Grill, broil, bake, toast, and roast are different but related terms in cooking. We often get confused about these terms and don’t know how to define and differentiate them. In this article, I am going to show you how grilling, broiling, roasting, toasting, and baking differ from each other.
In this article…
Broil Vs Grill
What is grill in cooking?
Grilling is a method of cooking where the food is placed on a rack and is cooked with a heat source that is usually placed below the rack. Because dry heat can harden the food, marination is a common practice before grilling. Poultry, seafood, meat, fish, and vegetables are common food items that we cook in this method. The heat source for grilling can be charcoal, gas, or electricity.
What is broil in cooking?
Broiling is a cooking method where radiant heat is applied from the top of the cooking chamber. It is one kind of grilling where we apply heat from upside down. Broiling is a good method for cooking thinner slices of meat, kebab, slices of vegetables, and strips of steak. It gives crispiness and deep brown color to the outside layer of the food. Therefore, we often broil the food after baking or roasting to make it crisper.
Difference between Grill and Broil
Temperature controlling mechanism
In a broiler, you can cook at a controlled temperature. There is a thermostat in a broiler oven that will maintain the temperature that you set for cooking. Usually, we cook at a temperature between 500F to 550F in a broiler.
On the other hand, in grilling, you can not control or maintain a certain temperature. In fact, most of the grills do not have any temperature controlling thermostat.
Place of cooking
Broiling is usually done indoor. When we want charred and caramelized food then we take resort to the broiler if we don’t want to go outside. On the other hand, grilling is mostly outdoor cooking. Although it gives almost similar food texture, the cooking place for grilling is different.
The flavor of the food
Grilled food is tastier to most people for the smoky grilled flavor. Although the broiler gives a charred and crispy outside, it does not produce a smoky grill flavor. Therefore, foods cooked in a broiler are not as tasty as foods cooked on a grill.
Heat source
The heat source of a broiler is usually the oven itself. On the other hand, the heat source for a grill is charcoal or propane. Charcoal can not be the heat source of a broiler.
Fat drip away system
In a grill, the grate helps the excess fat of the meat to drip away. On the other hand, there is no grate in a broiler. It has a broiling pan that drips away from the fat from the meat.
Smoke generation
Both broiling and grilling create smoke. However, as the broiling is done inside the home, excess smoke is not expected. Therefore, when broiling, we usually trim the excess fat from the meat to reduce smoke production.
Related topic
Bake Vs Toast
What is Baking?
Baking is the process of cooking food in an oven using dry heat. Baked goods such as bread, cakes, and cookies are typically made with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and baking powder or soda.
What is toasting?
Toasting is a method of cooking that involves browning the surface of food using dry heat. This can be done in a pan on the stove, in an oven, or under a grill.
Difference between baking and toasting
- Baking is done in an oven, while toasting is done using a toaster.
- Baked goods are often denser and moister than toast.
- Baking generally takes longer than toasting.
- Baked goods can be sweet or savory, while toast is usually savory.
- Baked goods are often made with flour, while toast is made with bread.
Toast Vs Roast
What is roasting?
Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat to cook food. This can be done in an oven or over an open flame. food is placed on a rack or in a pan and cooked at a high temperature until it is browned or crispy on the outside.
To know what toasting is click here.
Difference between toasting and roasting
- Toasting generally refers to a dry heat cooking method, while roasting typically uses moist heat.
- Toasting is often done at a lower temperature for a shorter period of time, while roasting is done at a higher temperature for a longer period of time.
- When toasting, food is usually placed on a rack or in a pan so that heat can be evenly distributed. Roasting typically involves placing food directly on a rack or in a pan.
- Toasting is often used to enhance the flavor of food, while roasting is typically used to cook food.
- Toasting is often used to crisp food, while roasting is often used to tenderize food.
Bottom line
Although grilling and broiling are similar kinds of cooking methods, they have distinguishing features as well. Grilling produces tastier food. But the operation of a grill is relatively difficult. But an outdoor grill will give so much fun when having a party with friends and family. It becomes more than enjoying the food only.