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Home › Cooking Vegetables › Sautéed CarrotsSautéed carrots are perfect if you’re looking for a great vegetable side that’s easy to make, healthy, and delicious. Not to mention fairly inexpensive, since carrots aren’t really the priciest vegetables!

One of the things that makes sautéed carrots so great is the caramelization. When you cook carrots over a fairly high heat, they start to brown, enhancing their natural sweetness and giving them a much richer flavor.

And they’re also healthy – sautéing is a cooking method that preserves a lot of the carrots’ nutrients, so that each bite is even better for you!

In this article, I’ll go over how to make sautéed carrots. First, I’ll go over how to prepare the carrots, and then I’ll go over how to sauté them.

 

Preparation Work

When you’re making sautéed carrots, there are a few things you need to do to get the carrots ready. Nothing complicated, but you do need to keep a few things in mind to get the best possible results.

Wash The Carrots

Before eating and cooking with carrots, you should always wash them. It helps get rid of any dirt, chemicals or microorganisms that might still be on the surface. Just scrub the carrots under lukewarm running water until you get rid of all the dirt.

Once the carrots are washed, you need to dry them. Sautéing is a dry heat cooking method. If the carrots are still wet, you could end up steaming the carrots instead of sautéing them. Not that there’s anything wrong with steamed carrots! It just won’t be the caramelized dish you were looking for.

Peel The Carrots (optional)

If you want, you can also peel the carrots after washing them. Usually it’s better not to, though, since so much of the carrots’ flavor and nutrients are near the surface. Washing is usually enough to give you a nice, fresh looking carrot.

But if you want to peel them, be sure to use a vegetable peeler – it’ll only peel off a thin layer, so that you don’t lose as much. Peel a single layer off the carrot, and you’re ready!

Cut The Carrots

How you cut the carrots is the most important preparation step. Since sautéed carrots are cooked quickly over high heat, you have to be sure that your carrot pieces aren’t so big that they’ll burn before they cook through.

Here’s what you need to keep in mind.

• Cut the carrots in pieces no more than a quarter of an inch thick. The easiest way to do this is to cut them in slices.
  • Cutting the slices diagonally is even better. You get more surface area, for more caramelization. And it just looks great!
  • There are other ways you can cut the carrots, too. You can julienne them (cut them into little sticks), or cut the carrots in half lengthwise and then into pieces, but diagonal slices are easy to make and look great.
• Cut the carrots into even sized pieces. If you’re cutting them in slices, make sure the slices are uniformly thick. That way, all the carrots will be done at the same time, without any being overcooked or undercooked.
• Thinner pieces cook faster. If you want them to brown more, cook them over higher heat. Thicker pieces may need to cook over lower heat to cook through before the outside burns.

Let Them Warm

Before you sauté the carrots, it’s a good idea to let your carrots reach room temperature. That way, when you add them to the hot pan, they won’t cool it down. And that’s important because the high heat is necessary to get that wonderful caramelization.

How To Make Sautéed Carrots

Once your carrots are prepared, it’s time to sauté them. And here’s what you need to do to make sautéed carrots.

1. Heat some oil in a pan over medium high heat. If you prefer to use butter, you can mix butter and oil, or use clarified butter. Plain butter on its own might burn over the high heat.
2. Add the carrots to the pan.
3. Cook the carrots, uncovered, being sure to keep them moving. They need to move more the longer they cook to keep them from burning.
   • You can either stir them quickly with a wooden spoon, or jerk the pan back and forth to make the carrots jump. If you choose the latter, make sure your pan is light enough for you to handle easily.
   • It’s important to keep the carrots uncovered, so that the steam can escape and the carrots can brown.
   • If the carrots look like they’re browning too fast and the inside isn’t cooked yet, you can turn down the heat, or shake the pan a bit more – the movement will help cool down the vegetables and the pan.
4. The carrots are done when they’re cooked through and browned to your liking.

Notes

• You can dress up this simple dish in lots of different ways.
  • Sautéing a bit of garlic or onions with the carrots can add a lot of flavor.
  • You can also add some fresh or dried herbs or spices. You can add these when the carrots are already partially cooked, so that they don’t burn. Try salt, pepper, dill, nutmeg, cardamom, or any other spice you like. Don’t be afraid to try new combinations. They won’t all work out, but you might discover something amazing!
  • Try adding a bit of grated cheese, or dried fruit or slivered nuts to the carrots when they’re almost done – that way they don’t burn. It’ll add visual appeal and taste great!
• Some people like to parboil or blanch the carrots before sautéing them in butter and herbs. That means boiling them in a bit of water so that they’re pre-cooked. The trouble with that is that boiling gets the vegetables wet, and so they don’t really caramelize. It’s really more of a way to enhance boiled vegetables than to sauté them.

And that’s how to make sautéed carrots. Go ahead and give it a try. You’ll find it’s really easy and super tasty!

Enjoy!

Home › Cooking Chicken › Roasting Chicken

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a roasting chicken. It fills the house and lets you know that a delicious, warm, and comforting meal is on its way.

Roast chicken is definitely one of my top ten favorite meals. Even when I was little, and a very picky eater, I loved it. It was always like a special treat to me, and still is — no matter how often I make it!

One of the great things about roasting chicken is that you end up with an impressive meal, but one that doesn’t take too much effort. Roasting chicken is actually surprisingly easy, when you consider how good it is!

So how do you roast chicken? Well, there are lots of ways of doing it. I’ll go over the different ways of roasting chicken, and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

I’ve split this article up into the different steps of roasting chicken:

Some of those steps are optional, but all have advantages that’ll help you make outstanding roast chicken!

Step 1: Brining the Chicken

The first step to making a fantastic roast chicken is brining. Brining is a cooking technique where you soak your chicken in salty water (the brine!) for a few hours. It’s very easy to do but it does mean you have to plan ahead a little.

You can find out all about how to do it in our brining chicken article, but I’ll at least give you the reasons why you’d want to brine your chicken:

• Brining helps keep your chicken moist. Soaking it in water increases the moisture in the meat, and the salt helps prevent it from drying out when it cooks.
• Brining also really enhances the chicken’s flavor. The salt from the brine penetrates deep into the chicken flesh. It’s much more effective that just seasoning the surface!

I feel that brining makes a huge difference when roasting chicken. But it’s not necessary. You can make a great roasted chicken without brining. It all comes down to whether you have the time.

Step 2: Seasonings

Whether you decided to brine your chicken or not, the next step is to season it.

There are a few different ways to season a chicken for roasting, and you can mix and match them all.

But no matter which ones you choose, you want to start by patting the chicken dry first. It’ll help the skin get crispy when you cook it. You can even leave it to air dry in the fridge for an hour or so if you like extra crispy skin.

In this section I’ll go over a few different ways of seasoning the chicken: seasoning the skin, seasoning under the skin, buttering the chicken, and seasoning the cavity.

Seasoning the skin

When roasting chicken, the easiest thing to do is to season its outside: just sprinkle your favorite herbs and spices on the surface of the chicken. Some seasonings that go well with chicken are:

• Salt and pepper. Try sprinkling a small handful of salt from a foot or two above the chicken. This will let the salt rain down on the chicken and coat it evenly.
• Fresh herbs like thyme and tarragon. Tarragon is especially good if you stuff the chicken with lemon.
• Garlic, fresh or granulated. Onion powder is good, too.
• Spices like paprika or chili powder.

