There have been many (many) blog posts about the simplicity and deliciousness of roasting vegetables. They are good hot, room temperature, or cold in salads. While tossing some vegetables in a little olive oil and throwing them in the oven is super easy, there are some basic rules that will take you from good to great as a master vegetable roaster. Here are my top 5.
Top Five Rules of Roasting:
- Use a good pan. If you have a sturdy rimmed baking sheet you are all set. If you have a flimsy baking sheet from your first apartment or one that does not have a 1-2 inch rim, it is time to make a small investment and get one. Choose one that is as large as possible to fit in your oven.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. If your vegetables are overlapping, you will create steam and this is a whole different cooking method. You want to get some brown on the vegetables, this can’t happen if they are steaming. Even if you have to do two batches, don’t put too many vegetables in at once.
- Toss the vegetables in oil in a bowl or plastic bag prior to putting them on the baking sheet. This will allow for an even coating of oil on all of the nooks and crannies of the vegetables. I also find this helps me not use too much oil in my attempt to get the vegetables coated. It does take a few minutes but it is worth it.
- Use foil to line the baking pan – shiny side up. The shiny side will help with browning. The foil will also help with clean up.
- Flip the vegetables (if needed) only when they are good and brown. Impatience will result in a less than desirable vegetable. You want that caramelization to happen – this takes time. If the vegetables are not coming up from the pan/foil, they need more time.