Imagine you have invited your friends to your place for a barbeque dinner. Everything is ready; all your guests are here but oh no! The weather is not allowing you to do so, and you see all your plans are sinking in front of your eyes.
But wait, here is the good news. Here, you will learn how to use grill function in oven. So, no worries, all you will do is enjoy your favourite crispy crust food with your besties while watching your favourite shows on television.
Essential ingredients and manageable steps can enhance the flavour of your food and give it a crispy golden crust by using the grill function of your oven.
Table of Contents
How to Use Grill Function in Oven?
Now you know that grilling your food is not only confined to the outdoors; you can also enjoy those delicious beef steaks and smoky charred chicken while sitting on your comfortable couch.
Now, wait for the weather to be pleasant and do the outdoor experience some other time, as you will not find any significant difference between outdoor grilling and grilling in an oven.
What Does the Grill Mode Do in Oven?
Grilling has always been one of the most popular forms of cooking. With some essential ingredients and manageable steps, you can enhance the flavour of your daily food by using the grill function of your oven.
Apart from grilling your favourite fish and chicken by giving it a crispy golden crust, you can also grill your vegetables and enjoy that smoky flavour. Let’s look at” what does the grill mode do in oven”?
The heating element or the grill source is usually placed in the roof area of the oven. It works by balancing the temperature inside the oven, which is automatically regulated using the on-off cycles.
The temperature is maintained to ensure the food is not overcooked or burnt. This feature, along with providing relaxation to you on a busy day, also saves your time by working in the background.
Steps to Grill Your Food
Follow these easy and convenient steps to enjoy the fantastic grilling experience in your kitchen.
1. Adjusting Your Oven Racks
The first step will be arranging your racks depending on your oven type. If you have the top broiler in your oven, you will set your tray 4-8 inches from the top.
On the other hand, if the broiler is in the drawer inside the oven, you can use a grill pan close to the heating element.
The main focus is the food should be close to the heating source for the ideal environment to grill your food.
2. Pre-Heat the Grill Pan
Grilling differs from traditional cooking because the cooking surface should be as hot as the oven. You will place your grill pan or broiler pan if you are using the broiler in an oven.
Pre-heat it to approx. 500 F. After 20 – 30 mins, it will reach the desired temperature.
3. Select The Correct Type of Pan
Grilling is convenient and easy for quick cooking and is available in most ovens; however, using the correct pan inside an oven is crucial. The material should be resistant to high heat and temperatures.
For this, a cast iron pan will serve the purpose. It will be a durable option for your grilling choices and has heat-resistant qualities.
4. Select The Right Temperature
You can adjust the temperature of your oven depending on the type of food you are making. Furthermore, it depends on your choice and how you want to eat your favourite grilled items.
The high temperature will allow the food to cook quickly and get browned, whereas the low temperature will penetrate deep down to ensure thorough cooking.
5. Grilling Your Food
After reaching your pan’s desired temperature, put your food in the oven. For that additional classic flavour, you can pour some marinade onto your edibles.
6. Checking And Keeping an Eye
Whether you are using the broiler or grilling method, you have to check it and keep an eye in between the cooking time to ensure the food is not burnt or overcooked.
7. Keep The Oven Grill Door Open or Closed
To attain the classic BBQ flavour, YOu should provide the food with a direct heat supply, but in an oven, the thermostat regulates the temperature. Thereby it controls heat after reaching a certain point.
After that, the food is cooked in steam like in baking. To avoid that, you can open the oven grill door slightly to avoid reaching that temperature; hence, the food will have a direct heat supply.
But in some electric ovens, it is not safe to open the door while grilling. In those pans, there is already an option of convection grilling or a fan to avoid excess heat build-up.
Some Common Options for Grilling
If you are fond of grilling options and enjoy the goodness of smokey grilled, charred food items, then you should also know the basics of these grilling terminologies mentioned on your oven for the best results.
a) Fast Grill
You can use this option for grilling many items quickly inside your oven. It will give you quick results in a few minutes. You can avail this option for adding a short golden crust to your edibles.
b) Turbo Grill/ Fan Grill
This setting is used for the grill and the fan mode simultaneously to allow even distribution of heat supply to your food items. Despite your temperature increase, the grilling of food will not switch off.
Using Electric Grill as Oven
“You can use your electric grill as an oven” yes, you heard it right. Your electric grill can also be used as your oven. It will provide you with a direct heat supply and therefore help you out in quick cooking without a mess.
Depending upon the type of food you are grilling electric grill comes in 2 types.
Contact grills are those grills in which the heating surface directly interacts with the food when the lid is closed. It cooks your food quickly.
Contact grills are a good option for sandwiches, patties, sausages and other flat food items and are easy to clean. For cleaning purposes, you can visit our article about how to clean electric oven grill elements.
Whereas Open grills don’t come in contact with the food and provides heat to other food item requiring a heat source from below. This option works better with grilling chunks of chicken and beef sprinkled with cheese and other seasonings.
Moreover, when using electric ovens for grilling, close the oven door as it is not a safe option to open to obtain that unique grilled flavour.
FAQs: How to Use Grill Function in Oven?
Should You Leave Oven Door Open When Grilling?
Leaving the oven door open or closed is a common question related to indoor grilling. It depends on the features and settings of your oven. If your oven is equipped with a built-in convection setting or a fan setting, you don't need to keep the door open as it will remove the extreme heat, and your food will continue to grill as per your desire. You can set it open a little if there is no fan or convection setting. In the case of an electric oven, it is not safe to keep the door open.
Can I Use My Electric Grill as an Oven?
Your electric grill can also be used as your oven. It will provide you with a direct heat supply and therefore help you out in quick cooking without a mess. Depending upon the type of food you are grilling electric grill comes in 2 types.
Contact grills are those grills in which the heating surface directly interacts with the food when the lid is closed.
Open grills don't come in contact with the food and provide heat to other food items requiring a heat source from below.
Apart from these electric grills, you can also use the option of grilling in an electric oven; however, it is significant to monitor the cooking temperature critically.
Please read the instruction manual in detail before operating it, depending on the capacity of your oven to save it from any external damage.
Conclusion
After providing basic and vital knowledge about how to use the grill function in oven, it is evident that it mostly depends on checking the features and settings of your oven when you are going to grill your food.
Besides that, keeping a watchful eye is necessary in cooking, and it doubles in the case of grilling, so make sure that your food is cooked perfectly and not overcooked or burnt.