How do I use the grill in my oven properly?

Distance as the temperature control, which shelf suits which thickness, and why the grill pan matters more than people think.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 15 min
Read: 3 min
Safety: warning

Short answer

The grill only heats from above, so the shelf position is your temperature control. Thin things already cooked go 5 to 8cm from the element; 2 to 3cm items go 10 to 15cm down; anything thicker goes lower still. Always preheat for five minutes.

A grill is a radiant heat source, not an oven. That single difference explains why the shelf matters, why food browns unevenly, and why everything happens faster than you expect.

Safety

Grills are the most common cause of kitchen fires after hot oil. Never leave a grill unattended, never line the grill pan with foil that can touch the element, and keep fat from pooling — dripping fat under a hot element ignites readily.

How far to set food from an oven grill

Step by step

Preheat it for five minutes.Elements take time to reach full radiance. Food put under a cold grill sits and dries out instead of browning.
Set the shelf before you turn it on.Moving a shelf in a hot oven is a burn risk. Decide the position first, based on the thickness of what you are cooking.
Use the top position for browning only.5 to 8cm from the element. Melting cheese, browning a gratin, toasting breadcrumbs, blistering peppers. Everything here happens in one to three minutes.
Use the middle for everyday grilling.10 to 15cm down. Sausages, chops, chicken thighs, fish fillets — anything 2 to 3cm thick that must cook through as well as colour.
Drop lower for thick or sugary food.18 to 22cm. Thick pieces, and anything glazed or marinated with sugar, which burns long before the middle is done.
Use the grill pan and its rack.The rack lets fat drain into the pan below rather than pooling and smoking. Do not grill straight on a solid tray with fatty food.
Turn the food, not the grill.Heat comes from one side only, so anything more than about 1cm thick needs turning halfway. There is no such thing as an evenly grilled thick chop without turning it.
Leave the door in the position the manual says.Some UK ovens are designed to grill with the door ajar and others closed. A closed door on a grill-with-door-open model overheats the controls.
Watch it constantly.Grilling has no margin. The gap between golden and burnt is often under a minute, and unattended grills start fires.
Move the shelf, not the dial, when it browns too fast.Reducing the grill setting on many ovens just cycles the element on and off, which gives uneven colour. Distance is the better control.

Tips

Distance is the temperature control. Outside colouring too fast means move down, not turn down.
Preheat for five minutes. A cold grill dries food out.
Never leave a grill unattended, even for a minute.

Common mistakes

Grilling thick food on the top shelf — The surface is exposed to intense radiant heat while the centre heats only by conduction, so the outside burns several minutes before the middle is cooked. Thickness needs distance.
Lining the grill pan with foil right up to the element — Foil reflects heat back at the element and can touch it as it curls, which is a fire risk. It also traps fat instead of letting it drain, and pooled fat under a grill ignites.

If it doesn't work

Burnt outside, raw inside

Cause: Too close to the element — Fix: Move the shelf down two positions and allow longer.

Food pale and dry

Cause: Grill not preheated, or too far away — Fix: Preheat five minutes and move the shelf up.

Smoke pouring out

Cause: Fat pooling under the element — Fix: Use the grill pan and rack so fat drains, and clean the pan between uses.

Uneven browning across the tray

Cause: Element does not cover the whole area — Fix: Turn the tray halfway through, and keep food towards the centre.

Cheese topping burnt before it melted through

Cause: Too close and too hot — Fix: Move down a shelf; melting needs a little time as well as heat.

Questions people ask

Should the oven door be open or closed when grilling?

It depends on the oven — check the manual. Many UK built-in ovens grill with the door closed; some freestanding cookers and older models are designed to grill with it ajar to protect the controls.

What is the difference between grilling and broiling?

Nothing — broiling is the American term for the same thing. A recipe that says broil means put it under the grill.