Start Broiling Your Food With The Oven Door Open For The Best Results - Tasting Table

"When learning to cook, everyone generally gets a good handle on the basics of the stovetop and the oven. The stove provides direct heat, and the oven, indirect. But what about the broiler? Not nearly so commonly used as the stove or oven, the broiler can be a bit trickier to use. But when it is the right tool for the job, it does wonders. Tasting Table spoke to Chef Randy Feltis, co-author of "Katherine Wants: The Ultimate Date Night Cookbook," who said that you need to use it with the oven door open to get the most out of your broiler."

"There are a few reasons why keeping the door of the oven open creates the ideal broiling environment, though some of it is also down to the specifics of your appliance. For some ovens, the broiler will only run when the oven is below a certain temperature. But the whole point of the broiler is to hit your food with intense radiative heat - much like you get from a hot grill - so if it turns off when the oven gets too hot, you end up just baking the food at a high temperature. Plus, there is a big difference between broiling and baking. In this case, keeping the oven door slightly ajar will allow some of that heat to vent out, keeping the temperature low enough for the broiler to stay on, and keep blasting your food with that intense, directional heat."

"The next reason that you might want to keep the oven door open a touch while you are broiling is related to the first, but also quite different. For many ovens, the broiler will continue to run regardless of the internal temperature, so you could close the oven door without it turning off. However, this can have a significant impact on how your food broils. The broiler really is meant to act like a grill. It gives really intense heat from one direction. When you are looking to add a golden crust to baked pasta, the broiler is your tool."

Broilers deliver intense, directional radiant heat similar to a grill, and keeping the oven door slightly open often creates the ideal broiling environment. Opening the door allows heat to vent so some ovens' broilers remain on instead of shutting off when the oven gets too hot, preventing the food from merely baking. For ovens whose broilers run regardless of internal temperature, a closed door still alters broiling dynamics by changing heat exposure. Broiling excels at creating golden crusts, such as on baked pasta, by applying high, concentrated heat from above.

Read at Tasting Table