Roasting

1. Looking for a way to make meat, poultry, fish,
and vegetables taste delicious with a
minimum of effort? Then roasting is
something you should try.
What is Cooking Roast?
150 years ago, to roast meant to put meat,
pork, fish, or poultry on a spit over a fire.
However, today roasting means cooking
any food in the oven using an open
container.Roasting sears foods, this
leads to a crusty brown surface and a sweeter
flavor.
Tools for Roasting
All that’s required for roasting is an oven and a heavy pan. Light weight pans don’t absorb heat well and
food is less likely to cook evenly in them. Ideally, the roasting pan is large enough to hold all the food
that’s being cooked, without crowding. Too large a pan results in dry food, since the cooking juices
wander away from what’s being cooked. Too small a pan leads to uneven cooking.
The pan needn’t have a roasting rack unless you’re cooking very fatty meats, like domestic duck. A lid
also isn’t required; in fact, covering the food may mean it’s steamed instead of roasted.
Preparing the Food
Leave a little fat on meats or poultry; it will turn to liquid during the
cooking, keeping the food moist. If the pan only contains food with
very little or no fat, rub it with olive oil to prevent it from drying out.
For added flavor, rub down meats, poultry, and fish with spices.
Poultry is best roasted with it’s skin on; for the greatest flavor, lift
up as much of the skin as possible and rub olive oil and spices
underneath it. Cut small slits in the bird’s skin to help facilitate this
procedure. You may also stuff poultry with aromatic herbs and
vegetables.
Vegetables should be chopped co arsely and drizzled with olive oil. If
you wish to cook whole, uncut vegetables, pierce their skin.

Roasting, Cooking Roast

2. How to Roast Meat and Other Foods
Place the largest piece of food (usually meat, poultry, or fish) in the center of roasting pan. Around this,
sprinkle any other foods you might want to cook (such as vegetables). Add a little liquid, if desired, in the
form of wine or stock.
Place the roasting pan in a preheated oven and cook the food until tender and done. The best way to
know when the food is thoroughly cooked is to use a thermometer. Do not overcook, or the food will be
dry. Remember, too, the food will continue to cook for about 5 minutes after it’s removed from the
oven.
Once the pan is removed from the oven, allow the food to rest in the roasting pan for about 10 minutes.
This allows it to finish cooking and results in food that’s more moist.