Looking to up your roast game? No, we're not talking about an event where you insult your friends, we're talking about the roasting method that often cooks meat like a large turkey or whole chicken or beef or lamb or you name it. Veggies can also be roasted! Generally, people use a roasting rack and roasting pan for food that needs some form of roasting to cook.
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So, what is a roasting rack, and how can it help you achieve the Thanksgiving turkey or Sunday roast of your dreams?
What is a Roasting Rack?
When you're roasting something, you usually put food like meat in a roasting pan and put it in the oven to cook. But in order to get the right air circulation and heat distribution when you're roasting something, it's best to use a roasting rack to hold the food up off the bottom of the pan.
A good roasting rack will sit inside a roasting pan that can be made of several materials, including stainless steel that may have a non-stick coating, coated enamel with a non-stick surface, cast iron, clay, or aluminum foil. A Le Creuset cast iron roaster, a Calphalon contemporary nonstick roaster and rack set or a stainless steel Cuisinart roaster are all fairly popular varieties.
What Makes a Roasting Rack Good?
Circulon Nonstick Roasting Pan
If you want the perfect roast, there are a few things you can look for in a roasting rack — along with the roasting pan to match it with. When seeking a roaster product, a lot of people look for an item that will afford them easy cleanup and versatility. Stainless steel products are popular, as are dishwasher safe roasting racks. Anything that promises durability, good heat distribution, and the ability to cook up large cuts of meat or any pound bird is a good bet.
Roasting a turkey in a large roasting pan for Thanksgiving is pretty popular in the United States, but there are lots of other meals you can use a roasting rack for, too. If you're going to use it a lot for meals, you might want to find something pretty heavy duty.
A good roasting pan and rack combo should be able to move from stovetop to oven so you can safely work on your basting game with your holiday oven mitts on display in the kitchen, too. A nonstick roasting rack is a good choice as well, because it means less time cleaning up the cookware when the meal's over.
Finally, any rack for roasting meals with a great warranty is also a good investment, because mistakes can always happen in the kitchen. Who among us doesn't have a good story about a mishap with the Thanksgiving turkey?
Happy roasting!
