Grilling and Broiling

Loosely speaking grilling and broiling refer to a similar cooking process. In grilling, the heat source is below (like with a barbecue grill); in oven broiling, it’s above. Both grilling and broiling involve intense heat.

Keep these grilling and broiling tips in mind:

• Use relatively thin pieces of meat, poultry, or vegetables — thick cuts of meat can burn on the outside before cooking sufficiently in the middle.

  

  Credit: Michael Lamotte/Cole Group/PhotoDisc

• The surface of the food being cooked, especially meat, turns dark brown and develops a characteristic “charcoal” flavor.

• Do most broiling about 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

• Put the food on a broiler pan, which has a grated top that allows juices to fall into a pan below.

• Watch out for flare-ups, either in the oven or on the grill. Flare-ups not only pose a fire danger, but they also can burn meat and give it an acrid flavor. Use the grill’s cover to extinguish flames, and keep a box of baking soda or salt handy in the kitchen for broiler flare-ups.