Grilling vs. Broiling

Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below. It is sometimes referred to as barbecuing but that word can also mean a different cooking technique.

Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat quickly. Food to be grilled is cooked on a grill), a grill pan (similar to a frying pan, but with raised ridges to mimic the wires of an open grill), or griddle (a flat plate heated from below). Heat transfer to the food when using a grill is primarily via thermal radiation. Heat transfer when using a grill pan or griddle is by direct conduction. In the United States and Canada, when the heat source for grilling comes from above, grilling is termed broiling. In this case, the pan that holds the food is called a broiler pan, and heat transfer is by thermal radiation.

Direct heat grilling can expose food to temperatures often in excess of 500 °F. Grilled meat acquires a distinctive roast aroma from a chemical process called the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction only occurs when foods reach temperatures in excess of 310 °F.

Studies have shown that cooking beef, pork, poultry, and fish at high temperatures can lead to the formation of heterocyclic amines, benzopyrenes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogens. Marination may reduce the formation of these compounds. Grilling is often presented as a healthy alternative to cooking with oil, although the fat and juices lost by grilling can contribute to drier food.

In the United States and Canada, when the heat source for grilling comes from above, grilling is termed broiling.

. . .but you don't get the nice (carcinogenic) carbon-stuff that tastes so good.

Aren't they both the same thing?

cherrie wrote:

Aren't they both the same thing?

You grill food on a grill (the heat source is below) and the meat cooks directly on a metal grill. Broiling takes place in an oven where the heat source comes from above and the meat is on a metal pan. The meat tends to sit in its own melted fat in the broiling process.

The metal grill in the grilling process tends to make a special pattern in the meat.

cherrie wrote:

Aren't they both the same thing?

You grill food on a grill (the heat source is below) and the meat cooks directly on a metal grill. Broiling takes place in an oven where the heat source comes from above and the meat is on a metal pan. The meat tends to sit in its own melted fat in the broiling process.

The metal grill in the grilling process tends to make a special pattern in the meat.