The Art of Roasting
Sometimes the simplest cooking techniques can be the most elegant. Take roasting for example, which is defined as cooking by direct exposure to heat. Despite how simple this sounds, few foods can whet our appetites more than a perfectly crusted and juicy rib roast or a naturally sweet and caramelized roasted squash. Granted, there is a hefty dose of science involved in roasting, but there is a subtle art to coaxing complex flavors from a humble cut of meat or a simple vegetable. Here are our tips and techniques to bring the art of roasting to your kitchen.
The Technique of Roasting
One of the oldest cooking methods, roasting simply involves subjecting meat or vegetables to a dry heat source. It results in food with a perfectly browned and caramelized exterior that locks in flavor for a juicy and tender interior. Roasting uses very little liquid throughout the cooking process, unlike wet-heat cooking techniques like braising. It also doesn’t require the food to be covered with a lid, instead relying on the walls and base of the roasting pan to radiate the heat.
Historically, roasting involved food placed either in front of a fire or by suspending it over the open flames. Nowadays this method has largely been replaced by the home oven, which is a much easier and more reliable way to roast. But open hearth and wood oven cooking has recently regained popularity, as we have seen with several of our Le Creuset chef partners such as Christopher Kostow of The Charter Oak and Chef Kevin Johnson of The Grocery. They have elevated the art of roasting to the level of fine dining.
Preparing food to be roasted is easy, with just a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper usually all that is needed. From there, the oven does most of the work, making roasting an extremely versatile technique that works great for both meats and vegetables. Larger tough cuts of meat or those that have more fat on them are particularly well suited to roasting, like roast beef or leg of lamb. But roasting is also great for smaller cuts like pork tenderloin or whole sides of salmon. Hearty and dense vegetables like squash, broccoli, potatoes and brussels sprouts are ideal candidates for roasting, and can be roasted at the same time as the meat for an easy one pan meal.
What Size Roasting Pan Do I Need?
Le Creuset roasting pans come in several different sizes and materials, such as our enameled cast iron Signature Roaster and Signature Stainless Steel. Regardless of the material, however, a common characteristic of a good roasting pan is that it has low sides and a shallow wide base. This results in more heat coming into contact with the food for more even overall browning. Our enameled cast iron in particular excels at radiating the heat for perfectly cooked food every time.
When deciding what size roasting pan to add to your Le Creuset collection, it’s best to think in terms of how many people you typically feed. If you have an extended family or like to prep larger batches of food on the weekends, go with our 7 qt. Signature Roaster or Large Stainless Steel roaster. These pans will easily feed 8 people, or hold a whole turkey up to about 16 pounds. But for smaller families or those that cook less frequently, try the 5 1/4 qt. Signature Roaster or the Small Stainless Steel roaster, which serves about 6 and can hold up to a 12 pound turkey. Keep in mind that you want a little space around the food for even cooking, so if in doubt go with a larger size.
Depending on what you are roasting, a roasting rack is a helpful addition for things like whole chickens and meat roasts with a lot of fat. The rack elevates the food slightly off the bottom of the pan so that it doesn’t sit and steam in the fat and juices, and you still get that crispy golden brown exterior (but don’t forget to save the pan drippings for gravy!). Our Signature Stainless Steel Roasting Pan comes with a removable non-stick rack that can be used in any pan and is dishwasher-safe.
Roasting Tips from our Kitchen
- Choose a roasting temperature according to the type of food – veggies need a higher temperature, around 375°F to 450°F so that they brown on the outside at the same rate that they cook on the inside.
- Large roasts can be started at a higher temperature, up to 450°F, to brown the outside of the meat. But then turn down the heat to a low to medium temperature setting, around 250°F to 350°F, so that the meat can cook through to the desired temperature before the outside burns.
- For less fatty meats like whole turkeys, brining them for a few days in a salt solution helps them stay moist and juicy during the long roast time.
- When roasting vegetables, be sure to distribute them in a single layer and to not crowd the roaster so that they become brown and crispy versus steamed and mushy.
- The internal temperature of food is the best and most accurate way to know when it is cooked to your liking. Invest in an instant read thermometer, or even better, a remote probe thermometer that you can leave inside the food while it is roasting in the oven.
- Be sure to let large cuts of meat, like turkeys and rib roasts, rest for about 15-30 minutes (the larger the piece of meat, the longer the rest time) after you remove them from the oven and before carving. This helps redistribute the juices back into the meat.
- While the meat rests on a carving board, make your gravy from the pan drippings directly on the stovetop, since Le Creuset roasters are stove to oven to table ready.
- Not sure how to carve your turkey or roast? Check out this article from Food & Wine on how to carve a turkey.
