Heat
How to broil
Cook or brown food with strong heat from the top of the oven, like an upside-down grill.
Step by step
- Move an oven rack so the food will sit 3 to 6 inches from the heat.
- Turn the broiler on and give it a few minutes to heat.
- Use a metal pan (never glass that isn't broiler-safe) and put the food in.
- Stay at the oven and check every minute; things go from brown to burnt fast.
- Turn the food if the recipe says to.
How you know it's done
The top is browned and bubbly or charred in spots, usually in 1 to 5 minutes.
Common mistakes
- Walking away, even briefly.
- A rack too close, which burns the top before the inside warms.
Simmerbee recipes that use it (14)
- Baked Cod with Lemon Herb Crumbs
- Broiled Street-Style Corn with Cotija and Lime
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Classic Croque Monsieur
- Classic French Onion Soup
- Classic Homemade Garlic Bread
- Oven-Baked Barbecue Baby Back Ribs
- Oven-Braised Crispy Pork Carnitas
- Oven-Roasted Jerk-Inspired Chicken
- Sheet-Pan Chicken Souvlaki with Peppers and Onions
- Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast
- Smoky Baba Ganoush
- Weeknight Chicken Tikka Masala
In those recipes the word is underlined in the steps; tap it for the short version. In hands-free cook mode, ask “How do I broil?”
Related techniques
More heat
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