Cooking For Engineers

[Guest]

I usually roast meats up to 10 lbs, and I'm looking for a suitable roasting pan. I had the experience once of burning gravy in a broiler pan which was both too thin and too wide for what I was roasting. (The carrots and onions that were supposed to form the sauce burned to a crisp by the time the meat was done.)

I've been asking around on Chowhound, and people seem to disagree on what exactly burns the gravy (a flimsy-bottomed roasting pan or using too large of a pan).

What dimensions should I look for in a roasting pan for roasts up to 10 lbs? I want something not too big, but spacious enough to allow air circulation and proper browning.

This pan at my local restaurant supply store caught my eye. (24 gauge steel, about 12x17 inches, $30)

http://www.bigtray.com/johnson-rose-roast-pan-3762-sku-jrc3762-c-16640.html

Does this seem like a good size for up to 10 lb. roasts? And what if I roasted something smaller like a 3-5 lb. chicken? Would the veggies for the pan sauce still burn if the bottom was thick enough?

Thanks for the help.

[Dilbert]

there's a lot of factors that can go into the 'burn' issue - roasting temp plus also length of time, how much liquid comes out, sugar content of liquid, covered / uncovered, etc.

if you see the bottom getting dry, just add a little water - some browning is not a bad thing, but there is 'burnt' . . .

that link would not be my first choice for a roasting pan - no handles, fairly thin / twisty possibly - a ten lb roast could be tricky to handle. the size is handy for medium roasts & chicken.

pans can get pricey - on a budget I'd go for an old fashioned enameled kind - they usually come with a lid and are in that price range. Granite Ware is one brand name.

[kgb1001001]

So, I've roasted in a wide variety of roasting pans, running from dinky aluminum foil things from the grocery store on a cookie sheet through to my own favorite (an enormous french white corning ware roasting pan). I've burned the veggies in the bottom of a roast or chicken or turkey or... plenty of times until I finally figured out how to stop that from happening -- always make sure that there is liquid (and not pure fat!) in the bottom of the pan with the veggies. So if there's liquid (e.g. water) then by definition the temperature of the immersed part of the veggies can't get higher than 212 F and can't burn.

If you keep them at least semi-submerged and turn them a bit, then you can slow down the roasting process enough to get them caramelized but not burnt. So keep some extra stock on hand to add to the bottom of the roasting pan when needed and turn the veggies if they're looking dark brown on top.

[GaryProtein]

Dark colored, or black enameled pans will burn gravy much more easily then a shiny silver pan.

The size of the roasting pan should be commensurate with the size of what you are roasting so the juices./gravy doesn't form such a thin layer in the pan that it dries out and burns.

I agree with the other posters who said to keep the bottom of the roasting pan covered with water.

[DrBiggles]

[thleeree]

[DrBiggles]