Roasting

Roasting means cooking food in the oven. It is a great way to cook a wide variety of foods including meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. Both whole foods, like a whole chicken, and individual pieces, like chicken breasts or drumsticks, can be roasted. You can also make a sauce, or pan gravy, from the drippings in the pan, and serve it on the side.

Equipment

For larger items, use a heavy-bottomed roasting pan with high sides. If you’re cooking a larger item, like a whole chicken, you should set it on a rack inside the pan. This lifts the roast off the pan so air can get underneath for even cooking. If you don’t have a rack, you can “make” one by arranging a combination of carrots, onions, and celery (a combination known as mirepoix) on the bottom of the pan and setting the roast on top. The added benefit is that these vegetables then add flavor to the pan sauce. If you are cooking small pieces, such as potato wedges or other vegetables, you don’t need a pan with high sides or a rack. For items such as these, a rimmed baking sheet will work just fine.

Ingredients

Foods for roasting may be left as large, whole pieces or cut smaller and combined with other ingredients. The size of the item to be roasted will determine the roasting temperature and time. For large pieces, a high temperature can cause burning on the outside before the food is fully cooked inside, while smaller items roasted at too low a temperature will cook through before they fully develop color and flavor on the outside. Good choices for roasting include:

• Chicken
• Fish
• Pork

• Beef
• Vegetables

Sauces and Pan Gravies

Just like you can make a pan sauce after sautéing (see page 26), you can also make a sauce or gravy in the pan after roasting. Sauces are typically made by adding stock to the pan drippings and can be thickened with cornstarch or flour or by cooking until reduced.

Oven temperature

Follow this very simple approach to determine what oven temperature to use.

Food Weight	Oven Temperature
0 to 2 pounds	400°F
3 to 4 pounds	375°F
4 to 10 pounds	350°F
10 to 20 pounds	325 to 350°F

Roasting Step By Step

The vegetables that you roast in the pan with the chicken can be served as a side dish.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the carrots, onion, potatoes, celery, and chicken to the roasting pan and season with salt and pepper.

Roast until the chicken is completely cooked. The internal temperature should be 165°F. Serve the chicken with the roasted vegetables on the side.

Making Gravy

If you want to make a gravy to serve with your roast chicken, put the roasting pan on the stovetop and stir in the flour. Cook on low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the stock. Simmer until the gravy is smooth and thick, 5 to 10 minutes.

Carryover Cooking

Food will continue to cook a bit more even after it’s removed from the heat. This is especially true for roasted foods.