Turn the Dial to Broil

Broiling is a dry heat method of cooking whereby a radiant energy source is located directly above the food. In other words, the food is underneath the heat.

Many people refer to broiling as "upside-down grilling" but that's not completely accurate. To understand why we must discuss the ways heat is transferred to food.

Convection is when heat is transmitted via moving currents of liquid or gas. Thus, when you bake or roast something in your oven, the circulating hot air surrounding the food performs the cooking.

Conduction is when heat is transferred through direct contact from the cooking vessel to the food. Turn on your frying pan, fill it with bacon, and the heat is conveyed directly from the flame, to the pan, to the bacon.

Boiling is a combination of both. The food cooks from direct contact with the water, (conduction), and from the circulation of the water, (convection).

Finally food can be cooked by radiant heat, a.k.a., infrared radiation. Such is the case with broiling. Here the food is in close proximity to the heat source but not touching it.

Grilling is not pure infrared radiation. You certainly achieve radiant heat from the nearby coals or gas flame, but you are also cooking via conduction, since the food is actually touching the grates.

Therefore, and I know I'm being a little anal here; broiling is cooking via infrared radiation while grilling is a combination of infrared radiation and conduction. Whew! Glad we got that out of the way.

With the exception of the tiny thermal technicality I just outlined, everything else about grilling and broiling is the same. Because broiling is a dry heat method, only tender cuts of meat are suitable.

You would never broil a pot roast, lamb shank, or beef brisket. They would become even tougher. Cuts from the rib and loin of our four-legged friends are best suited for broiling.

Fish, shellfish, vegetables and chicken are also good candidates. You should also never broil a thick cut of meat, even if it is of the tender variety.

Broiling is very intense heat and fast cooking. If the piece of food is too thick, the exterior will be burnt to bits by the time the center is cooked.

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