<p>So I’m cooking lamb chops under the broiler today and as I was closing the oven door, it suddenly occured to me that years ago I was taught to leave the door partially open when broiling. Was I wrong then, or should I be leaving the door open now?</p>
<p>I always do , but I mostly use the broiler for English muffins and omelettes</p>
<p>Depends on the type (gas or electric) and the model.</p>
<p>I always leave broiler open a few inches. I’ve only had electric ovens.</p>
<p>Most modern ovens have vents. But really, it’s your choice.</p>
<p>Getting too old to bend down and keep an eye on stuff in the broiler. So no broiling for me!</p>
<p>Back in the old neighborhood where I grew up, mom always said to leave the (electric) oven door open when broiling. A neighbor nearly burned the house down when broiling bacon in the oven and it caught on fire. (I know - broiling bacon?) I had a gas broiler in NYC and you had to close the door in order for the food to cook at all. In my more recent electric GE oven, I had small fire from fat when the door was closed once, but I easily put it out. It seems to get much hotter when the door is closed rather than open. I have a new oven in my new place, and it has vents, and I broil with the door closed (electric), but not on the top oven rack.</p>
<p>So the point of keeping the door open is to prevent fires?</p>
<p>My mother taught me to leave the oven door cracked when broiling. I have no idea why. Look at it this way–if you don’t, then your children won’t, and this beautiful chain will be broken.</p>
<p>I always thought that the door was left ajar to let the moisture escape so the broiling was a dry-heat cook (no steam). But the ovens I have now have doors that do not want to stay open just a couple of inches. I think I would like to have a salamander like restaurants have for broiling. And speaking of broiling, has anyone else notice that now that ovens and cooktops are often located in separate parts of the kitchen, the exhaust fan is often not located anywhere near the oven? My broiling tends to be smokey.</p>
<p>I generally keep it closed, but if I think it’s going to be a really smokey broil (or if it proves to be when I check on it), I keep it ajar so the smoke doesn’t all get in my face when I open it. </p>
<p>As a college student, I do a lot of broiling. Get some really yummy sandwiches that way.</p>
<p>The purpose of keeping the door ajar is to let the heat escape. The food cooks by the radiant heat from the burner, not from the hot air around the food. This also reduces the chance of fat (or other grease) from catching on fire.</p>
<p>It might be that gas ovens couldn’t get hot enough, and that is why you close them.</p>
<p>deleted. double post while CC having problems</p>
<p>The broiler heat element is controlled by the same thermistat and temperature dial setting as the oven. So, on many ranges, if you set the oven temp to 400 degrees and switch to broiler, the broiler heat element will cycle off when the temperature hits 400 degrees. </p>
<p>One way around this is to shut the door and set the temperature for 500+ degrees (a good way to start a fire). Or, set the temp to whatever and leave the door cracked open so the temperature never really gets that high.</p>
<p>I’d rather pan-sear something like lamb chops. Very high heat in a cast iron skillet. Get the first side nicely seared as the “pretty side”, flip 'em over and put the skillet in the oven to finish cooking the chops. It’s a restaurant trick that works for steaks, chops, salmon fillets.</p>
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<p>This cracked me up!! But for me, it is true. I never knew the reason why but my mom also taught be to leave the oven door cracked open when broiling (I have electric) and I do. I used to broil a lot but not so much anymore because I grill the things I would typically broil, on the barbeque…which is on my porch and yes, I go out there when it is zero degrees outside, like tonight’s dinner. :)</p>
<p>“Like many of you, I learned how to use a stove from my mother, and she taught me to broil with the oven door open. But times change, and so do appliances. If your oven is less than ten years old, chances are you should be broiling with the door closed. Most ovens sold today are built as closed-door broilers, for reasons of safety and smoke control. We learned this the hard way in the test kitchen when one of our ovens shut down after we broiled with the door open, and we had to call in a technician to reset the electronic controls. To find out if your oven is a closed- or an open-door broiler, consult your manual or call the manufacturer. If your broiler is gas-powered, you should always broil with the door closed.”</p>
<p>From Fine Cooking 69, pp. 80
January 1, 2005</p>
<p>This should be on one of those warning stickers when ovens are installed, you know, don’t put it in the bath tub, don’t bake your sister, don’t leave the door open.</p>
<p>If I don’t leave it open, though, how can I catch the garlic bread before it burns?</p>