that the heat comes from the top and is a lot more intense than graduatly letting the oven heat up from the bottom. I think the thing to know about broiling is that it really does not take long and the length mainly depends on the thickness of what you are trying to cook. You should broil about 3-4 inches from the coils at the top of the oven, and turn your meat during cooking. Definately use this as a substitute for grilling, and you can also use it to toast bread if you are in a crunch. That is about all my knowledge on this subject, I hope this helps!

I may be wrong on this, so feel free to correct me.

[Denise]

My one piece of advice would be to keep a close eye on whatever you are broiling. If it starts to look done on the outside, but not on the inside then cover it with tinfoil. I do a lot of roasting chicken breasts and veggies (YUM!) and haven't had any problems. Are roasting and broiling the same? When roasting I use the broil setting on my oven......

[lorilei]

I've burnt one too many things under the broiler myself, but really like the way it adds a crackle to meats and those nice black spots on roasted veggies http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

So, I've learned to broil -- one thing that helps me is to place the oven rack on the bottom or second level of the oven, keeping the food further from the broiler. And yes, definitely watch your food as it broils. Most ovens have a "custom broil" option (you set the oven to broil and adjust to a lower temperature) -- if you see that your food is browning too fast, you can usually turn down the temp and "save" it http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

PS
I practiced my broiling techniques on freeform garlic bread. Burnt a bunch, but can now make a mean golden slice of toast http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Gail]

Wow! What an interesting thread for me.

I grew up in a household without a toaster. My mom used to make toast in the broiler and was constantly forgetting about it. She'd be standing there talking to us, all of the sudden would leap into the air and hightail it to the oven to turn the toast! It became a game with us, yelling, "Mom! The toast is burning!" just to see her jump.

Don't they make broiler pans anymore? Back then,we couldn't live without one. For a time, everything in our household was broiled. Steaks, chicken, chops, wayward children...It was a very shallow pan, just about an inch deep, with some sort of grid overlying it. No, you cannot broil safely in your Le Creuset, because without the grid and catch pan, you're in danger of starting a grease fire being so close to the flame.

Seems to me my oven came with a broiler pan and I have two others: one is a little aluminum cheapie which believe it or not I use most of the time, and I also picked up a heavy duty one from Williams-Sonoma (which is still in the original wrapper.) Broiling is really pretty simple once you get used to it-- if you're worried about forgetting about things like my mom, set your timer.

One last thought-- while you can broil most things the recipes suggest grilling, I've had much tastier results with one of those stovetop grill thingies-- the ones that cover two burners and have a ridged grill on one side, a flat griddle on the other for pancakes and such. Perfect for apartment dwellers or grilling during rainy weather. Since I bought one of those, I hardly use my broiler these days. Check it out!

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 07-13-2000).]

[Angelina]

Thank you all so very much!!! I think I will try to overcome my fears now and give that gaping mouth of fire a try.. And just in case, I also have a nice Calphalon ridged grill pan that I should use more often!

[Gail]

Ah...so you were holding out on us...?

Go get 'em, girl!

[Cory]

Never leave your boiler unattended. I've used mine for years without any problem...until recently. I was broiling lamp chops that had been marinated in olive oil and red wine vinegar. Something in the marinade ignited a fire in my oven. Fortunately, I was nearby and pulled the broiler pan out.

Don't let this scare you though. Broiling is usually very easy as well as quick.

[Nicole]

I also understand your fears of broiling - to this day I have never attempted it but I thought I'd share my avoidance technique! I grew up cooking in a house with a convection oven that didn't even have a broiler. Now that I am in an apartment that has an oven with a broiler, I took one look at it and ran the other way! Since I loved grilled foods, I opted for the George Foremann Grill instead of having to master the broiler. The good thing about it is that it really and truly does not smoke, it is easy to clean and it doesn't generate the same heat has the oven/broiler would (in my apartment that is a big conideration in the summer). I'm single and since I'm usually just cooking for myself I find it easier to just grill a piece of chicken or whatever than having to deal with the oven. Of course, I'm sure that for everyone who likes the GF Grill, there is another who doesn't....
And, for the record, I promise to fight my fears and learn to use my broiler!!!

[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 07-13-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 07-13-2000).]

[BethR]

I too, was once afraid of the broiler as well! I started using it because summer's here, I'm craving grilled foods, and we discovered our grill is broken and can't afford to replace it right now. To make it less scary, I always use the broiler pan that came with the oven (although any pan with an insert that lets fat drain below it will do). Without the insert, fat is more likely to splatter up onto the flame. I also use recipes with little or no oil in the marinade. And, of course, it's always good kitchen safety to have a fire extinguisher handy. They even sell little ones just for the kitchen.
Beth

Oops -- almost forgot! I also use a timer and check the food every few minutes. If the food starts to burn, I either lower the rack, move the food to the outer reaches of the broiler pan (in my gas oven, the broiler flame is right in the center) or cover the food (or just the parts that are getting overdone) with foil.

