bottom broiler drawer on gas ranges

[bucktown_boffo]

anyone here use them to good effect? seems to me that the big oven burner could probably get hotter than the conductor at the top of most electric ovens (at least at the lower price points), but also might be harder to control the cooking intensity? personally, i've never touched mine, but am curious if i'm missing out on something good here.

[mnebergall]

The bottom drawer gas broiler configuration is a PITA. It is hard to monitor the progress of whatever it is you are cooking because you have pull the drawer out to see how it is doing. I think the self cleaning gas models at the broiler at the top of the oven. A much better configuration. You can look through the window of the oven to see how your cooking is progressing. You will use a top broiler much more than you would a bottom drawer style broiler.

[bloviatrix]

I use mine quite frequently. But it's taken a number of years to master how long to keep things broiling without needing to constantly check.

I view the bending down to check as part of my exercise.

[ellencho]

We have one of those bottom drawer broilers and I hate it with a passion. First off, you can't just stick anything under the broiler - it has to be a flatter item so no whole birds or roasts. Secondly, in order to keep my food edible I have to lie down on the floor to monitor the bubbling of the cheese on top of gratins and the like. Does a horrible job with creme brulee too but I'm too cheap to purchase a blow torch so I guess it's my own fault.

[Katherine]

Gee, I just figured that you use what you've got, since the alternative is generally only available to people for whom money is no object.

Chop wood, carry water.

[tryska]

i jsut learned how to use that bottom broiler this year in my old apartment. of course now in the new place, it's all electric so i have no more fun with broiling. it's jsut not the same.

in any case, i've used it to make bruschetta, it's great for indoor "grilling" of hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. I've even grilled parcooked chicken in it, with great results. you do have to keep a constant eye on it or things will burn to a crips of set on fire, but i thinkt he same goes for any broiling.

i typically camped out on the floor, and checked the drawer every 10 seconds. it wound up not being more than 5 minutes worth of camping tho.

[jglazer75]

I've gotten fairly accustomed to my bottom drawer broiler and actually prefer it to grilling. I know, heresy, but being a city dweller my grill is down a few flights and it's a pain to use. But I've made steaks, chicken, fish, etc. in my broiler with no problems. The biggest pain is cleaning the darn thing. But I've had no problems with timing and while I you have to open the thing to check it, that's no different from lifting the lid of the grill or opening the oven door or lifting the lid off of a simmering pot. Anyway, I've used mine to great success. So there.

[NeroW]

God, no. I hate that thing.

[Mulcahy]

Tryska & jglazer75, what kind of pan do you put in the broiler uner whatever you are broiling? I have one of these and have never quite figured out the pan setup.

Thanks!

[BJL]

I am just starting to learn to use mine, but here's a question - do you cover the tray with foil? And if so, should you poke holes in it to drain the fat?

So far I've only used it to toast things or brown the top of mac 'n cheese etc.

[zora]

I use mine primarily for toast and browning the tops of finished dishes. The out-of-sight-out-of-mind factor is really risky. One thing I have noticed is that the longer the broiler has been on, the faster it works--the ambient heat buildup seems to really add to the effect of the direct flame.

On a related note, a friend was looking all over her kitchen for her cookie sheets, knowing her not-so-domestic roommate had stowed them. She eventually found them stashed in her broiler tray. Why? The guy clearly comes from household with an electric oven, where that bottom area is just a storage drawer. Funny.

[Mudpuppie]

I have a "Grillevator," which I've never used. Anyone familiar with it? It's probably 50 years old. I'm kind of scared of it.

[jglazer75]

Tryska & jglazer75, what kind of pan do you put in the broiler uner whatever you are broiling?  I have one of these and have never quite figured out the pan setup.

Thanks!

Mine has a removable pan that I cover with Aluminum foil (to answer the question of the other poster who asked - though I don't punch holes in it to drain, but it tilts slightly to the front so that the fat drains into a collecting well type thing). Usually I just put a clean piece of foil on the pan, start up the broiler and wait for a few minutes for it to heat up (a VERY important step I've learned) then put down whatever it is I'm cooking. Cook times are very similar to a grill (at least in my broiler). While the overhead on it is fairly low, I've never had a problem cooking anything that I'd put on a grill (steaks, potatoes, corn, chicken, fish, veggies, etc.).

[tryska]

me as well - just tin foil. that's kinda where oyu have ot be careful tho, if it's burgers or hotdogs or something. if you're not careful soemtimes the grease can get too hot and the aluminum catches fire.

(not really as alarming as it sounds - trust me)

[ghostrider]

I use mine regularly for broiling fish. Thin filets - sole, flounder, what have you. No more than 10 minutes. Thicker cuts get baked at 350-400.

I use a heavy nostick pan that has now seen better days & is on the verge of replacement, but that's another story. I got a good 3-4 years out of it.

[Aurora]

Tryska & jglazer75, what kind of pan do you put in the broiler uner whatever you are broiling?  I have one of these and have never quite figured out the pan setup.

Thanks!

Im not Tryska or jglazer75, but I do come from a family that doesn't believe in electric, and I have worked with many a bottom drawer broiler in my day. I don't love them, but I don't exactly hate them either.

Generally, I put a piece of foil down and broil on top of that. However, for oily items--like bratwurst--I cook directly on the drip pan. If you use the broiler this way, you must be sure to clean the pan as soon as the broiler cools down. If you forget, and use the oven again, the grease--once at smoking point--will impart that old, smoky, burnt grease flavor to anything you happen to be cooking in the oven. The way it usually works is that you won't remember that you didn't clean the bottom broiler drip pan until the smoking starts. Once the bottom tray gets hot, it becomes a real challenge to remove it especially with grease inside.

You say you're baking a chocloate cake? Well, not exactly. If you forget about that panYou're baking a chocolate cake with essence of bratwurst/pork chops/burgers. Mmmmm.

The bottom broiler has also been the source of several memorable kitchen fires. My father always keeps a box of baking soda and a kitchen fire extinguisher nearby when he broils.

My mother uses pie tins when she broils.

I cover it with another pan.

One last thing...remove the batteries from your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and open a window before you begin.

Happy Bottom Broiling!

[Katherine]

me as well - just tin foil.  that's kinda where oyu have ot be careful tho, if it's burgers or hotdogs or something.  if you're not careful soemtimes the grease can get too hot and the aluminum catches fire.

(not really as alarming as it sounds - trust me)

This is why you're supposed to use the broiler pan without foil. The pan itself is firesafe, and any grease will drip below into the outer pan, where it is safely protected from the heat.

Pull the pan out when you finish it, don't leave it in the broiler to cool, where you'll forget about it.

I've never had a broiler fire in my life.