Definition

1. Noun:
   • A young chicken suitable for broiling: A small, young chicken, typically weighing not more than 2.5 pounds (about 1.1 kilograms), that is raised and prepared for cooking by broiling.
   • A device for broiling: An oven, a compartment within an oven, or a part of a stove (such as a grill with high, direct heat from above) designed for cooking food by broiling.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Chicken):
  • The recipe calls for a broiler, not a whole roasting chicken.
  • We bought two broilers from the market to grill for the barbecue.
• Noun (Appliance):
  • Preheat the broiler for five minutes before cooking the steaks.
  • The fish was placed under the broiler to crisp the skin.

Advanced Usage

• "Broiler pan": A specific pan, often with a slotted top and a drip tray, designed for use under a broiler.
  • Always use a broiler pan to prevent grease fires in the oven.
• "Broiler-fryer": A marketing term for a young chicken suitable for either broiling or frying.
  • This category of poultry is labeled as a broiler-fryer in supermarkets.

Variants and Related Words

• Broil (verb): To cook food by direct exposure to radiant heat, typically from above.
  • I will broil the salmon for dinner.
• Broiling (noun/adj): The method of cooking with intense direct heat; also used to describe very hot weather (informal).
  • Broiling is a quick cooking method. (method)
  • We're facing another broiling day. (weather, informal)

Synonyms

• For the chicken: Young chicken, fryer, poussin.
• For the appliance: Grill (UK usage often differs), salamander (a professional kitchen appliance).

Related Phrases

• "Under the broiler": A common phrase indicating the cooking location.
  • Place the dish under the broiler until the cheese bubbles.
• "Broiler setting": Refers to the specific high-heat setting on an oven.
  • Turn the oven to the broiler setting.

Idioms

• "Like a broiler" (informal): Used to describe an extremely hot and uncomfortable environment.
  • It's like a broiler in this office with the broken air conditioning. (This idiom derives from the intense heat of the appliance.)

Noun

1. flesh of a small young chicken not over 2 1/2 lb suitable for broiling
2. an oven or part of a stove used for broiling