Cooking 101: Understanding Broiling vs Baking

Cooking 101: Understanding Broiling vs Baking

understanding baking vs broiling image of vegetables being broiled and salmon being baked

The oven is a true cooking marvel. From delicious cookies to comforting casseroles, there isn’t much the oven can’t do. In order to make the most out of your oven (and the dishes it can help you make), it’s important to know the difference between its two most common settings: broiling and baking. Here, we break down what each is used for and how to know when it’s time to adjust the heat.  

 

What is Baking?

Baking is a cooking method that uses dry, even heat (typically around 375°F or below) to cook food slowly. By placing items in the middle rack of an oven, where hot air can circulate evenly, food can be cooked at lower temperatures over longer periods to ensure the inside portions are sufficiently cooked without burning the outside surface. This makes baking the perfect method for cakes, lasagnas, and anything you want to cook evenly. You could also consider going down a rack and getting closer to the heat source, which is a great way to achieve a crispy crust on pizzas or parbaked pie crusts.  


Baking Uses 

The most common use of baking is to transform structureless ingredients into solids — think dough into bread, batter into cake, etc. While baking is often used for foods like pastries that need to be cooked evenly, it’s also great for thick cuts of meats or large-volume one-pot meals that also need to be slowly cooked. It’s the best method for ensuring the inside of your dish reaches the desired temperature without overcooking the outside. 

A perfectly-baked blood orange tart coming out of the oven.

Baking vs Roasting

Roasting features the same type of all-around dry heat as baking, but uses higher temperatures (usually 400°F and above). Recipes will typically call for roasting when dealing with whole, solid foods that you want to caramelize (i.e., entire chickens, pork roasts, Brussels sprouts, root vegetables, etc.).

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that roasting is the technique to use when cooking thicker, tougher foods you want to brown, while baking is ideal for retaining moisture in thinner, more delicate foods.

What is Broiling?

Broiling involves more direct, very high-temperature (500°F to 550°F) cooking. Rather than placing food on the middle rack of the oven, broiling requires food to be placed close to the heat source (typically the top rack). This is done so that the heat is focused on the surface of the food, achieving a nice browning of the outside without cooking through to the inside.

If you’re aiming to broil something, most ovens will have a designated broil option, which will automatically set the oven to heat to its highest temperature.

Broiling Uses 

Rather than slowly and evenly cooking food, broiling is more akin to grilling, where high heat is used to quickly sear and brown food. Some common uses of broiling could include cooking thin cuts of meats, quick-cooking vegetables, or adding a crispy texture to previously baked items like mac and cheese.

Chicken wings coated in sauce after being broiled in the oven to give them a nice crispy finish.

Broiling Tips & Techniques

Here are some things to keep in mind when looking to perfectly broil a dish:


  • Select the Proper Cookware: Because broiling involves high temperatures, not every type of cookware can handle the heat. When broiling, use cookware made from materials like stainless steel, cast iron, and carbon steel. Make sure to also avoid using glass baking dishes, nonstick pans, and any cookware that has features that could potentially melt at high temperatures (like rubber handles). Sidenote: don’t use parchment paper when broiling unless you want burnt paper in your oven!

  • Preheat the Oven: To make sure you get the perfect level of browning, you’ll want to give your oven plenty of time to get nice and hot. Letting it come to temperature before placing your food on the top rack ensures a quick and even cook that leaves the surface evenly crispy, rather than covered in burnt patches.

  • Pick the Right Oil: When using oil to broil, you’ll want to pick one with a high smoke point, as low smoke point oils won’t be able to withstand the heat. The oil you’ll likely want to use is avocado oil, but other refined oils like canola, corn, and safflower oil can work as well.

  • Keep an Eye on the Oven: Broiling is one of the fastest cooking techniques in a home chef’s arsenal. That means you don’t want to get sidetracked after you’ve placed a dish in the oven to broil—always set a timer and keep a careful eye on how things are browning. One distraction could mean the difference between edible and ash! (That said, if you let things get a little bit too hot while broiling, don’t despair! Check out this article on how to clean burnt cookware to revive your favorite roasting pan!)

Baking vs Broiling: 3 Simple Rules

If you need a little cheat sheet, here are the main differences when comparing baking vs. broiling:


  • Baking is for longer, lower-heat recipes (375°F or below), while broiling is for quick, high-heat recipes (500°F to 550°F).

  • Baking achieves an even cooking temperature to the entire dish, including through to the middle. Broiling is meant to brown or crisp the surface of a dish, such as something that has already been baked, or thin cuts of meats and veggies.

  • Baking often uses the middle rack, while broiling uses the rack nearest the heat source (most often the top rack).

High Heat, Low Heat, No Problem!

Whether you’re baking, broiling, roasting, or doing anything else in the kitchen, having the right cookware and tools can be the difference between a gourmet dish and a garbage can disaster. When it comes to oven-safe pots and pans, you’ll want to make sure you have cookware that can handle the heat and stay in the kitchen (or oven in this case!).


For durable and versatile cookware that can keep up with any chef, check out circulon.com.

 

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