Broiling Utensils

Broiling

The simplest method of cooking meat is by roasting or broiling before a fire. This can be done out of doors with no utensil at all except a pointed stick on which the meat is spitted. In an ordinary kitchen only thin cuts of meat are cooked in this way. In hotels and restaurants fowls and larger cuts are roasted in the same way by means of tin kitchens.

This method when applied to slices of bread is known as toasting.

Utensils for Broiling

True broiling is the subjection of food to the direct heat of a fire without the use of water, fat, or a heated surface.

The utensils used in broiling are:

Wire broilers or toasters

Wire racks set on feet over a pan

The simple, hinged, double wire broilers, made of heavy tinned wire, or sometimes of steel wire, are used over a wood or coal fire; the meat or fish is held over the fire, which must be red hot to prevent coal gas from getting into the meat, and any fat or moisture in it allowed to fall into the flame. Broiling above the fire causes frequent jets of flame whenever the fat falls upon the coals and this sears or burns the surface. Many people prefer meat which has been charred in this way. These broilers are often called gridirons.

The same style of wire toasters are used for toasting bread over the coals. These are usually lighter weight than the broilers.

When gas or electricity is used in cooking meats the fat must not be allowed to fall on the fire. The food is therefore suspended in front of the flame or placed beneath it, and the fat is caught in a pan known as a dripping pan. Baking pans of Russia iron or enameled ware are the best for this purpose.

When bread is to be toasted over a gas, gasoline, or oil flame, a four-sided toaster, upon which slices of bread stand upright, is excellent. This construction distributes the heat evenly and produces a uniformly browned toast. By regulating the heat one can obtain a crisp toast with a moist center, or a thoroughly dry toast.

Electric toasters are a specialty and are used on the table.

A process known as pan broiling is done in a hot, dry pan. The effect is very different from true broiling, as the fat and juices of the meat ooze out and half fry it. The utensils used for this method are frying pans or skillets.