Summer meals prioritize no-cook, low-cook, and outdoor-cooked recipes, but there’s another approach that I’ve come to rely on when the weather is sweltering: the broiler. Yes, I’m telling you to turn on your oven in the summer. But don’t click away!
In restaurant kitchens, a salamander broiler is used to quickly melt, crisp, and brown a single serving, or to quickly finish off a par-cooked cut of meat, before it heads out to your table. Broiling at home works much the same way. Standard broilers are usually part of, or connected to, the oven. Yours may be an electric coil or flame on the ceiling of the oven; or it may be a separate drawer underneath.
Whatever the style, a broiler typically heats around 500–550°F. Some newer models offer a “low” option, which heats to about 450°F. In BA recipes, we account for the higher temp, relying on it for cooking that’s fast and intensely flavorful, much like a grill. In fact: A lot of our recipes that were developed to be made on the grill were also tested to great success in the broiler, like this Charred Guacamole, Jerk Shrimp With Pineapple Salad, and Grilled Chicken Wings With Summer Berry Agrodolce.
That’s exactly why I love the broiler so much in the warmer months. It makes the fact that I don’t have a grill totally irrelevant. I get to enjoy juicy charred chicken bundled in a plush pita either way.
