Creating multitudes of flavor for any ingredients relies not only on the component itself but also on your cooking method. While standard-type ovens are known for baking purposes, you can do other dry heat cooking like roasting and broiling. So if you are cooking indoors, investing in your range can already give you access to the wonders of cooking in dry heat.
However, cooking outdoors means that you need to use materials that don’t require electricity. Campsite cooking involves equipment that is lightweight, sturdy, and collapsible. This is where the wonder of grilling can offer—you can prepare tasty dishes in an open area quickly.
This brings the question: is grilling a form of outdoor baking? Nope. Just like roasting and broiling, grilling is also a form of dry heat cooking. Grilling is a dry heat cooking technique similar to broiling—only that broiling has top heat concentration while grilling has the bottom heat.
Is Baking and Grilling the Same Thing?
The apparent variance between baking and grilling is its cooking time. Baking has a lower intensity cooking method, and it needs proper temperature control to prevent burning your material. On the other hand, grilling is done by placing your food at an intense temperature—intentionally scorching it.
Both baking and grilling can brown your food’s interior. Baking your food will produce a brown, crispy exterior that complements other ingredients found on your mix. Grilling elevates flavor by placing grill marks on your dish. The burnt taste introduces smokiness to your food—that, if done right, can be tasty on its own.
What is baking?
The common misinterpretation about baking is this: everything cooks inside the oven is considered “baking.” However, it is only considered baking when the dry heat cooks the food at a slower pace. Baking ensures that the top and bottom heat sources are distributed evenly.
For this to work, temperatures are regulated in the lower count. This method prolongs the cooking time and can provide a baked good cooked until the center. Another thing about baking is that lids and foils must not cover the bakeware.
When you began covering your bakeware, hot air is trapped inside the vessel. Trapped air collects moisture to cool it down, and this produces vapor. Vapor is derived from the moisture content found on each ingredient. Trapping prevents condensation from escaping, producing steam—which is a different cooking method.
What is grilling?
Grilling your food is a faster method compared to baking. Since the protein is placed on direct heat, it will submerge the food in intense temperatures abruptly. Grilling your food provides a fast and efficient sear—even just using lightweight metal. Temperatures for grilling can reach beyond 500°F (260°C).
Due to its intense temperatures, thick slabs of protein are suggested to be cooked through grilling. Examples of food items that work well on a grill include pork chops, hotdogs, burgers, chicken breasts, seafood, steak, and wild games. While grilling your food, it is suggested to place tender cuts of meat. In addition, marinating your proteins hours before grilling can effectively aid in retaining your food’s moisture.
Can You Bake Instead of Grill?
Technically, all products you grill can be baked but not all baked products can be prepared on a grill. This is because baking is suitable for delicate ingredients. For example, placing cake batter, bread, and pastries inside a griller is not suggested due to the vast temperature difference.
On the other hand, proteins prepared through grilling can be baked inside the oven. Baking your protein will allow flavors to penetrate further, producing juicer meat. The only downturn with baking proteins is its highly long cooking hours, especially for significant meat cuts.
- Griller is fueled through gas, wood, electricity, and charcoal. Standard ovens can be available in electric-type and gas-type.
- Grilling your food can cook food for 30-45 minutes, compared to baking which can last for more than an hour.
- Grilling will produce hard and well-cooked meat, while baked proteins are commonly soft, tender, and juicy.
- Grilling food creates a burnt, smoky flavor which elevates the flavor. On the other hand, baking food makes a diluted and bland flavor profile without a bold or outstanding taste.
Either way, these cooking methods can be used alone or can be incorporated into one another. For instance, grilling your baked protein will create a smoky flavor while retaining the juiciness from the pre-baked food. You can also bake your grilled protein, although it may reduce the smokiness due to moisture.
Which Is Healthier?
Should you grill or bake your food? Choosing one cooking method from another provides different benefits. In general, grilling and baking are healthy cooking methods compared to deep-frying, braising, and boiling. In addition, both of the cooking methods use dry heat to strip away excess fat, which may contain bad cholesterol.
Listed below are other benefits provided by grilling or baking your ingredient:
- Grilling your food provides a more robust flavor profile compared to baked goods. The burnt exterior creates a chary taste that cannot be done through baking.
- Grilling can be done outdoors since it only requires lightweight and collapsible cooking equipment. As a result, it can effectively cook large slabs of protein at a faster rate.
- Baking creates a tender, delicate taste compared to grilled food. However, all edible ingredients can be prepared inside the oven just enough to be consumable.
- Baking is recommended for people who want to consumer softer and lighter flavor profiles. It can complement other food items without blanketing different flavors. You can bake indoors, which is suitable for people who are not into outdoors.
On the other hand, here are the drawbacks of using these cooking methods:
- Grilling requires a lot of fuel to maintain its high temperature, which can be expensive for a long time. It is not also recommended for an indoor setting since the smoke can immediately alert your home’s fire system.
- Grilling food has a high potential for overcooking. This will create hard meat that can be hard to consume. In addition, electric-type griddles and grills can make an extra cost for your cooking.
- Baking creates a tasteless flavoring compared to other cooking. In addition, the excess moisture can dilute the hours of marinade instantly.
- Baking cannot create robust chary flavor compared to grilling. Baked vegetables are overly bland and can be refused by anyone. It also has a lower temperature setting—which can prolong your cooking time.
