I once put a tray of cheese-topped nachos under the broiler, walked away to check my phone, and returned to a scene from a disaster movie. Everything was smoking, the cheese had turned black, and my smoke alarm started singing soprano. Lesson learned: the broiler works in seconds, not minutes. Never, ever leave it unattended. Set a timer for 1–2 minutes, then check. Repeat until your food looks like something you’d pay for at a restaurant.
Another time, I tried to broil a steak without patting it dry first. The water sizzled, popped, and sent grease into the flame—cue a small fireball that made me jump back like a startled cat. Always pat your food dry before it meets the broiler. Wet food steams instead of sears, and nobody wants a soggy steak.
