1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: where smart Happens. Hi, I'm Marshall Brain with today's question. 3 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: In a kitchen oven, what's the difference between the bake 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: setting and the broil setting? Baking and broiling are completely 5 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: different ways to cook food. In baking, you're trying to 6 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: heat food by surrounding the food with hot air. In broiling, 7 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: you're trying to heat food using infrared radiation. Infrared radiation, 8 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: especially at close range, has a tendency to char things, 9 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: which is great when you're trying to cook steaks, while 10 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: hot air does not have that tendency, which is great 11 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: for cakes. In a normal kitchen oven, what most people 12 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: are interested in is baking things like cakes or biscuits. 13 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: In the ideal case, what baking means is immersing the 14 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: object to be cooked in an environment of still hot air. 15 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: So if you're baking a cake in the direction say 16 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,559 Speaker 1: bake at three fifty degrees for twenty minutes, then ideally 17 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: you would place the cake in a box or an 18 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: oven that contains still air at a constant temperature of 19 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: three fifty degrees. There would be little or no infrared 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: radiation to brown or char at the top of the cake. This, 21 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: by the way, is why you preheat an oven. The 22 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: idea is to get all of the air in the 23 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: oven up to the proper temperature so the burner doesn't 24 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: have to come on very often or for very long. 25 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: That keeps the infrared radiation from the burner to a minimum. 26 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: That also explains why only the lower burner comes on 27 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: during baking. The radiation that does get generated by the 28 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: burner hits the pan rather than the top of the cake. 29 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: When you want to grill a steak, what you should 30 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: use is a barbecue grill outside. A barbecue grill cooks 31 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: with infrared radiation je rated by hot coals beneath the food. 32 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: If you don't have a barbecue, or if it's raining outside, 33 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: you can broil the steak in your oven. When you 34 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 1: set the oven on its broil setting, the oven turns 35 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: on its top burner and leaves it on. This creates 36 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: lots of infrared radiation above the food, so you put 37 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: your steak in a broiling pan to catch the juice, 38 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: and then place the steak very close to the top burner. Normally, 39 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: you'll leave the door of the oven slightly open while 40 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: you're broiling. The broiling burner is an upside down barbecue 41 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: with the burner replacing the coals. Broiling generally creates a 42 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: huge mess inside the oven from all the splattering, as 43 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: well as tons of smoke outside the oven and therefore 44 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: in your kitchen, which is why most people use the 45 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: grill outside instead of the ovens broiler. Be sure to 46 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. 47 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: Join how Stuff Work staff as we explore them promising 48 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The houstaff Works iPhone app 49 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: has arrived. Download it today on iTunes.