# Broil setting (gas oven)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broil-setting-gas-oven/479313>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 31, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broil-setting-gas-oven/479313 "2008-12-31T03:07:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broil-setting-gas-oven/479313/1 "2008-12-31T03:07:34Z")

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Probably a dumb question.

Does the broil setting at the end of the dial do anything special or can I ‘broil’ something at 300 degrees in the bottom shelf of the oven?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broil-setting-gas-oven/479313/2 "2008-12-31T03:19:04Z")

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On my electric oven, the broil setting lights only the element on the top of the oven, allowing it to act somewhat like a grill, with heat coming from a single direction. Also, you’re supposed to keep the door open slightly so the oven doesn’t reach a pre-set temperature and turn off the element to cool, as it does when baking normally. I expect a modern gas oven to work the same way, but I’ve no experience.

–Cliffy

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broil-setting-gas-oven/479313/3 "2008-12-31T04:42:27Z")

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Yeah, experimenting with my dinner seems to show that the broil setting just means that the burners are lit continuously instead of cycling like they do when trying to maintain a certain temp in the oven.

Makes sense now that I think about it, the temp in the oven isn’t controlled by changing the amount of flame, its just a binary setting like my gas furnace is and cycles on and off to maintain temperature.  
Too bad, I wouldn’t mind being able to broil things with a smaller flame.

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**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broil-setting-gas-oven/479313/4 "2008-12-31T22:21:00Z")

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As you’ve discovered, broil just means full bore, which is why it’s probably located at the end of your dial setting.

Unless your oven is significantly different than any other gas oven I’ve seen, you can still broil with a smaller flame, just don’t set the dial at broil, rather 450 say.

You can also adjust your broiler pan to make it further away from the flames.