It’s all about the temperature.
Key Takeaways
When it comes to aweeknight dinner, our oven is our best friend.
Especially when it comes to asimple sheet pan supper.
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But are you using your oven to its fullest potential?
Your oven has a few different cooking modes that, when used properly, can yield incredible results.
It’s important to understand the basic functionalities of your oven to produce your best meals yet.
What is the difference between baking and broiling?
When should you use one mode or the other?
What’s The Difference Between Broil And Bake?
Your oven is built with a few different heating zones.
The primary differences between baking and broiling rest in the heat source and the temperature.
What Is Baking?
Food cooks at lower temperatures (from 170 F to 400 F) over a longer period of time.
What Is Broiling?
What Is Roasting?
Like baking, it also uses indirect heat to cook food by circulating hot air.
It enhances the flavor and color while creating a tender dish.
When To Bake Vs.
When To Broil
We consider baking to be our everyday mainstay, while broiling is a special accent.
Broiling focuses all of the heat on the surface of the food.
When cooking thicker cuts of meat or adense casserole like lasagna, we will first opt for baking.
A broiling pan is ideal for use under such high heat.
Stray away from usingglassware when broiling, as the intense heat can cause it to crack or shatter.
Preheat
Preheat oven and broiling pan for at least five minutes before cooking.
Don’t Broil With Parchment
Use foil for broiling.
Stay away fromparchment paperas it will burn under the high heat.
Watch Closely
Keep an eye on your dish.
Broiling works quickly, so it’s important to check on your dish.
Broil Thin Cuts Of Meat
Broiling is suited to thinner cuts of meat.
The middle rack provides even heating all the way around the dish because it’s centrally located.
The lower rack sits closer to the heat source, meaning foods will brown faster.
This rack is good for crisping up pizza crust or roasting vegetables.
Use the middle rack for cookies and those creamy casseroles.
double-check to give the oven time to come to the desired temperature before placing food inside.
Every time the door is opened, heat escapes and can lower the oven temperature.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety and Inspection Service.How Temperatures Affect Food.
