Continuing on from an earlier Kitchen Tips, today we’ll talk about roasting. Whether working with cuts of meat or vegetables the basics are the same. Roasting can considered a style of baking because, just like baking, your food is cooked by being subjected to heat on all sides from hot air.
Roasting is almost always done uncovered, in a shallow pan and with little to no water. Why? Browning. These settings allow your food to keep (relatively) dry to brown and crisp. Adding water can result in more of a steaming effect which you don’t really want.
With vegetables (and I suppose meats as well), you want to keep into consideration spacing. As your vegetables cook they will release their moisture. If you crowd your vegetables they will essentially steam/moisturize each other; giving less browning (there are some exceptions to this, but not many). The spacing depends on the situation, but I recommend starting with half an inch and exploring from there. Remember, pans are cheap, but good food is priceless!
Tags: kitchen tips
