This is the most important thing you will ever read about broiling. It’s not like baking a casserole where you set a timer and watch TV. Broil is a live performance. Your food can go from golden perfection to burnt ruin in about thirty seconds.
Think of it as a paparazzi flashbulb for your dinner. You have to stay and watch. Staring is encouraged, even required. If you get distracted, you’ll end up calling the fire department. Trust me, your smoke alarm already hates you enough.
How To Use Broiler In Kitchenaid Oven at Lynda Rahman blog
The visual is also hilarious. You open the oven door a crack to peek. The heat hits your face like a wave from a sauna on fire. It feels like baking cookies on the surface of the sun. It’s thrilling, in a slightly terrifying way.
How do you survive a broil session?
First, move your oven rack to the highest position. You want your food as close to that heat source as possible. It sounds crazy, but this is the “goldilocks” zone for speed. For thin things like fish or toast, you might even use the second highest slot.
Second, preheat your broiler for about five minutes. It needs to get angry before it works. Third, keep the oven door slightly cracked open. Most ovens have a special “broil” setting that keeps the door ajar. This helps regulate the insane heat and prevents the oven from melting itself.
Finally, use a metal pan. No glass, no ceramic. The intense heat can shatter those like a dropped wine glass. Use a sturdy baking sheet or a cast-iron skillet. The pan will also get incredibly hot, so use two oven mitts. You are not a superhero.
