Q: What is the difference between broiling and grilling?A: Both broiling and grilling create a seared crust on food, giving it a rich, concentrated flavor. This is achieved with radiant heat: with broiling, the heat is above the food, radiating down; and with grilling, the heat is below the food, radiating up.
Broilers in a home oven have coils (electric) or burners (radiant or infrared). The coils or burners are either attached to the ceiling of the oven or are located under the oven, accessible by opening a drawer. Powerful broilers have a large burner or more bends in the coil, which increases their surface area, allowing more heat to cook the food. Broiling with home ovens can be tricky — many are built with safety measures that shut them off when they reach 500 degrees F, causing the food to steam in its own juices instead of broil under intense heat.
Here are some simple tips for successful broiling:
1) Preheat the pan under the broiler before putting the food on it — this shortens the cooking time by allowing the food to cook on both sides at once.
2) Know your broiler: check for hotspots by placing toast on a sheet pan and broiling it. The parts that brown first are the hottest parts of the broiler.
3) Keep the oven or drawer door open while broiling: the temperature never reaches a high, but the broiler maintains its temperature.
Keep these simple techniques below in mind for good grilling:
1) Lightly oil the grill before heating it and make sure it is hot before adding the food. This will help the food get grill marks quickly and will minimize the chances of it sticking.
2) Set up zones on your grill — keep one part of the grill hot and another very warm. Once the food gets grill markings on the hot section, it can be moved to the cooler area to continue cooking until done.
3) Be careful of cross contamination — don't use the same platters or utensils for the raw food as for the cooked food without washing thoroughly between uses.
-Food Network Kitchens
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