I have an old oven in my apartment that has a broiler pan (the 2-piece kind) with so much charred food remnants and other junk I’m afraid it’s beyond salvageable. I came across a replacement broiler pan at a local store but I didn’t buy it because I wasn’t sure if all broiler pans are universally the same size. So, are they?
Not all ovens are the same size, Measure the old one and look at it. If the new one looks the same and is the same size it may work just fine.
You didn’t specify if you have an electric oven though.
Electric ovens usually have the broiler in the top of the oven. If this is the case, any broiler pan that fits in the oven will work.
If the oven in question is a self-cleaning model, I would try leaving the broiler in the oven the next time you clean it, what is the worst that could happen?
Whatever, you settle upon, you need 2" of clearance on either side of the oven.
Thanks for the suggestions. It’s an older gas oven (the broiler pan fits in the bottom under the gas element). I’ve even tried soaking the pan with the Easy-Off cleaner, which worked great for the oven itself, but didn’t make any noticeable impact on the broiler pan.
What ever for?
shrug I dunno. For a convection oven it’s obviously important, but otherwise I’m not sure. But Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Bread Bible” and “The Pastry Bible”, both scientific treatises on their respective topics, state in no uncertain terms that it’s critical to leave room on the sides for proper air flow. IIRC, Alton Brown said the same thing in one of his baking episodes, but damned if I can remember which one or his justification.
Aha. For baking, one simply *must *have proper air circulation :). But I would assume that a broiling pan is for broiling, using radiant heat, where air circulation isn’t an issue.