Seasoning the skin is really easy. You barely have to handle the bird and you’ll be done in just a few minutes. But there are a few disadvantages:

• The skin helps protect the chicken from drying out, so you really need to be leave it on whether you plan on eating it or not. But it also protects the chicken from the seasonings! Your herbs and spices will taste great on the skin, but they won’t season the meat as much as seasoning under the skin.
• If you’re not planning on eating the skin, you’ll be throwing out a lot of those delicious seasonings.
• If you’ll be roasting chicken at a higher temperature, the seasonings can burn — especially if you’re cooking in something small like a toaster oven.

Seasoning under the skin

Seasoning a chicken under the skin is a bit more work that just seasoning the skin, but the results are definitely worth it. Here’s how you do it:

1. Place the bird breast side up.

2. Using a sharp knife, trim away any excess skin and fat from around the cavity.

3. Starting from the edge of the cavity, gently push the skin away from the breasts.

   • You may need to use a sharp knife near the edge to get things started, but after than, put it away or you could tear the skin.

   • If there’s a membrane keeping the two together, you can just push at it with something blunt until it gives way.

   • Remember, you don’t want to remove the skin, just access the meat underneath. Separate the skin from the top of the breast, but leave it attached on the side.

4. From the breast, you should be able to reach the leg without damaging any skin. Lift the skin from the leg the same way you did for the breast.

5. Rub your seasonings in the area you cleared under the skin.

Why is seasoning under the skin so much better? Well, all your herbs and spices are in direct contact with the meat and eventually they’ll penetrate it and infuse the whole chicken with flavor.

If you just season the skin, the skin acts as a shield between the meat and the seasoning. The skin will be delicious, but the meat won’t get much of the flavor.

So what should you use as seasoning? Definitely salt, and anything you would use to season the skin works fine.

Butter on and under the skin

A little bit of butter can go a long way when you’re roasting chicken. It really does make a huge difference!

• Rubbing a bit of softened butter over the skin will help your chicken brown nicely.
• Rubbing some softened butter under the skin helps prevent the chicken from drying out as you cook it — even without basting! The butter helps baste the meat, adding its own delicious flavour.

You don’t have to use a lot of butter. I hardly ever use more than a tablespoon on a 4-5 lb chicken and my family is always thrilled by the results.

Notes

• If you prefer, you can also use margarine or oil. The major difference will be the flavor. Personally I’m not a fan of using oil because I love a tiny buttery flavor, but it’s definitely an option.

• Another option is to use a butter-flavored cooking spray. A friend of mine’s mom always makes her chicken just spraying it inside and out, and I don’t think she’s ever made anything that wasn’t delicious.

Seasoning the cavity

Now that we’ve talked about seasoning the outside of the bird, let’s talk about the inside of the bird. There are lots of ways of doing it.

• The very simplest way of seasoning the cavity is to take a generous amount of salt and pepper and rub it in there.

  • Salting the inside helps the salt penetrate the meat and season it the whole way through. Much tastier than just seasoning the surface!

  • In addition to salt and pepper, you can add any herbs and spices you like.

• You can also stuff the cavity with lemon or orange wedges, or pieces of onion. As they heat up, they’ll create a bit of steam in the roasting chicken, but they’ll also infuse it with flavor.

• You can also make a bread, rice or grain, or cornbread stuffing to place inside the chicken. The chicken will flavor the stuffing and the stuffing will flavor the chicken.

Notes

If you decide to stuff the cavity, be sure not to put too much in there. You don’t want it spilling out! If you’re afraid of the stuffing falling out while you’re cooking, here’s a little trick:

1. Take a skewer and poke it through the bottom of the cavity so that it’s horizontal across the cavity; the middle of the skewer should be inside the cavity and both ends should poke outside through the meat.
2. Take a few more skewers and do the same thing, a bit higher each time.
3. Take a piece of kitchen twine and lace it through the skewers to pull the cavity close.

And there you go! Nothing will fall out. Or, you can truss the bird; that helps the cavity stay closed, too.

One more thing: if you stuff the chicken, you’ll have to add 15 to 30 minutes to the cooking time.

Step 3: Trussing

Once you’ve seasoned and stuffed your chicken, the next step is to truss it.

Trussing a chicken just means tying it up so that the legs and wings are tight against the body of the chicken. It’s absolutely an optional step, unless you’re using a rotisserie, in which case if you don’t truss it you’ll have very burnt wings and legs.

There are a few good reasons to truss a chicken. It can help it cook more evenly and keep the meat moist, and also makes the bird easier to handle and a lot prettier looking!

If you want to know more, check out our article on trussing chicken. It has everything from why to truss, why not to truss, and how to do it in an illustrated, step-by-step guide.

Step 4: 3 Ways to Roast Chicken

There are lots of ways to season a chicken, and there are just as many ways to cook it. In this section, I’ll go over the different ways of roasting chicken.

Remember, all of these methods are good, but some might be better suited to your lifestyle. If you don’t have a lot of time to get dinner ready, the quick-roasting method is probably your best bet.

But if you have lots of time, experiment with the other methods to find out what you like best.

In this section, I’ll give a few tips and tricks that’ll come in handy when roasting chicken. Then, I’ll talk about three different cooking methods: quick-roasting, roasting at 350F, and slow-roasting.

Tips and Tricks for Roasting Chicken

Tip 1: How to Tell if the Chicken is Done

It’s very important that chicken be fully cooked before you eat it. If it’s not, you could eat some harmful bacteria that could make you sick.

The only way to know for sure that the meat is cooked is by using a meat thermometer.

• Stick the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh and breast. You need to check both.
• Chicken is cooked when it has reached an internal temperature of 165F. I’ve cooked chicken to 170F and even 180F without it getting overdone, so it’s best to stay on the safe side.

There are a few other hints that your chicken is ready, too. They’re not as reliable as a meat thermometer, but they can help.

• When the chicken is done, the thighs should wiggle freely.
• If the chicken is done, the juices that come out when you poke it should be clear, not rosy.
• Some chickens have flesh that will stay rosy no matter how long you cook it. That’s fine, but be sure to test it with a meat thermometer so that you know for sure it’s done.

Tip 2: Basting the Bird

When you’re roasting chicken, you can pour a bit of liquid over the cooking bird every so often – it’s called basting, and keeps the skin from burning and the meat from drying out.

• You can use cooking juices, wine, broth, stock, water, or any other liquid to baste your roasting chicken: whatever you pick will add its own flavor to the chicken.
• When you take the chicken out of the oven to baste it, the oven will lose some heat. Keep it closed as much as you can, and don’t baste too often – about every half hour will do.
• When you baste a roasting chicken, you keep its skin moist, which can prevent it from getting crispy. If you really want crispy skin, skip the last basting or two.
• Instead of basting, you can spread butter under the chicken’s skin and inside the cavity. This lets the roasting chicken self-baste without keeping the skin from browning, and without opening the oven door.

Tip 3: Flipping the Chicken

A neat technique that you can use with any of the cooking methods is to roast the chicken breast side down for the first two thirds of the cooking time, then flip it over.

