Broiled Meat and Seafood

• Countertop broilers impart a crispy, nutty flavor to meats and are best used for broiling tender cuts of steak, pork, lamb, as well as chicken, hot dogs and sausages. In addition to lean meats, a countertop broiler is also a good method of cooking seafood. The flavor of fish fillets or steaks, broiled crab legs, shrimp and other shellfish also benefit from the high heat of a countertop broiler. Most meats and seafood need to be turned once half-way through the broiling time to ensure even cooking.

Broiled Vegetables

• Although countertop broilers can't hold as large a pan as a conventional oven broiler, they work well for small amounts of broiled vegetables. With the focus on baking and broiling foods instead of frying them, a countertop broiler is an excellent way to bring out the flavor of cooked veggies. Root vegetables are usually blanched until just tender before broiling. Choose sliced rosemary potatoes, eggplant, summer squash, kale or a vegetable kabob, then add a little olive oil and seasonings and let the countertop broiler do the rest.

Bread and Cheese Under the Broiler

• You can quickly broil all kinds of bread items in a countertop broiler. Appetizers such as garlic toast or crostini broil in just minutes. The restaurant salamander is sometimes referred to as the "cheese melter." With that in mind, the countertop broiler is also a snappy way to make cheese quesadillas, nachos or melted Brie on bread. A word of caution when broiling bread, tortillas or nachos: Don't walk away. Scorched and broiled are not the same thing!

Broiled Desserts

• A countertop broiler does amazing things with fruit and sugar. The high heat quickly browns fruit such as pineapples, plums and bananas, and caramelizes sugar, producing extra-flavorful desserts with a bit of sweet, toasted crunch. For true decadence, serve broiled fruits over ice cream.