Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio has some rules for roasting that’ll keep your meat and vegetables juicy and ensure they’re perfectly browned every time as well.
Top Chef Head Judge Tom Colicchio invited us into his Long Island home to give his tricks for roasting in our new Blue Carbon Steel Roasting Pan that he called an “everyday pan” that “will last forever.” If you find your roast results have been drier than you’d like or not browned properly, Tom’s here to help.
Tip 1: Slow It Down!
“One thing I think that people do is they actually roast at a high, high heat. That will dry something out. You want to slow it down, especially if it’s something big. And towards the end of the cook you can always crank it up and get it brown.”
To avoid dry exteriors and make sure everything cooks evenly, keep it low and slow.
Tip 2: Don’t Be Afraid To Roast Different Veggies Together
“I roast everything together; it doesn’t matter to me. If you’re cooking them all nice and slow, and you have them evenly spaced in here, they’ll all cook around the same rate.”
Spend less time in the kitchen by combining different vegetables in the same roasting pan.
Tip 3: Low Heat + Low Movement = Maillard Reaction (Browning)
“If I’m doing vegetables in here, the heat will be way, way down. There’s enough sugar in there, you’ll get a maillard reaction — which is actually what happens when you’re browning (it’s not caramelization) — without moving it around and shaking it really fast. And you’ll get something that’s cooked more evenly because the outside’s not going to be dried out by the time the inside’s cooked.”
When it comes to browning, the key is “do not disturb.” The more time vegetables spend in direct contact with the pan, the more they brown.
Ready to try out Tom’s tips? Grab yourself our Blue Carbon Steel Roasting Pan.