• This way, all the fat from the dark meat seeps into the meat instead of dripping out, and you end up with really juicy breast meat.
• When you flip it breast side up for the last third, you give the skin a chance to get crisp.
• If you’re planning on flipping the chicken, it’s a good idea to truss it, or you’ll end up with very hot wings and legs flopping all over the place.

Tip 4: Air flow

When you’re roasting chicken, you want to make sure you have a lot of air flow around the bird. It’ll help it cook more evenly.

Instead of placing it directly on the bottom of a roasting pan, it’s better to raise it up a little so air can pass underneath it.

• If your roasting pan comes with a wire rack, place the chicken on top of the rack.
• If you don’t have a wire rack, you can place some veggies like potatoes, celery or carrots at the bottom of the pan, and place the chicken on top. Just be sure that the you leave some room between the veggies — they should support the roasting chicken, but also leave room for air to flow.
• You can also place the chicken directly on the oven rack, and place a roasting pan underneath to catch the drippings. It’s a bit messy and tough to clean, though.
• As an extra bonus, any drippings that hit the pan will have a chance to caramelize, and you can deglaze the pan later to make an outstanding gravy.

Three Methods for Roasting Chicken

Method 1: Quick-Roasting Chicken

There was a time when roasting chickens came from older, tougher birds, and the only way to get it to be tender and juicy was to cook it at a low temperature for a long time. That’s not so much the case nowadays, so if you don’t have a whole lot of time, a quick way to cook a chicken is to quick roast it.

Here’s how:

1. Preheat your oven to 450F.
2. Place the chicken in the oven. Roast it for about 45 minutes, or until your meat thermometer tells you the chicken is cooked.

Notes

Basting the chicken can make the oven lose a lot of heat, and that can increase the cooking time quite a bit. The best thing to do for this method is to add a little butter inside and out so that it’s self basting.

Method 2: Roasting Chicken at 350F

Roasting a chicken at 350F takes a bit more time that the quick-roast method I described in the section above. The chicken generally ends up a lot more tender, though. Any tough fibers like collagen have more time to melt.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Place the chicken in the oven. Roast it for about 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 20 minutes, or until your meat thermometer tells you the chicken is cooked.

Notes

This method cooks chicken at a fairly high heat for a longer period of time. The goal is to get it nice and tender, but you also have to be sure it doesn’t dry out or burn. There are a few ways to keep this from happening.

Method 3: Slow Roasting Chicken

When we were growing up, my mom always cooked a whole chicken by slow roasting it.

Just a few simple spices, hours of low heat, and the house smelled wonderful the whole time, and we ended up with a chicken so tender the meat literally fell off the bone.

This method for roasting chicken does take a long time. But you can’t really end up with chicken more tender than this. It’s especially good if you’re using a chicken that’s a bit older and tougher.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Preheat your oven to 275F.
2. Roast the chicken for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until your meat thermometer tells you the chicken is cooked.

Notes

• Roasting chicken at such a low temperature means that the white and dark meat will cook much more evenly, so you shouldn’t end up with dry breast meat.

• The low cooking temperature can keep the skin from getting brown and crisp. If you love brown, crispy skin, here’s what you can do:

  1. For the first 10 minutes, cook the chicken at 400F. This will get the outside of the chicken really hot, but it’s not enough time to heat up the inside.

  2. Turn the heat down to 200F. The outside will take more time to cool down, and so it’ll help crisp up.

  3. If the skin isn’t as crispy as you like it, stop basting the chicken during the last half hour or hour of cooking, and increase the heat again for the last 20 minutes.

  It’s a bit more work, but if you have to have crispy skin, it’s worth it.

• To get the meat to be especially tender, it’s best to baste the chicken, or flip the bird breast side down for the first two thirds of cooking time.

• Because the cooking temperature is so low, there won’t be as much evaporation as the other methods. Unfortunately, when water evaporates, what’s left behind becomes more concentrated — in this case, the flavor! Slow-roasting chicken gives you an incredibly juicy and tender chicken, but the taste is a bit less intensely amazing.

And that’s how you roast a chicken! Lots of different ways, but all of them are delicious. You just have to find the right one for you.

Personally, my favorite method for roasting chicken is to season it with butter and herbs under the skin, then roast it at 350, starting the cooking breast side down.

It’s juicy, tender, and super flavorful… and hard not to eat the whole thing before it gets to the table!

Step 5: Carving the Chicken

Now that your chicken is cooked and smelling delicious, it’s time to get it ready to serve.

The first thing to do is… wait! It’s important to wait 10 to 20 minutes before carving a roasted chicken. The rest time gives the juices time to redistribute and settle, so that your chicken is more evenly juicy, and easier to carve.

Once you’ve waited, you can carve the chicken. But be careful, it’ll still be very hot!

Here’s what you do:

1. Remove the legs. Just cut off the whole thigh and drumstick in one big piece — you can cut it into smaller pieces once it’s off the bird. Just tug on it, and use a very sharp knife when needed.
2. Remove the wings. Just do the same as for the legs, tug and slice when needed.
3. Carve out the breast meat. I like to cut it off in slices instead of one big piece, but you can do it either way.
4. Any pieces still left on the carcass you can remove by hand — later, if the chicken is too hot to handle now!

And now the only thing left to do is… enjoy!

Home › Cooking Vegetables › Roasting VegetablesIf you’re looking for a different way of cooking vegetables, roasted vegetables are the perfect choice. The key word is different. Roasting vegetables completely transforms them, giving them a unique, delicious flavor that you don’t get from any other cooking method.

When you roast vegetables, two things happen. First of all, roasting allows some of the water to evaporate out of the vegetable, which really intensifies the flavor and makes everything taste more.

But even more importantly, roasted vegetables caramelize on the outside, bringing out their natural sweetness in an amazing way. Even bitter veggies can be sweet and delicious after roasting in the oven!

In this article, I’ll show you how to roast vegetables. First, I’ll go over the preparation work you need to do. Then, I’ll talk about the actual roasting part. And finally, I’ll go over different vegetables and their particularities.

 

Preparation Work

Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that something as delicious as roasted vegetables could be so easy to prepare. But it really is. What makes roasted vegetables so delicious is what happens while they’re in the oven – and that means there’s not a whole lot of work for you!

Still, there are a couple of things you need to do. First, you need to cut up the vegetable into chunks. Then, you need to oil and season them. And finally, you need to pick the right baking dish, and place the veggies in properly.

Cutting Up The Vegetables

The first thing you need to do when learning how to roast vegetables is cut up the veggies. And there are ways to do it that’ll make the roasted vegetables even better. Here are some things to look out for when preparing the vegetables.

• You should always wash vegetables before eating them. But when you’re roasting vegetables, it’s best to put them into the oven completely dry. It helps the vegetables caramelize. Wet vegetables just have a lot more trouble getting that nice crisp layer.
• The smaller the vegetable chunks, the faster they’ll cook. The heat from the oven starts outside and works its way in, so if you’re short on time, you can make smaller pieces.
• Cut the vegetables in even-sized chunks. If some pieces are much bigger, they’ll cook slower, and by the time they’re done, the smaller pieces will be burnt.
• Keep in mind that denser vegetables, like potatoes, cook slower than lighter ones, like mushrooms. If you want all the vegetables to be done at the same time, there are a few tricks.
  • Cut the denser vegetables in smaller chunks so that they cook faster.
  • Add the quicker-roasting vegetables to the oven later, once the slower-roasting vegetables have had a chance to cook a bit.
• The caramelization happens on the vegetables’ surface. So if you cut your veggies so that they have a larger surface area, you can get more caramelization. That means smaller chunks, or long, flat pieces rather than cube-like ones.

