Oven grill mode: how to use it correctly

The oven grill mode uses powerful heat from the upper element to brown, gratinate, caramelise and form a crust in just a few minutes. Unlike conventional heat, which cooks food more evenly around it, the grill works rather like an upside-down barbecue: fast, direct and potentially hazardous if used without care.

What is the difference between grill and conventional heat?

With conventional heat, the oven warms the air inside its cavity, cooking food from all sides and creating a better balance between the surface and the centre. This setting is best suited to cakes, bread, large roasts, pies and dishes that need time to cook through.

In grill mode, the top element becomes the main heat source. It is most useful for finishing already cooked food or for thin cuts that can withstand direct heat, including gratinated cheese, roasted vegetables, toast, thin fillets and the top of a lasagne.

When should you use the grill instead of the normal oven?

Use the grill when a recipe needs colour and texture on top, rather than slow cooking through to the middle. For that reason, it is usually used at the end of cooking, after the food has been prepared in the conventional oven, a pan or a frying pan.

• Lasagnes and pasta dishes: to brown the cheese and white sauce during the final minutes.
• Thin meats: to sear them or produce a crust without an extended oven time.
• Vegetables: to char the edges, intensify flavour and give the tips a toasted finish.
• Toast and bruschetta: for quick crispness on the surface.
• Desserts: to caramelise sugar on dishes suitable for high heat.

What is the ideal distance between food and the heating element?

The right distance depends on how thick the food is. Thin items can sit closer to the element, whereas taller foods should be placed further away so that they do not burn on the outside before warming in the centre.

As a practical guide, place delicate or already cooked foods on an upper shelf, but never directly against the heating element. For thicker cuts of meat, choose a middle shelf and finish cooking with conventional heat if the inside remains raw.

How do you switch on the grill correctly and prevent food from burning?

Before turning on the grill, position the shelf at the appropriate height, use a shallow metal or cast-iron tray, and remove paper, plastic, lids and utensils that cannot tolerate intense heat. In many ovens, the grill requires a few minutes of preheating to brown food evenly.

• Preheat the grill for 3 to 5 minutes if your oven manual permits it.
• Put food in a low-sided tray to expose its surface more effectively.
• Stay by the oven, as the change from browned to burnt can take less than 1 minute.
• Turn meat and vegetables if you want both sides to brown.
• Avoid excessive sugar, oil or fat near the heating element to reduce smoke and the risk of flames.
• Do not use a glass ovenproof dish unless its manufacturer states that it is suitable for use under a grill.

The secret of grill mode is short cooking time and close attention

Grill mode does not replace conventional heat; it completes the cooking process. Use the normal oven to cook the middle, then switch on the grill when the dish needs a crust, colour, bubbling cheese or toasted edges.

To get the best from this function, set the shelf height before switching it on, choose utensils designed for high temperatures and watch the food continuously. Used this way, the grill delivers what it does best: a golden surface, crisp texture and a restaurant-style finish without leaving food raw in the middle.