Broiling food: Doing it right; reducing the clean-up

In My Humble Opinion
1

I like to broil a good steak once in awhile and have a few questions:

  1. Are there any general dangers in placing a piece of aluminum foil on top of the steak, so that the splattering is reduced?

  2. Does anyone have any ideas on how to reduce the hassle of cleaning a broiling pan once it’s dirty? Does Pam kitchen spray make for a quicker clean-up? Has anyone ever used those fancy Silverstone broiling pans that promise a no-hassle clean-up?

  3. Can you tell much difference in taste between a broiled steak and one fried in a skillet?

Thank you.

2

  1. Never tried putting foil on the top. I’d be afraid of “steaming” the steak.

  2. Pam does reduce the stuff sticking to the broiler, but cooked-on Pam is, itself, pretty hard to get off. I put foil UNDER the steak.

  3. Not if you do it right. You have to use a heavy pan, like cast iron. If you use medium heat and turn the steak frequently it gets very nice and juicy. Plus, pan frying gives you the bonus option of deglazing the pan to get a yummy sauce.

3

I use a toster oven broiler rack in my oven - it fits easily in the dishwasher.

4

  1. Don’t do it. You won’t be broiling it if you do. As Cher said, it will likely be more “steamed.” Also, the foil can catch on fire, and if your meat is close enough to the broiler, it probably will.

  2. Yep, burnt on Pam is gross. You might as well accept that the broiler pan will never get clean. Oh well.

  3. I can tell a difference, but both are good in their own way.

bonus broiling steak tip–rub the raw steak with soy sauce and garlic powder before you broil it. Lends great flavor. (Plus it’s one of the 2 acceptable uses for garlic powder! :slight_smile: )

5

You might want to check this thread:

Who else loves their George Foreman Grill?

as a cleaner alternative to broiling!

6

This is more of an IMHO than a GQ, so I’ll move it.

bibliophage
moderator GQ

7

I put foil on both parts of the broiling pan. I cover the basin part and the top. I poke out the holes on the top.

The basin part is really easy to clean and the top part is pretty easy to clean.

8

Listen to cher3. She’s got it right, Oldmaid85. You may wish to visit The Ultimate Recipe Thread and review Scylla’s contribution on this topic;

[li]The Final Word on Steak[/li]Steak Cooking Methods and Tips
[sup]Submitted by Scylla[/sup]

Feel free to contribute any of your own favorite recipes.

9

Here’s an easy way to clean your broiler pan: use oven cleaner. Spray the pan down, and stick it inside the oven overnight. Wash it off the next morning. It’ll look like new, and there’s no scrubbing.