[This message has been edited by BethR (edited 07-14-2000).]

[bookworm]

I had a friend who suggest leaving the oven door partially open (maybe 4 inches) to help you keep an eye on whatever you are broiling.

[JennyLiz]

Since we're talking about broiling, does anyone have any good techniques for cleaning the blackened char on the broiler pan? My fear of broiling stems from the clean-up involved! Ugh! JennyLiz

P.S. The Maple Glazed Roasted Salmon (C.L. Nov?) is an excellent way to learn the ropes of broiler cooking.

[Kerri]

Those little SOS/Brillo pads work pretty well for me. I don't have a true broiler pan, so a lot of times I will cover the tray with foil so all I have to do is throw the foil away.

[Gail]

Oh, did I forget the down side of broiling?
Cleaning it up. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif Yet another memory of childhood, standing over the kitchen sink with my sister and a brillo pad, scrubbing the dickens out of that pan! (Surely technology has come up with something easier to clean by now? No? Like the lady said, there's still Brillo...)

PS Beware the foil trick and keep one eye on that pan if you do-- you could be a grease fire waiting to happen!

[Marcie]

Originally posted by bookworm:
I had a friend who suggest leaving the oven door partially open (maybe 4 inches) to help you keep an eye on whatever you are broiling.

My home ec teacher in junior high said that you HAD to leave the oven door cracked when broiling. Does everyone do that, or was that just her little rule so we kids didn't burn down the classroom kitchen?

[BethR]

I've never heard an explanation of why, but I'd always heard that for an electric oven broiler, you should always leave the door open a few inches. I heard you don't have to do that for a gas oven broiler.
Beth

[CathyPA]

My mother always left the door slightly open when broiling (always had electric ovens) and I have done the same.

Found out the hard way that it's best to use a middle - lower rack when covering broiler pan with foil (I hate the clean up too!). Another thing I do sometimes is to spray the top of the broiler pan, when cold of course, with non-sticking cook spray. Found that it makes clean-up easier.

Even with that though, tend not to broil too often because there's a smoke alarm close by. Find myself swinging the kitchen door under it to fan air and watching the broiler a little too often! The beeping kills my ears. Does work on my eye/hand coordination though.

[Gail]

Don't know if this is STILL true with electrics or not. I do know back in the seventies when my mom moved into a place with an electric oven, the instructions from the manufacturer specifically stated to leave the door partially ajar while broiling. Since I've always used gas appliances, I don't have any user manuals to check on anything more recent.

[laden]

I read somewhere the reason you leave the oven door ajar when broiling is because it keeps the heating element on. (If you close the door it will act like it's preheating the oven and automaticallyturn off the burner unit when it reaches that temperature.)

[laden]

I read somewhere the reason you leave the oven door ajar when broiling is because it keeps the heating element on. (If you close the door it will act like it's preheating the oven and automaticallyturn off the burner unit when it reaches that temperature.)

[TamiK]

An easy way to clean really tough, broiled-on residue is to place the pan in a garbage bag with about a cup of ammonia. Close it with a twist tie and let it sit overnight. (I usually keep mine outside to avoid any fumes escaping into the house.) The next day, take out the pan (be carefuly not to suck the fumes into your lungs--not a good time for a deep breath) and wash with soap and water. It makes the cleaning MUCH easier. I don't know if this would work with a nonstick pan. However, I'm assuming you're not using a nonstick pan or it wouldn't have stuff stuck to it!

[lorilei]

Baking soda is also excellent for removing charred residue from broiler pans -- you can make a paste, which you leave on for a short time before scrubbing it off. Or, soak the pan in "baking soda water" before washing.

[JennyLiz]

What great tips on cleaning broiler pans! I'm ready to tackle it again with renewed elbow grease and armed your ideas! Tonight I'm making the Greek Burgers with Feta Aoili (Sp?). I'm using a broiler instead of a grill, so I'm going to make good use of your suggestions! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Gail]

TamiK and Lori-- Wish we'd known those tips back in the Dark Ages. I can't tell you how many hours my sister and I put in over the sink, scraping and scraping at that thing with a Brillo!

[lorilei]

Gail -- me too!! But, it certainly gave a sense of accomplishment if you were able to succeed, didn't it??

I've spent hours looking for easy ways to scrub grime off of my pans -- another thing which works is BARKEEPER'S FRIEND -- or heavy duty cleanser http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif