Plank Cooking

Plank cooking, also called planking, is a technique in which food is cooked directly on a wooden plank, either set over an open flame or, in the Finnish method, stood on edge and angled toward the fire. Several cultures developed the technique independently in their pre-modern cuisines, including the Finnish dish loimulohi, or blazing salmon, and the Indigenous peoples of North America's Pacific Northwest Coast, who most commonly used planks of western red cedar to cook Pacific salmon. Direct contact with the heated wood both cooks the food and infuses it with the plank's natural oils and moisture, adding flavor. Since the 1990s, professional chefs in North America have expanded plank cooking beyond salmon and wild meats to a wider range of foods, including other meats, poultry, vegetables, cheese and fruit, and the technique is also used inside an oven for breads, pastries and savory dishes rather than only over an open flame.