First, what exactly is broiling? This technique involves cooking the food very close to overhead heat and generally takes just a few minutes because it’s cooked with such high and direct heat. This is a great way to give your food a nice brown exterior. Broiling works well for steak, chops, sliced ham, bacon, and fish in particular -- just make sure the cut is less than about one inch thick.

First, you need to preheat your broiler for at least five to seven minutes. Make sure it’s very, very hot before you use it. Season your meat before you put it in the broiler. Put it on a broiler pan or a shallow baking pan with a rack. TIP: Lining your pan with tinfoil to make cleanup easier.

The pan should rest about five inches from the heat source, though this does depend on the thickness of the meat. Thicker meat needs to cook more slowly, so it should be placed farther from the heat.

Broil until the side facing the heat is a nice, deep brown -- this’ll happen pretty quickly so keep an eye on it to be sure it doesn’t burn. It’ll be ready to flip in as little as five minutes, depending on the thickness. Flip and broil the other side until it looks ready. You can use a meat thermometer or cut into the meat to check.

Learn More Cooking Tips Here: How to Chop.

-- Paula Kashtan

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