Can You Broil with Gas Oven? [Boiler Location on Gas Oven]

Last Updated on November 30, 2022 by Claire

Can you broil with gas oven? It’s quite commonplace for most people who have ovens to ignore the broil feature simply because they do not know how to use it. Broiling is the easiest of all cooking methods but can also be quite confusing. Unlike baking which cooks food slowly with radiant heat, broiling uses high heat temperatures to cook food quickly.

Of course, you can broil in a gas oven. Gas ovens have a broil feature; the coils used to heat the oven for roasting and baking are also used for broiling. The broiler is usually located inside the oven—if the heating element is positioned on the top of the oven, Or in a drawer below the oven—if the heating element is located at the bottom of the oven.

Broiling is an excellent way to seal in flavors and give a crispy feel to your foods. It’s very important to keep a watchful eye when broiling as it’s quite easy to overcook and burn food.

Keep reading to find out how to use a gas oven to broil your foods without burning them and answer any other broiling questions you might have.

How to broil with gas oven

It doesn’t matter whether you use a gas or electric oven; the steps for broiling are the same. There are three basic steps to broil food in gas ovens once you locate your broiler. However, you must note that how well your broiled food turns out is mostly dependent on the accuracy of your oven temperature and how well the heating elements work, as every oven is different.

Three basic steps to broil in a gas oven:

• Turn on the broiler and preheat your oven to between 420 – 550° F.
• Make sure that all food items are placed on the top oven rack and positioned 5-7 inches away from the heating element.
• Pay close attention to your food while it broils, as cooking times vary depending on how close your food is to the heat source.

Now, a step-by-step guide to broiling in a gas oven:

1. Locate the Broiler

The broiler in a gas oven is usually located inside the oven if the heating element is positioned on the top of the oven or in a drawer below the oven if the heating element is located at the bottom of the oven (as confirmed on Masterclass).

The location of the broiler drawer may differ depending on the brand and model of your oven. So if you are unsure where the broiler is located, you can consult the oven manual to find out. But if you do not have the manual for the oven, you can easily find the broiler by locating the heating elements in the oven.

2. Position the rack properly

It is critical to know how to place the rack in the oven when broiling. The rack should be placed close to the heating element, but not too close. The closer the rack is to the heating element, the more likely your food will get burnt.

You should position the rack at least 4 or 5 inches from the top heating element (although this depends on the type of food item you are broiling).

For best results, always position the food on the center rack. If you are broiling more than one pan of food, position the pans around the perimeter of the rack.

The oven’s thermostat will regulate the top and bottom heating elements depending on the temperatures set in the broiling settings.

3. Preheat the oven to the right temperature

Preheat your oven to the right temperature as required by the recipe before you put the food into broil. If your recipe requires high temperatures, place your oven rack directly under the element. Note that some gas ovens allow you to preheat the broiler to about 450° F.

If you put the food in the oven before turning on the broil feature, the food will be overcooked and dry out or burn.

For an even broil on both sides of the food, you should preheat the broiling pan in the oven to the required recipe temperature before putting the food onto the heated pan.

4. Place your food directly underneath the flame

Most gas ovens have burner(s) positioned directly underneath the rack that holds the food. The heat from these burners is what cooks the food.

To broil food, place it on an ovenproof dish directly under the flame (heat source), close the oven door and keep a watchful eye to ensure that the food is cooking at a steady temperature of 350° F to 375° F.

5. Check the food frequently

Compared to electric ovens, gas ovens broil food at higher temperatures. In other words, they cook food faster making it extremely important to check your food frequently so it doesn’t get burnt.

When the preset time is up, stir the food with a fork to avoid overcooking and reduce the heat to a low temperature.

How to avoid mistakes when broiling

By following the steps above, you should be able to broil food like a master chef. However, it’s easy to make mistakes while broiling food.

Follow these tips to broil like a pro:

1. Do not broil frozen food

Food should be defrosted completely before broiling. Frozen food will be scorched on the outside and raw on the inside when broiled.

2. Use a broiler-safe pan

Most glass baking dishes cannot withstand the intense heat of the broiler without cracking. Always use a broiling pan or other pan that can withstand the extreme temperatures of broiling.

3. Reduce the liquid content in the food before broiling by blotting or draining it

Any liquid content in the food can burn it or create a fire in the broiler.

4. Distributestribute food evenly

If food is not distributed evenly on a pan when broiling, some parts of it will be scorched, while other parts would not be properly cooked. Spreading the food out properly, turning the pan, or rearranging the food at least once during broiling will ensure even cooking.

