In the United States, broiling is a cooking method that involves intense top-down heat. It should be noted that broiling and grilling are both similar cooking processes, the only difference being where the heat comes from. When grilling, the heat source radiates from the coals underneath the food. When broiling in an oven, the heat comes from the burner located above the food. Either way, they both involve very high heat.

This is why Burger King calls their burgers flame broiled. Instead of direct intense heat coming from above like with a broiler, the intense heat comes from below by way of the flames.

Broiling your steak is a great alternative if for some reason you aren’t able to use a real grill. When you set the oven to broil, the top burner turns on and stays on. Some ovens are designed with the broiler section on the bottom, however heat is still applied over the top of the food.

Usually the food should be placed in a broiling pan so the juices can be collected (if cooking meat), and then placed on the top rack about 4 – 6 inches from the burner. Most people keep the oven door ajar while broiling food.

One downside to broiling is that it can make a big mess inside the oven when the food begins to splatter from the heat. If the food gets burned, which can happen sooner than you might expect when broiling, smoke will quickly escape from the oven door if it’s open and fill the kitchen. Smoke alarms will start going off and general chaos can ensue. I’m speaking from experience here.

Flare-ups would be a better term for when food gets overly scorched. Not only can they pose a fire danger, but they can give the food an unpleasant flavor. Broiling is typically used to cook cuts of meat, melt cheese for nachos, and brown the tops of gratin dishes.