Once you have the vegetables ready, it’s time for the next step.

Oil And Seasoning

Seasoning vegetables for roasting is one of the easiest things to do. So much of the flavor comes from the roasted vegetable itself – the caramelization and the intensified flavors. Still, sometimes adding just a hint of spices can really help kick it up a notch.

But the most important thing to remember when seasoning your vegetables is that they need a bit of oil. A thin layer of oil serves a few purposes.

• Oil helps the vegetables brown evenly. Instead of ending up with scorched spots here and there, you can a uniform golden layer that tastes great.
• It also helps the vegetables brown faster, which shortens the cooking time.
• Oil also keeps the vegetables from drying out. Using a bit of oil helps you avoid getting limp, sad looking veggies.

There’s no need to go overboard. You really don’t need a lot of oil for roasted vegetables. Just add a teaspoon or so at a time (more if you have lots of vegetables), and toss the vegetables. Mix them really well. They should all have a really thin layer on them. If some pieces are still dry, just add a bit more oil.

Apart from oil, you don’t need much. A little bit of salt and pepper are always good. Coarse salt like sea salt or kosher is even better! And you can add whatever other seasonings you like. Thyme,rosemary, orange zest, cayenne pepper,cumin, fennel seeds, etc… The possibilities are endless, and the only way to know if you like something is to try it out!

• Once you’ve oiled the vegetables, you can add the seasonings. Be sure to toss the vegetables to make sure the seasonings get spread out.
• You can also add the seasonings to the oil before oiling the vegetables. Mix it all together, and you’ll be sure that the seasonings are evenly spread out over all the veggies.

Notes

• Some seasonings, like grated parmesan or fresh sprigs of herbs like thyme, are best if you add them towards the end of the cooking time, because they can burn kind of quick.
• You can use vegetable oil or olive oil. I like to use olive oil because it’s generally a bit healthier. But there’s no need to use the really expensive, high quality oils. Those are better for drizzling on salads and things, where you really taste the oil.

Picking A Baking Dish

The last preparation step is to pick the right baking dish, and to place the vegetables in it. There’s no real wrong way to do it, but there is a right way! Meaning that most things you do will give you good results, but for the best roasted vegetables, there are a few things to keep in mind.

The thing to remember is that the key to nicely roasted vegetables isgood air flow. Contact with the oven’s hot air helps the outside of the veggie get nice and crisp, rather than soggy.

• Spread the vegetables on in the baking dish in a single layer. Piling them on top of each other reduces the air flow, and having too many vegetables packed in like that will cause some steam – so the vegetables will end up steamed, not roasted.
• The vegetables can touch each other, but they shouldn’t be jammed in tight. Again, that prevents a good air flow and you’ll end up with soggy vegetables.
• Choose a baking dish with low sides. You’re not roasting something that creates loads of drippings, so a baking sheet is perfect. The low sides will help hot air surround every vegetable piece and roast it to perfection!

And that’s pretty much all there is to preparing the vegetables for roasting. Once they’re on the baking sheet, they’re ready for the oven!

How To Roast Vegetables

When you’re learning how to roast vegetables, it’s important to know how to prepare the vegetables. How you cut them, how well you dry them, how you season them, and the baking dish you use all affect how the roasted vegetables turn out. But the real magic happens in the oven!

In this section, I’ll talk about the two most important things about the roasting portion of making roasted vegetables: the oven temperature, and stirring the vegetables.

Oven Temperature

Getting the oven setting right is really important when you’re roasting vegetables. You want it to be hot enough to caramelize the sugars in the vegetable, to bring out the natural sweetness, but you also don’t want the vegetables to burn!

Luckily, it’s not too hard to get right. In general, setting the oven to 400F will give you the perfect temperature for delicious roasted vegetables. But you can lower or raise that temperature a bit based on a few things.

• Not everyone likes their vegetables to caramelize too much. In that case, you can lower the temperature a little bit, to 375F. The vegetables will need to cook a bit longer, but it’ll help the inside cook without the outside getting too crispy.
  • If you don’t like your vegetables too cooked, big chunks and a lower temperature is the way to go.
  • If you want the roasted vegetables well cooked, but not too brown, smaller chunks and 375F are what you need.
• If you happen to love caramelized vegetables, though, you can turn up the heat a little bit. 425F or even 450F will get you very browned vegetables. But there’s a catch – the inside won’t have time to cook as much before the outside is very crisp, so you may need to start with smaller vegetables.

Once the oven’s temperature is set, you can just forget about it. If you have the temperature set properly from the start, there’s no need to adjust. In some cases though, you might find that the outside is cooking too fast compared to the inside, or vice versa. In that case, you might want to tweak the oven temperature just a bit – a higher temperature helps the outside brown faster, and lowering it helps the inside cook faster.

That’s pretty much all you need to know! Usually 400F works just fine. But you can always tweak that a bit to suit your tastes. Just try out a few different things and see what you like!

Stirring

Other than setting the oven to the right temperature, there’s just one thing you need to take care of once the vegetables are in the oven – stirring them. Stirring is important to help the roasted vegetables brown evenly and keep them from burning!

Air flow around the vegetables keeps the outside of the vegetable dry enough so that it can get nice and crisp, but the vegetables will caramelize most where they’re in contact with the baking sheet.

So about half way through the baking time, you’ll want to check the bottom of the vegetables. If they’re as browned as you want, you can flip them over, or just stir the vegetables around. This way, a new side is exposed to the hot pan, and then it can brown nicely. It’ll also prevent the already browned side from burning.

Test a piece every so often. Once the inside is cooked, and the outside is nice and crispy, you can take them out of the oven. And that’s all there is to roasting vegetables!

Notes

• When you’re stirring the roasting vegetables and you think there’s just a little bit of roasting time left, you can add some extra seasonings, especially the kind that would burn if they were left in the oven the whole time.
• Try grated cheese, feta, orange zest, fresh sprigs of herbs, or anything else you like. Just stir them into the vegetables and let them roast a little while longer.
• The roasting vegetables might sizzle when they’re in the oven. That’s perfectly normal: it’s the moisture from the vegetables coming into contact with the hot surface of the baking sheet.
• If you find that the vegetables are getting too dry, you can drizzle them with a bit of water, stock or juice to keep them from drying out.
• Once the roasted vegetables are done, you can serve them as is, or with a bit of something extra. Try tossing them with dried fruit, vinegar, lemon juice, or just butter. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Vegetables And Cooking Times

If you’ve been roasting vegetables for a long time, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how long each vegetables take to cook, and how long you need to roast it for. But when you’re just starting out, it’s a lot harder. And it makes a huge difference if your vegetable takes 20 minutes or one hour to roast when you’re trying to plan out a meal!

Eventually, you’ll figure out how long to cook each vegetable so it’s just the way you like it. But in the meantime, here are some general guidelines for roasted vegetables.

• The denser the vegetable, the longer it’ll take to cook. It’s harder for heat to get through a dense substance than a light one! For example, mushroom roast much faster than potatoes.
• The smaller you make your vegetable chunks, the faster they’ll cook, because the heat won’t have to penetrate as deep to cook the vegetables.