5. Do not cook thick meat

Broiling is great for cooking only thinly sliced filets of meat, not thick ones. Trying to broil a full turkey or whole chicken will not turn out well.

Broiling these types of foods is great for crisping the skin or searing the outside, but you must make sure they’re well-baked or fully cooked before you broil them.

6. Keep the oven door slightly open

To avoid a fire hazard due to an overheated oven, the oven or broiler door should be kept slightly open.

Doing this also allows the broiling chamber to cool down; removing much of the heat and convective currents that can cause food to burn and possibly char.

7. Watch your food closely

Broiling usually takes 5 to 10 minutes, so you should keep a watchful eye on your food when broiling.

You should do this according to the food recipe, not too long, not too short. Failure to do this can result in your food getting burnt or scorched.

What are the methods for broiling?

Below are the broiling methods you should know:

1. Grilling

To grill:

• Clean the grill grate, then preheat the gas grill to a medium-high temperature range for natural gas, Or preheat with hot coal if using a charcoal grill.
• Place food on the surface of preheated grill grate over the drip pan at 3 to 4 inches from the heat source.
• Then cover and cook according to the cooking recipe.

2. Vertical broiling

Vertical broiling is used to prepare large pieces of food such as roasts, pork, and whole chicken.

When using the vertical broiling method, the food is placed on the broiling rack which is positioned as close as possible to the heating element. The radiant heat emitted by the heating element is what cooks the food evenly, giving it a crispy brown surface, whilst keeping it moist and ‘juicy’ inside.

3. Pan-broiling

This is a dry heat cooking technique used to brown or sear meat, poultry, or sea foods in an open flame. Similar to other broiling methods, pan-broiling uses high heat to cook foods quickly with little loss of moisture.

A common pan-broiling technique is putting the food on a rack set into a metal pan first, then allowing the grease to drip into the pan below.

To prevent your food from getting burnt or scorched instead of being seared, you need to be sure that the food will fit inside the pan you use without touching the bottom of the pan.

What foods are best to broil?

Although broiling is a fast and excellent way of browning, charring, caramelizing, and searing different types of food, not all food should be broiled.

Here are the best types of foods to broil:

a. Thin slices of meat

Broiling is a great way to keep the moisture in thin slices of meat as they may dry out when baked. You should try broiling thin meat slices like chicken breasts, fish filets, and skirt steak the next time you prepare a meal.

b. Fruits and vegetables

Broiling fruits and vegetables makes them tastier around the edges and keeps them from getting mushy. Broiling can also help loosen the skin on vegetables such as peppers for easier peeling. Fruits like peaches, pineapples, and bananas and vegetables like peppers, asparagus tomatoes, and onions turn out great when broiled.

c. Pies, casseroles, and pizzas

Pies, casseroles, pizzas, and other similar dishes taste better when broiled, making them brown and crispier on top.

Broiled foods are usually browned on top and bottom; this includes steaks, chops, and the like. If the food can absorb moisture and its temperature is less than 260° F (127° C), then it might be suitable for broiling.

FAQs

What type of pan should be used to broil?

A broiling pan also known as a broiler roaster, oven roaster, or oven broiling pan is a special pan that has slats in it to allow air to circulate and cook foods such as roasts, steaks, poultry, vegetables, and others evenly. Although many ovens come with a broiling pan included with them, you do not necessarily need a broiling pan to broil.

What can I use if I don’t have a broiling pan?

You can use any of a roasting pan, an aluminum foil tray, baking sheets (make sure it’s thick and use medium heat only), and a cast-iron pan to broil. However, if you use one of these alternatives, you must keep watch while flipping and rotating the food during broiling to make sure it broils evenly and doesn’t get scorched.

What is the broil temperature in a gas oven?

This varies according to the model of the oven in use. The standard practice is to adjust the temperature setting on gas grills to 435-450° F. You must note that gas ovens are calibrated differently, but most ovens have a broiling temperature of 500° F.

What is the difference between broiling and baking?

Although baking and broiling can be used together; Food that has been baked in the oven can then be broiled to add searing or crispiness to the outside of the food. It’s worth noting that broiling and baking do not produce similar results.

Here are some key differences between baking and broiling:

Conclusion

This article has informed you that you can broil in a gas oven, and how to broil food in a gas oven properly, with some frequently asked questions also answered along the way.

Broiling your food items with hot air in a gas oven is one of the easiest ways to prepare delicious meals.