Store

Cooking encyclopedia Techniques

Grilling

Also called broiling; charcoal grilling

Cooking over or under direct radiant heat, close to the source.

200–300 °C (392–572 °F)

What it is

Build two zones where you can — hot for colour, cooler to finish — so nothing has to be rushed or burnt. Oil the food rather than the bars, and turn when it releases.

Why it works

Radiant heat is intense and one-sided, so the surface browns and chars long before the centre is done. Managing distance and zones is how you keep the two in step.

When to use it

Steaks, chops, sausages, whole fish, skewers, halloumi, aubergine, flatbreads, corn.

What goes wrong

A grill that has not fully preheated; flare-ups from dripping fat; turning too often to see if it is browning; cooking thick pieces over one high heat only.

More on this shelf

  • Blanching Brief cooking in heavily boiling water, usually followed by cooling.
  • Blooming spices Heating spices briefly in fat or a dry pan to release their aroma before they meet anything else.
  • Braising Browning, then cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot.
  • Deep-frying Cooking fully submerged in hot fat, usually 160–190 °C.
  • Deglazing Dissolving the browned residue in a pan with liquid, to turn it into sauce.
  • Emulsifying Dispersing fat and water into each other so they behave as one smooth sauce.
  • Poaching Cooking submerged in liquid held below a simmer, around 70–85 °C.
  • Reducing Simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate what is left.
  • Resting meat Leaving cooked meat off the heat before cutting it.
  • Roasting Cooking in dry oven heat, uncovered, so the surface browns while the inside cooks.
  • Sautéing Cooking small or thin pieces quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, moving them often.
  • Searing Cooking a surface hard and fast to brown it, before or after the inside is cooked.