Here are some vegetables that are delicious roasted, split up according to how long they take to roast.

Quick Roasting Time (10 to 20 minutes)	Medium Roasting Time (15 to 40 minutes)	Long Roasting Time (35 to 60 minutes)
Tomatoes Mushrooms Asparagus Scallions Corn	Bell peppers Broccoli Cauliflower Zucchini Summer squashes Onions Eggplant	Potatoes Sweet potatoes Winter squashes Turnips Brussel sprouts Carrots Beets

The quick roasting vegetables might take as little as 10 minutes, while some of the slow roasting ones can take up to an hour, depending on how big you make the vegetable chunks.

If you want to mix different types of vegetables, you can mix them all together and compromise a little on the ideal time – some won’t be as caramelized. Or, start the vegetables that take longest to cook first, and then add the rest after. That way they’re all perfect!

Roasted vegetables really are wonderful. It’s a completely different taste than boiling, steaming or sautéing, and makes a wonderful change of pace – especially in the winter, when having the oven on is a good thing!

Enjoy!

Home › Cooking Vegetables › Roasted CarrotsIf you’re tired of eating the same old boiled or steamed carrots, then it’s time to give roasted carrots a try. Roasting carrots caramelizes them, enhancing their natural sweetness and bringing out all sorts of wonderful flavors.

And you can add all kinds of delicious flavors to roasted carrots – herbs and spices are just perfect for roasted vegetables.

And best of all, it’s super easy to do. Just prepare your carrots, pop them in the oven, and pretty much forget about them till they’re done! Giving you plenty of time to work on other things.

In this article, I’ll go over what you need to do to prepare your carrots, and then I’ll talk about how to roast them.

 

Preparing The Carrots

When you’re making roasted carrots, there are a few things you need to do to prepare the carrots. Nothing big, just a few small tricks that’ll make the dish much better.

Wash The Carrots

Like any vegetable, you should always wash carrots before eating or cooking with them. It helps clean off any dirt or chemicals that might still be there. Just scrub them gently under lukewarm water, being sure to get all the dirt off.

Once the carrots are washed, it’s important to dry them off. Roasting relies on a dry environment. Any moisture on the carrots could end up steaming them, or preventing them from caramelizing. It’s not a disaster, of course, but it won’t really be roasted carrots.

Peel Them (Optional)

Ideally, you shouldn’t have to peel the carrots, because they have so much flavor and so many nutrients near the surface. Peeling is kind of wasteful. But if you feel you need to, be sure to use a vegetable peeler, since it’ll peel off a very thin layer. You only need to peel one layer off the carrot.

Cut Them Up

How you cut your carrots makes a difference when you’re making roasted carrots.

• You don’t want the pieces to be too big. Otherwise, the outside will burn before the inside is cooked! Baby carrots can be roasted whole, but bigger carrots may need to be cut into smaller pieces.
• Try to cut into pieces with as much surface area as possible. It’s the carrot’s surface that’s going to caramelize and be extra delicious, so the more you have, the better!
  • Try slicing the carrot in half lengthwise – it’ll give long, thin pieces that have lots of surface to caramelize.
  • Another great way is to cut the carrots in diagonal slices. They look really appetizing, and have a large surface area.
• Be sure to cut the carrots in even-sized pieces, so that they all cook just as fast.

A Bit Of Oil

The last step to preparing roasted carrots is cover them in a light coating of oil. You can use any kind of cooking oil you like – canola, peanut, olive, whatever you like.

The oil will create a protective layer over the vegetables that’ll keep them from drying out, and help them caramelize evenly. You don’t need a lot of oil. Use the smallest amount possible that’ll still coat the carrots, or you’ll end up with a less than healthy oily mess!

It’s also a great time to add a few herbs and spices. Carrots are great just with a bit of salt and pepper. Try coarse salt, it’ll give an interesting texture. But you can also use other spices like ginger, dill, cardamom… anything you like!

Just place the vegetables in a bowl, and toss them with the oil and seasonings until they’re evenly coated. Or, mix the oil and seasonings together and brush them onto the vegetables. Either way works great.

Roasting Carrots

Once the carrots are washed, cut, and coated with some oil and seasonings, they’re ready for roasting. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Arrange the carrots in a baking dish.
   • The carrots should be in a single layer. That way, they have more contact with the pan and with the air, which will help them caramelize.
   • If you can, pick a baking dish with low sides. It’ll help get more air flow around the carrots, which will help them cook and brown more evenly.
3. Roast the carrots in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the outside is browned to your liking. Turn them over halfway through the cooking time, when the bottom is starting to get crispy.
4. Serve, and enjoy!

Roasted carrots really are easy to cook. And it’s easy to cook them just the way you like them! Just keep an eye on them, and make sure to take them out when they’re as browned as you like them. Some people like crispy, very caramelized carrots, but other prefer just a light browning on the edges. Try different ways to see what you like best!

And that’s all there is to roasting carrots. Enjoy!

Home › Cooking Vegetables › Roasted BroccoliRoasted broccoli is something special. In general, roasting meats or vegetables brings out all sorts of deep, complex flavors, and the dry heat helps caramelize and sweeten. But for broccoli, it seems like roasting just hits a whole other level.

Roasting completely transforms broccoli. It caramelizes and sweetens, and the nice, crisp, roasted flavors go amazingly well with the flavor of the broccoli itself.

It tastes different enough that someone who really doesn’t like raw, steamed or boiled broccoli might actually really love some lightly seasoned, tasty roasted broccoli. And if you’re like me and you actually like broccoli, don’t worry — the broccoli goodness is still there. It’s just, well, better!

And the best thing is, roasted broccoli is so easy to make. And in this article, I’ll show you how. First, we’ll talk about the preparation steps, washing and cutting. Next, we’ll go over how to season the broccoli to make it even more awesome. And finally, we’ll talk about how to roast it.

Here we go!

 

Preparing the Broccoli

First things first. When you’re making roasted broccoli, it really is best to use fresh, not frozen, broccoli. Roasting relies on a dry heat to caramelize the broccoli.

Frozen broccoli tends to have a much higher water content, and that water evaporates and creates steam — and you end up with steamed broccoli. Not that there’s anything wrong with steamed broccoli! But it won’t have the same depth of flavor that roasting gives.

So the first step is to get some fresh broccoli. Then you get it ready for seasoning.

Washing

It’s always a good idea to wash vegetables before you eat them. It can help get rid of dirt, bacteria and even some chemicals that might be on the surface. But when you’re roasting, you want to keep things dry — too much water and you’ll end up steaming the broccoli. So it’s important to give your broccoli a chance to dry after you wash it.

To wash the broccoli, just let some lukewarm water run over it. You can scrub the stem to get any dirt out, but scrubbing the florets isn’t such a great idea. After it’s washed, shake it dry. That’ll take care of most of the water. If you can, give it a half hour or so to air dry. If not, well, it’s not a huge deal — you might not get as much caramelization, but you should still get some.

Cutting

Broccoli takes a little more care than some other vegetables when you’re cutting it up to be roasted, because the stems and florets don’t cook at the same pace. The florets are a lot more delicate and roast faster. That means that you need to cut up the stems in smaller pieces, so that everything is done and perfectly roasted at the same time.

