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Question or those of you who use a gas Infrared oven broiler

12 years ago

Hello,

Really glad I learned about the infrared broiler in AG ovens, before deciding on my new range. I'll finally place my range order today or Monday for either Wolf or Viking 36" AG open burner.

I have a couple of questions.

I cook fish (everything from cod and halibut to thick sea bass and tuna steaks) very often, on a cast iron pan on the stove. I heat the dry pan for a few minutes on high first, sear the fish, turn it down to med or med high, flip once, and voila, it turns out perfect every time.

But it creates a lot of smoke (plus my hood vent system desperately needs replacement).

My questions are:

Is charbroiling as "smoky" of a process as searing and then cooking a piece fish (or steak)?

How quickly does your broiler heat up? Is it practically instant, or is there a wait time?

Finally, if anyone has experience with Wolf vs Viking AG infrared charbroiler (or open burners) that would be helpful.

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

jscout
12 years ago
I have a CC but I'm sure they're all very similar. It takes about a minute for it to light and come up to broiling temps. Basically as long as it takes for the glow plug to get hot. I usually fire up mine as I'm preparing the food for the broiler so it's ready when I'm ready. I think one time I fired it up as an afterthought, and I waited a couple of minutes anyways to let it get good and hot. I didn't actively monitor it. I just turned away to do something else and came back to it. But it was ready so it was a non-issue for me. My range vents out the back, so smoke from broiling has not been issue. I'm sure the Wolf and Viking are similar in this regard.

One thing an IR broiler does not do well is blackening. For that, you'll still have to use cast iron and deal with the smoke.
appliance_b_guide
12 years ago
I have a Wolf in my own home, the gas broiler heats up within a minute. Very satisfied. I don't broil fish, but I do broil steaks in there all the time and the come out just as good as they would on the grill.

I would definitely recommend either the Wolf or Viking. The Viking does have a glass enclosed broiler which is a bit prettier and easier to clean, but overall no different in cooking ability.

Hope that helps,

Anthony
Appliance Buyer's Guide
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We have the Wolf 36 inch rangetop with charbroiler. It does take some getting used to but we love it. We have tried all of the foods that John above mentioned. Key to steaks and fish (salmon steaks) for us has been the brief searing on the grill and finishing in the oven, as he mentioned. Restaurant style, for a reason. We had a real epiphany recently when we did a whole slew of vegetables including Vidalia onions, asparagus, and red peppers. They were beyond fabulous, easy to do, limited smoke/mess. My daughter is planning to grill fuit--we have not tried that yet. We turn on the vent hood (Broan) before the grill, leave the hood running about 20 minutes after finishing, and it pulls out all the fumes. No next-day reminder of the salmon dinner. I don't know about grills other than this one, which every sales person discouraged us from buying. We are happy that we got it. Wolf does wonderful (and free) demonstration dinners at distributor showrooms. Worth seeking out if you live near one, as we do. Good luck!
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I can try to help on this one. First, you usually never use the convection fan when broiling. Broiling is infrared rays, not convection. For searing a steak. It depends of the thickness. A thin steak can be placed very close, on the top rack, about 2 minutes a side, same with a hamburger. Basically about 1 or 2 inches from the broiler. A thicker steak slightly farther away, and a little more time... unless you want to sear it very close and then move it down. I would guess about 3 or 4 inches or so from the broiler depending. Same with salmon. Other items might be 6 or more inches away. The further away the larger the item can be. It will still get plenty hot. So yes you can broil on a lower rack. And of course a broiler is quick and dry heat, so it can be used to reheat the top surface of some fries. Or to brown something quickly. Most broilers have a thermostat that prevents the oven from getting too hot. And sometimes that is why people will broil with the oven door open, it helps to keep the broiler on longer. Of course, a few broilers will shut off if the door opens, but most will stay on. But trying to get the oven hotter than 500 degrees for pizza?? It might be possible on a gas range. First preheat the gas oven and check your temp. Many ranges will go higher than what's listed on the knob. Second, invest in a pizza stone, or any good oven stone, or a big slab of soapstone. These act as a heat sink and even more so if you place the pizza right on the stone. (you probably know that)... But unless you have a self-cleaning gas oven and can 'break' the lock, I don't think you'll see those 600+ temperatures. You can try preheating and then turning on the broiler, but I don't think it will come on once the oven gets very hot.
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I've just started using a BS 24" range. The broiler is only about 7" X 10" with the longer dimension side to side. So you have to be conscious of where your food is on the rack. I don't know if larger sizes have bigger elements or not. The heat is intense. If I put the rack on the top position and use the broiler pan that came with the stove a steak starts to char on the top 20 or 30 seconds after I put it in. The first one I tried caught fire after about a minute but it was on a flat pan that didn't let the fat drop down. I was hoping to be able to cook steaks like this and I'm not disappointed. When I drop the BS pan to the next position down it acts more like an electric. The electric ovens I've used had a top element that is spread over the whole top of the oven. They were cooler. A steak just turned gray no matter how hard I tried to char it.
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doug_gb
12 years ago
We have a Viking. That broiler REALLY gets hot.
maryl1
12 years ago
I have the Wolf AG. The infrared broiler gets plenty hot. No preheating is needed per the owners manual. Just slide in the food and that's it. I love mine.
kaismom
12 years ago
I have AG Viking. I use my infrared broiler quite a bit. I really like having AG oven. I installed a second electric oven rather than replacing the AG with dual fuel. The smoke gets sucked out the back as stated above.

You get different type of finished product if you cook on a super hot cast iron versus under a broiler. The taste of cooked on 'fat' (ie cast iron pan method) cannot be copied without adding direct fat. This has to do with how 'fat' is cooked onto the food. Your fish will taste quite different in those two cooking methods.

I also have an infrared broiler on an outdoor gas grill just outside which is used as a rotisserie. I tend to use the outdoor BBQ with infrared broiler for smokey stuff:)
Madeline616
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the responses. Love the first-hand experience. Can't wait to get the range and get started!

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