October 22, 2015 – How to Cook: Roasting 101

In This Issue:

Roasting 101
RECIPE: Standing Rib Roast
RECIPE: Autumn Roasted Chicken
	<More Cooking Tools>
RECIPE: Classic Sunday Pot Roast

INTRO   

“How to Cook – Roasting 101”

INTRO TEXT   

IN THIS ISSUE, we’re putting our oven to work in roasting and braising delicious food. We have the essential how-to’s for creating roasting and braising success, and recipes to practice on decoration Standing Rib Roast, Fall Vegetables, Autumn Roasted Chicken, and the Classic Sunday Pot Roast. You’ll love the results!

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“Roasted and Ready!”

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Roasting 101

“high temperatures, dry heat”

“The trick is to use dry heat without drying out the food!”

Roasting is cooking with dry heat, typically in the oven, but also indirectly on a grill. Roasting draws out and evaporates the food’s moisture. In doing so, the food’s flavors become concentrated, and the exterior browns into its own wonderful savory layer. The trick is to use dry heat without drying out the food.

Kitchen Chemistry:
Roasted foods gain their wonderful flavors from two browning processes:
(1) Caramelization of the sugars and starches in the food. Caramelization is the process of sugars changing form (sucrose changing into glucose and fructose), and, in the process, releasing hundreds of compounds that stimulate our taste buds. The term “caramelization” is most often used when speaking of vegetables, baked items, and other non-meat foods.

(2) Protein Changes that release flavors; known as The Maillard Reaction 
The Mailllard Reaction describes browning in meats and refers to the breakdown of amino acids in the food’s proteins. When under heat greater than 300°F, the protein’s amino acids change and recombine in new ways forming hundreds of flavor compounds.  When a recipe cites “fond,” “brown bits” or calls for “deglazing” the pan, it’s calling for the capture of flavors unleashed in the browning processes.

How to Roast:
There’s no need to sear the food when roasting at high temperatures; the exterior will brown while roasting. And, it’s the browning processes that are key to building terrific flavor into the food.

Apply the right method to the task
Use roasting techniques on foods that are already tender such as vegetables, lean cuts of meat, and poultry. Roasting tough cuts of meat will only make them tougher and unpalatable. 

Steps: CHOOSE the right pan, one with low sides so that air can easily circulate while roasting.
START with foods at room temperature and with a dry surface.
LIGHTLY OIL the food’s surface. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
PLACE in a preheated oven. Leave uncovered while in the oven. This allows moisture to escape freely and the foods to roast instead of steam. BASTE WITH oil or butter to help the food to retain moisture on its surface while the heat penetrates to the center of the food. ROAST until vegetables reach the desired tenderness, or until meats reach the proper inner temperature – use a probe thermometer.
ALLOW roasted meats to rest 10-15 minutes prior to cutting or serving. The inside temperature of the food will continue to increase in a process known as carry over cooking.

Roasting Veggies

ROASTING VEGETABLES turns them into something quite delightful and delicious! Roasting draws out moisture and concentrates flavors. The result is a vegetable presentation that bursts with taste far beyond what steaming or boiling offer. As with the above recipe, lightly oil the surface of the vegetable to protect the outer surface from drying out, then season generously.

TRY ROASTING A VARIETY OF 
VEGETABLES: 
squash, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, green beans,
tomatoes, fennel, zucchini, 
sweet peppers, carrots, 
turnips, or cauliflower.

TOSS EVENLY-SIZED VEGETABLES with a very light coating of oil, season with salt and pepper. Maximize airflow around roasting vegetables by using a lightly oiled, rimmed baking sheet, and spreading the vegetables in a single layer leaving space in between the pieces. This will help to roast the vegetables instead of steaming them. Turn the vegetables after 10 minutes of roasting, bake until tender and golden surfaces appear.

Standing Rib Roast About this time of year, we’re thinking ahead to the holidays and special occasions where we’ll be hosting others. On rare occasions (pun intended), we splurge and prepare a standing rib roast. It makes a stunning presentation and tastes fabulous. A good cut of meat really doesn’t need much more than salt, pepper, and some attentiveness. However, we do enjoy slathering an herbal and aromatic mixture of butter, garlic, and herbs on the top cap and ends. The subtle flavors this adds are just the right touch. Add a few potatoes and mushrooms to the roasting pan, add a side salad, and the meal is made. 

Cooking Tools:

LE CREUSET 5.5 QT. ROUND OVEN
A classic pot in the original “Flame” color. A kitchen workhorse for braising, roasting, and soup-making.

STAUB 5.5 QT.COCETTE
Elegant glazes grace this oval oven that’s comfortable on the stove, in the oven, or on the table. 

LE  CREUSET 3.5 QT. BRAISER
This pan shape offers lower sides for easier access during braising steps. Makes a great serving vessel, too!