Here’s what you do. Cut the florets off right where they meet the stem — you should be able to split them into bite-sized piece, or whatever size pieces you like. Then cut the stem up into flat pieces — either cross-wise into flat discs, or length-wise into sticks. Just remember that the bigger the pieces, the longer they’ll take to roast.

You can also peel the stem if it looks particularly tough. Roasting doesn’t soften broccoli quite as much as boiling or steaming does, and the outer skin on the stem can get kind of tough sometimes.

Once your broccoli is cut, you’re ready for the next step of making roasted broccoli: seasoning.

Seasoning the Broccoli

Seasoning is one of the best parts about roasted broccoli. There are hundreds of different ways to season it, hundreds of recipes for you to create! Just a few different spices, and you have a whole new dish. So how exactly do you season your broccoli before roasting it?

Oil

Oil is really the only ingredient you have to use. A thin coating of oil helps the broccoli brown evenly, and keeps it from burning or drying out. You can use any type of oil you like — olive oil is great, but various vegetable oils work well too. Just use whichever one you prefer.

You don’t need to use a ton of oil. A teaspoon or two per head of broccoli is often enough. To get the most out of it, place the cut broccoli in a bowl (or right in the baking dish), drizzle the oil over it, then toss the broccoli for a bit until it’s completely coated. That’s all!

Herbs and Spices

Oil is the only ingredient you need. But extra seasonings will tranform the dish and make it exceptional. Here are some ideas.

• Salt. You don’t need it, but salt will enhance the broccoli’s flavor, removing any hint of blandness. You don’t want to use too much, but sprinkling a bit over the broccoli and tossing it with the oil should do the trick. I definitely recommend not skipping on a bit of salt.
• Pepper. A little bit of pepper can add a bit more bite to your roasted broccoli.
• Fresh-chopped herbs like basil can be great added either before or after you roast the broccoli. Adding them before will help infuse the broccoli with flavor, but adding them later will keep the taste fresh and light.
• Dried herbs and spices like chili powder or curry powder make a great addition. Just try out different spices and see what you like.

If you want to add the herbs or spices before cooking, just add them with the oil — the broccoli will get evenly coated with oil and spices when you toss it. If you’re adding them after, just add them once you take the broccoli out of the oven. Either sprinkle them over the roasted broccoli, or toss the broccoli with the herbs to make sure everything’s evenly spread out.

Try different seasonings, and different quantities, and figure out what you like best.

Other Flavors

There are a lot of other ingredients you can add to make your roasted broccoli unique. Here are some ideas.

• Flavorful liquids like citrus juices, vinegar or soy sauce taste wonderful with broccoli. You can add them right from the start, but the broccoli absorbs liquids better when it’s hot. Adding them at the end can add even more flavor. Or, if you want the liquid to cook a bit, add it half-way through the cooking time.
• Cheese and broccoli make a great mix. A bit of grated Parmesan, or a nice sharp Cheddar can really add a lot to your roasted broccoli.
• Toasted nuts like pine nuts add flavor and texture, and go great with broccoli. You can toast them in a separate baking dish for a few minutes while the broccoli is roasting, then sprinkle them on top of the broccoli. This way, they get nice and toasty but don’t burn. You can also use sesame seeds instead of nuts.
• Citrus zest adds a lot of flavor. Just toss it with the broccoli and oil.
• Bread crumbs, tossed in with the oil, add a bit of crunch to the broccoli. It’s great because it’s a little touch that completely transforms the roasted broccoli.
• Sugar can help the broccoli caramelize and makes it a bit sweeter. The roasting itself does that, too, but a little bit of sugar can make it even better.
  • You don’t want to add very much. Half a teaspoon for a pound of broccoli might be enough. You don’t want to make it overly sweet, and you don’t want to make it less healthy!
  • Usually you don’t need to add sugar. Roasting makes the broccoli a lot sweeter. But depending on where the broccoli was grown, it’ll have a different sugar content. Some broccoli just isn’t as sweet, and adding a teensy bit of sugar won’t hurt.

Just pick and choose different flavors, and add what you like. As for how much to add, that’s something you have to figure out through experimentation! When you create a new recipe, make some notes. If you added lemon juice and found it too lemony, just add a little bit less next time.

It’s the best way to make roasted broccoli that’s perfect for you!

Roasting Broccoli

Once it’s cut, oiled and seasoned, roasting the broccoli is super easy. Perfect for when the rest of the meal takes more time and attention!

Here’s how to make roasted broccoli.

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
   • 400F works well, but you can go up to 425F or even 450F. The broccoli will brown faster, but it’ll also stay crisper, since the inside won’t really get a chance to cook as much.
   • If you like, you can preheat your roasting pan, too. It’ll help the broccoli caramelize faster.
2. Place the broccoli in the roasing dish. Ideally, all the broccoli will be in a single layer, with a bit of breathing room. It’ll help air flow around each piece, which will help it brown more evenly.
   • If the broccoli is packed in tight or piled up, it can keep the roasted broccoli from getting nicely browned. The broccoli will release steam as it cooks. If it’s packed in too tightly, the steam can’t escape — and you end up with steamed broccoli!
3. Roast the broccoli in the preheated oven until it’s done to your liking. You can shake it around halfway through the cooking time to make sure it’s not sticking, but it’s not usually a problem with broccoli.
   • Keep an eye on it to make sure the florets don’t burn. When you’re roasting, there’s not much of a chance that your broccoli will end up overcooked and mushy — but it might end up overcooked and burnt if you leave it in too long.
   • Depending on how crisp or tender you like your roasted broccoli, and how small your pieces are, it can take anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes to cook. I tend to prefer 20-25 minutes, myself.
   • You can test the broccoli with a fork to see if it’s cooked to your liking. Or, even more deliciously, you can try a piece! Just be sure not to burn yourself.
4. Add any extra seasonings you were saving for the end, and serve. Yum!

And that’s how to make roasted broccoli. It really is a treat, and so easy to make. Even if you don’t like broccoli, it’s worth trying out, because it’s such a different taste. Not everyone will like it – after all, if not everyone likes chocolate, broccoli can’t hope to be universally loved, right? But I think there’s a good chance that you’ll find it a really delicious change of pace!

Home › Cooking Vegetables › Roasted AsparagusIf you haven’t tried roasted asparagus before, you’re definitely missing out. Roasting is just such a great way of cooking asparagus: the dry heat from the oven helps the asparagus caramelize, intensifies all the flavors, and even brings out a bit of a nutty flavor.

Roasted asparagus, or baked asparagus (it’s the same thing!), definitely tastes different from boiled or steamed asparagus. In fact, it’s different enough that some people who think they don’t like asparagus at all might really enjoy it this way!

Depending on how long you cook it, roasted can be fresh and crispy, or warm and extra sweet. And there are so many different ways to season it, you’ll never be bored. I know I’ve never gotten bored of it!

In this article, I’ll go over everything you need to know to make delicious oven roasted asparagus. I’ll start off by talking about how to prepare the asparagus. Then I’ll talk about how to roast it. And finally, I’ll go over a few different finishing touches you can add to make your roasted asparagus extra special.

