What To Consider Before Cooking Food On A Broiler Pan
There are a few things you need to know before you go about roasting food on a broiler pan, starting with what a broiler pan is. There are two components to a proper two-piece broiler pan, including a thin flat portion with grill-like grates on which food can lay and a shallow pan beneath it. Depending on what kind of food you're cooking, both components can be used. The idea is that as you broil the food on the top tray, any drippings fall into the shallow pan below.
You should also consider what type of food you are roasting. You're certainly not going to want to roast a chicken or duck on a broiler pan. It's too shallow. In fact, any food that is going to give off lots of fats and juices is really not suitable for broiling pans. You need a proper, deep-sided roasting pan in order to prevent excess spillage.
The question then arises, can I use my broiler pan to roast anything at all? The question is yes. Although the broiler pan is not as common a cooking tool as it once was, there are ways in which you can use it to get good results, whether you're broiling or roasting.
Getting the most out of a broiler pan
The best use for a broiling pan is obviously for broiling. This type of cooking uses direct, high heat to cook food. It's an excellent cooking method that adds flavor and texture to certain foods like thinner steaks and pork chops, fish filets, chicken cutlets, vegetables like asparagus or summer squash, hamburgers, and even hot dogs. That same principle applies to roasting with one.
The broiling pan can work as a shallow roasting tray for smaller food items. Chicken drumsticks, turkey legs, or beef shanks are perfect to roast in a broiling pan because they don't give off so much juice as to make the tray overflow. Roasted vegetables are excellent in broiling trays too. The pans are designed to withstand the high heat necessary to get a good, crispy exterior on something like roasted root vegetables or broccoli. In keeping things small, you automatically utilize the tray's assets and minimize its flaws.
Beyond small roasts and broiling, you can use one for baking cookies, making pizza, or even as a drip pan on the grill. However you use one, it's a great tool that can pay dividends in flavor and texture if properly used.