ALL-CLAD ROASTING PAN w/ RACK
“a holiday season necessity!”
An all-purpose roasting pan ready to perform! Stainless steel with inner conductive core. Includes nonstick rack.

ALL-CLAD 6 QT. SLOW COOKER

FAGOR 3-in-1 MULTI-COOKER

CDN DUAL SENSING PROBE THERMOMETER
This is just one of many “whiteware” pieces we have that bake-and-serve complementing both the food and the table.

Autumn Roasted Chicken

A roasted chicken is one of the easiest meals to assemble and a delicious one to enjoy. Even the leftovers (if there are any) form tasty helpings for lunch the next day. The key to a good roasted chicken, one that is moist and succulent, is the herb-butter rub that naturally bastes as the bird roasts at a high temperature. We’ve assembled some key autumn flavors for this fall version of roasted chicken. Sage and rosemary lend their seasonal flavors, while the “rack of vegetables” features root vegetables fresh from the garden, turnip, squash, and onions. 

TRUSS OR TIE THE ROAST OR POULTRY FOR EVEN COOKING...

USE HIGH TEMPERATURES (400 – 450°F) for foods that cook quickly such as vegetables, small poultry, fish, and smaller cuts of meat like tenderloins. The outside browns quickly producing a key flavor layer in the final dish.

USE LOWER TEMPERATURES (325 - 350°F) for roasting larger pieces such as large, lean cuts of meat like prime rib, or some whole, tender cuts. The use of lower dry heat is often termed slow roasting. This applies the same dry heat, but allows additional time for the heat to reach the inner depths of the food.

How to Braise

YOU’VE PROBABLY BRAISED and not even known it! That pot roast on the dinner table every Sunday is a classic example of a braised dish.

BRAISING IS A COOKING METHOD employing moist heat. It’s especially useful for less tender, less expensive cuts of meats, though the technique is just as easily applied to sturdy vegetables. The result is fork-tender food deeply imbued with rich, complex flavors.

BRAISING USES LOW COOKING TEMPERATURES AND ACCOMPLISHES TWO THINGS:

THE COLLAGEN PROTEINS that comprise the 
connective tissue between the muscle strands melt and break down into gelatin while the meat’s proteins cook and contract.
THE SPACES BETWEEN THE MUSCLE strands left by the dissolved collagen are now free to wick up moisture from the braising liquid and accumulate flavor throughout the meat.

COOKING IN A SLOW COOKER is a form of braising. Meats are often seared on the stovetop over higher heat, then placed in the slow cooker for a low, slow cooking process.

BRAISING PUTS TO USE a two-step process. The meat is first seared in a hot, stovetop pan. This forms the first flavor layer of browned surfaces and edges – an essential aspect of braising. Next, it’s submitted to low temperature heat in a moist environment. The low temperatures and the long cooking time break down the tough collagen fibers in the meat.

BUILD LAYERS OF FLAVOR 
COMPLEXITY...
Braised foods gain their personality during the long, slow roast from:
THE FOOD ITSELF

THE INITIAL BROWNING of its surfaces

THE CONCENTRATION of flavors with applied heat

THE BRAISING LIQUID 

AROMATICS & SPICES

TO BRAISE FOODS and coax them into tenderness, follow these steps:

TRIM AND PREPARE foods, pat dry the 
surfaces.
SEASON THE FOOD generously with salt and pepper; this helps to draw out the meat’s moisture. As in the above Braised Short Ribs recipe, meats may be dredged in flour prior to searing.
HEAT A QUARTER-INCH of oil in an oven-safe pot on the stovetop to a medium-high heat. Sear the dredged meat on all sides until the surfaces are nicely browned.
REMOVE THE MEAT from the pot, remove excess oil. With just a thin film of fat left, sauté any aromatics (onions, shallots, carrots, celery, etc.), and other herbs and spices.  Sauté until softened.
PLACE THE MEAT BACK in the hot stovetop pot. Add braising liquid until the meat is half submerged. Wine, stock, or water may be used as braising liquids.
COVER THE POT, place in the oven and cook for several hours until the meat is completely tender. America’s Test Kitchen recommends that the meat achieve an internal temperature of 210°F, then continue in the oven for an additional hour.
BRAISING naturally produces some fabulous sauces. The braising liquid, meat and vegetable juices left in the pot may be strained, fat skimmed, and then simmered to reduce the volume and concentrate the flavors.

Classic Sunday Pot Roast

While termed a “roast,” a classic pot roast is actually braised instead of roasted. Braising techniques use low temperatures in a moist environment. The “low and slow” process tenderizes otherwise tough cuts of meat transforming them into fork tender bites with plenty of flavor. The classic pot roast was once the go-to menu for Sundays; the meat and vegetables simmered in a covered roaster while the family was at church. Once home from the morning’s activities, Sunday dinner was ready. It’s a formula that still works well for busy schedules any day of the week!