Use of Aluminum Foil
You can use aluminum foil to line your broiler pan
and broiler grid. However, you must mold the foil
tightly to the grid and cut slits in it just like the grid.
Without the slits, the foil will prevent fat and meat
juices from draining to the broiler pan. The juices
could become hot enough to catch on fire. If you do
not cut the slits, you are frying, not broiling.
Questions and Answers
Q. When broiling, is it necessary to always use a
grid in the pan?
Using the grid suspends the meat over the
A. Yes.
pan. As the meat cooks, the juices fall into the pan,
thus keeping meat drier. Juices are protected by the
grid and stay cooler, thus preventing excessive
spatter and smoking.
Q.
Do I need to grease my broiler grid to prevent
meat from sticking?
The broiler grid is designed to reflect broiler
A. No.
heat, thus keeping the surface cool enough to
prevent meat from sticking to the surface.
However, spraying the broiler grid lightly with a
vegetable cooking spray before cooking will make
clean-up easier.
28
BROILING
(continued)
Q. Why are my meats not turning out as brown
as they should?
In some areas, the power (voltage) to the range
A.
may be low. In these cases, preheat the broil
element for 10 minutes before placing broiler pan
with food in oven. Check to see if you are using
the recommended shelf position. Broil for longest
period of time indicated in the Broiling Guide.
Turn the food only once during broiling. You may
need to move the food to a higher shelf position.
Q.
Should I salt the meat before broiling?
Salt draws out the juices and allows them to
A. No.
evaporate. Always salt after cooking. Turn the
meat with tongs; piercing the meat with a fork also
allows the juices to escape. When broiling poultry
or fish, brush each side often with butter.