 

Preparing The Asparagus

When you’re making roasted asparagus, there are a few things you need to do to get it ready for the oven. Some of it is just what you’d have to do when preparing any vegetable for cooking, but there are a few things that are particular to roasting, so read on! First, we’ll talk about washing. Then, we’ll go over trimming the asparagus. Finally, we’ll talk about using oil and seasonings.

Washing

Before you cook your asparagus, you need to wash it. Washing gets rid of dirt, sand or chemicals that might still be on the spears. There are a few different ways to wash your asparagus.

• Let some lukewarm water run over the asparagus, and rub them gently to clean them. Be especially careful not to damage the tips. Young, fresh asparagus is actually not too fragile, but you still don’t want to break off the tips!
• Let the asparagus soak in a bowl lukewarm water. Rub the spears gently, or stir gently to get the dirt and sand out. Let the dirt deposit at the bottom, then just lift out the asparagus. Don’t leave them in too long, or they can get waterlogged, which can prevent them from roasting properly.

Lukewarm water is best for cleaning vegetables. It’s much better at getting dirt off than cold water!

Once the asparagus spears are clean, gently pat them dry. If they’re still wet, they may not roast properly – the water will turn into steam, and prevent you from getting nicely browned roasted asparagus.

Trimming

Asparagus is one of the easiest vegetables to prepare. The only part you need to trim off is the tough end, because it can get woody and stringy as the asparagus ages. It’s not bad for you, but it’s not very pleasant to eat!

There are two way to trim off the tough, woody ends.

• My favorite way is to hold the asparagus by its middle in one hand, and then use the other hand to bend the woody end down until it snaps off. The asparagus will naturally break off where it starts to be tough, so you’re left with as much tender asparagus as possible.
• You can also use a knife to trim off the ends. Just slice off about an inch or an inch and a half off the woody end. The fresher the asparagus, the less you’ll have to trim off.

If you have very thick asparagus, you can also peel the base instead of breaking it off. A lot of times it’s just the outside that’s tough, and the inside is just fine, perfectly tender. It doesn’t work as well with thin asparagus though, because there’s so little left after peeling!

Sometimes, it can feel like you’re trimming off quite a bit of that yummy asparagus… but it doesn’t have to go to waste! You can use the trimmed bits in a vegetable stock to add some nutrients and flavor, without having to actually eat the tough, stringy parts.

A Bit of Oil

Unlike some other methods for cooking asparagus, you need a bit of oil for roasting. Why? Well, roasting is a dry heat cooking method, which means moisture gets sucked out of the vegetables. If too much of that happens, your asparagus might look limp and lifeless after roasting.

A bit of oil helps protect it against drying out, keeping it much fresher looking. And it also help the asparagus brown nice and evenly, giving it a nicely spread out caramelization.

Both olive oil or vegetable oil work great, so use whichever you prefer. Olive oil has a slightly different taste, but it goes great with asparagus. Just use about a teaspoon per pound of asparagus, and toss the asparagus in the oil to make sure it’s evenly coated.

Notes

• You can use extra oil to help the asparagus brown more quickly. I’m not a huge fan of using lots and lots of oil though. If you use too much, the asparagus itself gets oily and I don’t really like that.

Seasonings

You don’t actually need any seasonings to make roasted asparagus. With just a bit of oil, your roasted asparagus will be very yummy. But seasonings do let you add more complex and interesting flavors, so that you’ll never get bored! Here are a few different seasoning you can add.

• Spices. You can use simple spices like salt and pepper (coarse salt is even better). Or you can jazz it up a bit and use cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, curry… anything you enjoy! Just try it out and see how you like it.
• Fresh herbs. Some fresh chopped herbs like tarragon, rosemary, thyme, sage, basil or parsley can make a great addition to your roasted asparagus. Just sprinkle the herbs on top of the asparagus before roasting. You can add as much or as little as you like!
• Dried herbs. You can also used dried herbs instead of fresh. You use them the same way as fresh herbs, except generally, you don’t as much, because they taste stronger.
• Aromatic vegetables. A little bit of minced onion, garlic, or shallots really add a lot to roasted asparagus. Again, use as much as you like… I love garlic, so I never hesitate to add a bit more! You can even top the asparagus with some sliced mushrooms. It adds a wonderful flavor.
• Fruit juice or zest. Citrus fruit in particular are great with asparagus. You can drizzle a bit of lemon, orange or even grapefruit juice over the asparagus, or sprinkle some zest on top. Again, use as much as you like – just a hint of lemon juice can add a nice, subtle flavor, but a bit more orange juice can add some delicious sweetness, too.
• Vinegar. A little splash of balsamic, red wine or cider vinegar goes great with roasted aspragus. You can add it after it’s done cooking, but if you add it from the start it’ll cook a bit, making it sweeter and milder.
• Nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. You can add some nuts like pine nuts or slivered almonds, or sesame seeds, or even dried fruit or sun dried tomatoes. The nuts and seeds will get nicely toasted and flavorful as they roast, and the fruit can add a touch of sweetness.
• Cheeses. Some freshly grated Parmesan or crumbled feta make a great addition to roasted asparagus. You can add them in towards the end of the cooking time, or right from the start, depending on how melted and cooked you like the cheese.
• Anything else? There are so many other seasonings you can add. You can toss the asparagus in a honey/lemon/dijon dressing, or add a bit of honey or soy sauce, or add some bread crumbs for texture. Just use your imagination and come up with your own delicious ideas.

Once you’ve picked your seasonings, just add them to the asparagus, and toss to spread the seasonings evenly.

There are so many possibilities for seasonings… just mix and match, try different things. You’ll end up with a whole new dish every time! And you can choose seasoning that will complement the rest of your meal, too.

Roasting Asparagus

Once your asparagus is washed, trimmed, and coated with a bit of oil or seasonings, you’re ready to roast! It’s really super simple.

Here’s how you do it.

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Place the asparagus in a baking dish. It should be big enough to hold all the asparagus in single layer.
   • You don’t want to overcrowd the asparagus. If you do, the steam escaping from the asparagus will become trapped, and end up steaming your asparagus. And then you won’t end up with the nice caramelization you get from roasting.
   • If you like, you can line the dish with foil to limit cleanup. But I find that with the oil coating, nothing really sticks, so it’s easy cleanup either way!
3. Roast the asparagus in the preheated oven until it’s cooked to your liking. Keep an eye on the tips – they’ll cook faster, so you want to make sure they don’t burn. You can shake the pan once or twice to make sure nothing is sticking.
   • Thin spears might be cooked in as little as 5 minutes if you like them still pretty crisp, but can take up to 15 minutes if you like them soft.
   • Thicker spears can take anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes to cook, depending on how cooked you like them. If you prefer your roasted asparagus soft, leave it in longer!
   • You can test how done the asparagus is by poking it with a knife, or by taking a little bite.
4. Serve, and enjoy! You can serve the asparagus as soon as it’s cooked, or let it cool to room temperature. It’ll be delicious either way. Keep in mind that the asparagus will continue to cook a bit after you take it out of the oven, so it’ll get a bit softer. You can plan for that by taking it out a minute or two earlier.

And that’s how to make roasted asparagus. At this point, you’re ready to serve, but there are a few finishing touches you can add. Just check out the next section for some ideas.

