Skip to Content

How to Broil in a Gas Oven – The Easiest Way

The broiler is the easiest of all cooking methods but also the one that causes the most confusion. You may not know, but there are three ways to turn on the broiler — no matter what type of cooking device you have. Here’s how to broil in a gas oven, including microwave ovens.

To broil in a gas oven:

  1. Preheat your oven to between 500 – 550 degrees Fahrenheit. You can turn on the broiler before you are ready to start cooking for this temperature range.
  2. Make sure that all items are placed on the top oven rack—position food 5 to 8 inches from the heating element.
  3. Give your food attention while it broils, as cooking time will vary based on how close your food is to the heat source.

If you have a gas or an electric oven, broiling is a great way to cook thin pieces of meat like steaks and chops. Although broiling works on both convection and traditional ovens, it’s particularly good with a regular gas oven because the open flame on the bottom of the broiler pan browns food very well.

How to Broil in a Gas Oven – Step by Step Guide

how to broil in a gas oven1. Locate the drawer below the oven

A gas oven broiler is a storage drawer located under your gas range or electric range. It can be used to store your broiler pan, grill pan, grilling accessories, and even extra food items that you want to warm up. The location of the broiler drawer may differ depending on brand and model, but the general concept of the drawer remains the same.

2. Position the rack properly

Position the rack at least four inches from the top heating element. The oven’s thermostat will control both the top and bottom heating elements when the food is set above or below it in the broiling setting.

To get the most even broil, 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.

3. Preheat to the right temperature

Preheat your broiler to the right temperature required by the recipe; with a gas oven, you can preheat the broiler to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit. you’ll want medium-high if you’re cooking chicken or shrimp. (If your recipe says high, then position an oven rack directly under the element.)

Turning on the broiler several minutes before you want to broil is the best as the oven will gradually heat up, making it easier to maintain the right temperature when it’s time to broil.

4. Place your food underneath the flame.

To broil food, you want to place it under the flame. Most gas ovens have either one or two burners directly underneath the rack that holds the food. The heat from these burners is what cooks the food.

Place food on an ovenproof dish directly under the heat source, close the door, and frequently check with a thermometer or by mere look to ensure that the food is cooking at a steady temperature — 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Check the food frequently.

Gas ovens broil food at higher temperatures than electric ovens, which means that foods cook faster. Under normal conditions, you should check your food frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn. It’s so easy to broil in a gas oven but check your food frequently. When the time is up, stir the food with a fork to avoid overcooking and reduce heat to low.

What Is Broiling?

What Is BroilingBroiling is known to be a dry heat cooking technique that involves placing food under or in very close proximity to a source of direct radiant heat. This technique requires an electric broiler pan and a broiler at least 2 inches from the food being cooked. Broiling can be used to cook both large and small cuts of meat, fish, and even vegetables.

To broil, you place the food on a rack about 4 inches from the source of heat. This creates a direct transfer of heat from the flame or broiler to the surface of the food being cooked, which is browned by rapidly forming a caramelized crust with a delightful flavor and texture. You can tell when food is truly broiled when it drips juices instead of melting in your mouth.

This is different than roasting, where the heat source comes from the top of the cooking vessel. You can broil on both gas and electric stovetops.

 Methods for Broiling

 Methods for BroilingGrilling

To grill, clean the grill grate. Preheat the gas grill to a medium-high heat setting for natural gas, or preheat the charcoal grill with hot coals. Place meat on preheated grill grate over drip pan. Cover and cook according to the chart below, turning the meat occasionally.

Place food on the surface of the grill grate or parts of it at 3 to 4 inches from the heat source. 

 Pan-broiling

Pan-broiling is a dry heat cooking technique used for searing or browning meat, poultry, or seafood in an open flame. As with most broiling methods, pan-broiling uses high heat to cook quickly with little moisture loss. A common technique with pan-broiling is putting the food on a rack set into a metal pan. The grease then drips into the pan below. Be sure that the food will fit inside the pan you use without touching the bottom of the pan. Otherwise, your food might be scorched instead of seared.

Vertical broiling

This broiling method is used to prepare large pieces of food like roasts and whole chickens. The food is placed on the broiling rack, and the rack is placed as close as possible to the heating element. The food is being cooked with radiant heat from above, which gives it a crispy brown surface and moist, juicy inside.”

What Are the Best Foods for Broiling?

Broiling is a fast, easy way to prepare meat, seafood, poultry, and vegetables. It works by heating food quickly with even heat from above. Since it cooks so fast, food retains most of its moisture and flavor, making it perfect for cooking chicken breasts, fish fillets, thin steaks, chops, and vegetables. Three major advantages of broiling over other cooking techniques are speed, the ability to use the broiler without preheating an oven or stovetop surface, and it uses of less energy than baking.

Food cooked with a broiler method is 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 260F (127C), broiling might be best for it.

Related Post: How long can cooked pork sit out

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the broiler in my gas oven?

You can find the broiler in most gas ovens. It is located below the burners. The broiler may be combined with one of the burners or a separate panel or burner that is electronically lit when needed.

How does broiler Work on gas oven?

The broiler is a very useful feature of a gas oven. It allows you to cook faster and more efficiently than the other ranges that do not have this internal feature. The broiler can be used for different foods.

What temperature is broil in a gas oven?

Depending on the model, it is best practice to adjust the temperature setting on a gas grill to 435-450 degrees. Gas ovens are calibrated differently, but most ovens are set at broil at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why do you broil with the oven door open?

Because it’s much safer than leaving the door closed, allowing the chamber to cool down before opening the door removes much of the heat and convective currents that can cause food to burn and possibly char.

Does broiling make things crispy?

The oven broiler is a great addition to your kitchen, which gives you the ability to get crispy and brown foods in a matter of minutes. The broiler works in conjunction with the oven and cooks food in a short time. While it comes with the same benefits as the rest of your kitchen, it has some specific characteristics.

Conclusion

Whether broiling a porterhouse steak, sliced tomatoes, or asparagus, the broiler offers the most delicious and evenly browned results. This page has shown how to broil in a gas oven without any challenges. When you can’t find the time to stand by a grill or when the weather is against you, injecting your food with hot air in a gas boiler is one of the easiest ways to turn out mouth-watering meals.

Follow me