What's The Difference Between Broiling And Baking?

Whether you're crisping up a cheesy casserole or cooking a chicken to perfection, knowing the difference between baking and broiling can make or break a dish. In fact, after a few botched attempts at using the broil function, I decided it was clearly created solely to burn anything I was making and stopped touching it altogether for years. At first glance, the two settings seem interchangeable. Both involve the oven, right? However, broiling and baking are as different as grilling and roasting. They both take place in the same oven, but they're completely different. 

Spoiler alert: It's all about how the heat gets to your food. Broiling acts a bit like an upside-down grill, focusing intense heat towards the surface of your food — this setting usually hits around 550 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, baking is more about evenly distributing the heat radiating from the bottom of your oven, working its magic on everything from cakes to pork tenderloin. 

These two techniques aren't just about temperature settings; they define how your meal turns out. The next time you're debating between the two, consider what you're cooking and what texture you're aiming for — each function serves a specific purpose in the kitchen. To quickly give a dish a charred, crunchy, or deeply browned finish, go for the broiler. Otherwise, baking should be your go-to for most oven cooking. 

Broiling typically uses direct heat from your oven's top element in the main compartment, though sometimes the broiler is found in a drawer at the bottom of the appliance. This setting is perfect for charring vegetables, melting cheese, or creating a pleasantly charred crust on your London broil. It's ideal for cooking at high temperatures for short periods, especially when you're looking for a caramelized finish, crispy texture, or toasted topping. If you're going to be broiling, we recommend keeping an eye on what's going on, as burning is always a risk. 

On the flip side, baking is all about heat distribution. Your oven's bottom element generates consistent heat, cooking food thoroughly and evenly. It's the go-to method for dishes that take time to cook all the way through, such as potatoes, braised meats, cakes, and casseroles. Whether you're aiming for baking chicken at the perfect temperature or making a batch of Katharine Hepburn's brownies that are just gooey enough, baking is your best bet for controlled cooking.

When choosing between broiling and baking, consider your end goal. Broiling delivers intensity; baking provides consistency. Both methods shine in their own way — just like those perfectly charred vegetables or chewy chocolate chip cookies.