Finishing Touches

Once the asparagus is cooked, you can add some finishing touches to make the dish even more special. Here are a few ideas:

• Sprinkle some cheese over the asparagus. You can use Parmesan, or crumbled feta, or any other cheese you like. It won’t be as melty as if you had added it during the cooking time, and it’ll feel more refreshing.
• Sprinkle with some lemon juice, or garnish with thin lemon wedges. Again, it tastes fresher than if you added the juice before roasting.
• Drizzle a bit of vinegar on top. It’ll be a little more pungent than if you add it before roasting, since the acidic taste won’t have a chance to boil off. But it can be really nice if you don’t use too much!
• Top with pan-fried onions or mushrooms. It’s a lot like roasting the asparagus with onions or mushrooms, except that you can add a lot more, and let them caramelize even more.
• Top with fresh chopped herbs. It’ll give a really nice look, and the herbs will taste much fresher than if they had a chance to cook. I find it’s more summer-y.

And that’s all you need to know about making roasted asparagus! It’s simple, takes 5 minutes to prepare, but it can be an extremely elegant dish for any crowd. It’s great to impress when you don’t have a lot of time, or just to enjoy with your family.

Home › Christmas RecipesSkip Ahead To Methods And Recipes For Christmas Dinner

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. And I’ll admit it, I’m one of those annoying people who start humming Christmas songs as soon as Halloween is over. Although I try to keep it to when I’m alone so that I don’t drive everyone else crazy!

But I can’t help it. It’s just such a wonderful holiday.

I love everything about it – the spirit of giving, the lights, the magic and wonder, the prettily-wrapped presents, and of course, the food!

Christmas food is a real treat. We all have our own special recipes for Christmas dinner that we only make that one time of year.

And the anticipation just makes them even better.

But if you want a perfect Christmas, having a good collection of recipes for Christmas dinner isn’t enough. If you’ve ever suddenly found yourself in charge of the whole Christmas food production, you know that it’s not easy at all.

Christmas dinner takes a lot of planning and organization, and when you don’t have years of experience under your belt, sometimes it can be a little tough. But don’t worry. There are a lot of ways to make sure you have an awesome and relaxing Christmas dinner.

So read on for some tips and advice. I’ll talk about how to organize your time and plan out your meal ahead of time. Then, I’ll go over some cooking methods and recipes for Christmas dinner.

 

The Secret Is In The Planning

The first time I had to make Christmas dinner all by myself, it was totally overwhelming. I love cooking, I love the holidays, and I had a bunch recipes for Christmas dinner ready to go – but it was still a lot to handle.

In the end, I started to feel stressed out, and decided it was better to cut down on a few dishes and have a fun, relaxing Christmas instead.

But what if you want it all? A nice relaxing time without sacrificing your favorite side? Well, the key is planning ahead: spread the work out over several days, know your recipes, and make lists!

Spread Out The Work

• Some foods keep well for days. Every Christmas I make gingerbread cookies and truffles, and they stay good for at least a week when they’re all wrapped up. Make sure you have a few of those items on the menu, and make them as early as you can.
• Some recipes for Christmas dinner hold up really well in the fridge for a few days. My mom always makes pinwheel sandwiches a day or two ahead of time, and they always taste perfect.

The idea is to figure out what to make, and when. That way, you can spread out your Christmas cooking over a few weeks instead of 2 or 3 hectic days. So when Christmas rolls around, you have less to do, and more time to spend with your family!

Know Your Recipes For Christmas Dinner

• First of all, it means having a menu picked out and actually having selected a recipe for it, unless you know how to cook it without a recipe (which is awesome).
• It also means that you’ve read the recipes. Reading your recipes for Christmas dinner is important. Why?
  • A lot of recipes give you a time estimate on how long it’ll take to make. That time will make it much easier for you to plan out when to cook what.
  • The recipes’ll also let you know what ingredients you need, so that you can plan ahead and buy them for when you need them. You don’t want to be in the middle of making gingerbread only to realize you’re out of ginger!
• You can take this a step further. Ideally, you’ll already have made your recipes for Christmas dinner once or twice before. Either on a previous Christmas or as a test run earlier in the year.
  • Some recipes are harder than they seem at first glance, and the only way to know it is by trying them out. If you know the recipe, you won’t have any bad surprises come Christmas day.
  • Some recipes aren’t as good as they sound, or just don’t work for your taste buds. If you’ve used a recipe before, you’ll know just what to expect.
  • A recipe you’ve made before is a lot more comfortable to work with. That’ll make cooking Christmas dinner a whole lot less stressful.
  • It’s okay to have a new recipe or two – but just make sure that for the most part, you’re confident about what you’re making. And don’t be afraid to do a test run for a dish in November!

For me, Christmas is all about the traditions. I’m happy to make meals I know and I’m comfortable with. The recipes for Christmas dinner that I use are an important part of the Christmas tradition. And since I only make them once a year, I really look forward to them!

Make Lists

The last bit of advice I have to help you have a stress-free and awesome Christmas is to make lists. It’s something I learned from my mom, who really is the Queen of List-Making.

She makes lists for everything, and the whole family teases her about it, but the fact is she makes Christmas happen, and she makes it look easy, when I know it’s anything but.

And the lists are the key. It’s a reminder of what to do, and what to buy, and when to do what.

So what do you make lists for to help you out? Pretty much anything.

• Make a list for all the meals you plan on eating. What are you having on Christmas Eve? Christmas morning? What about recipes for Christmas dinner?
• Once you know what you’re making, make a list for when you plan to make each dish. It’ll help you spread out the work over a few days or weeks, and it’ll put things in perspective – if your meal plan has you cooking 12 hours a day for 2 weeks, it might be time to cut back a bit.
• Afterwards, you can make a list for what you need to buy and when. Some recipes for Christmas dinner need fresh ingredients, so be sure you plan time to go buy those whenever you’re making that dish.

Lists are a huge help because they cut down on unexpected surprises. If you plan things well, you won’t be missing a key ingredient. You won’t realize you forgot to make mashed potatoes. And you won’t find yourself with 16 dishes to make on Christmas day, when all you want to do is eat a sugar cookie and watch a roaring fire.

Christmas Food Cooking Methods

Planning is one of the keys to a great Christmas. Knowing how to cook the meal you want is the other!

In this section, I’ll talk about how to make some traditional Christmas meals. Not just recipes, but the whole story – how to cook a turkey so it comes out just right, or what makes a great chicken pot pie.

Turkey

Nothing beats a turkey with all the trimmings for Christmas dinner. But making a turkey can be a little bit stressful – it’s Christmas, a huge holiday, and the whole family is going to be there.

But you know what? Turkey might be easy to mess up, but it’s just as easy to get it right, once you know the right steps.

In this series of articles, I’ll tell you all about making the perfect turkey – everything from thawing to making an awesome gravy!

Pies

Another great treat we often had for Christmas at my place is different meat pies. We had them for our Christmas Eve dinner, and had the leftovers for our Christmas brunch.

• One of my favorite pies is chicken pot pie. To find out how to make one, check out our article on making an easy chicken pot pie.
• Tourtiere is a French Canadian holiday tradition. It’s a meat pie seasoned with some wonderful holiday spices, and when it’s cooking, you know it’s Christmas! Find out how to make it by checking out our article on tourtiere.

Recipes For Christmas Dinner

I always think it’s best to understand the cooking techniques behind a recipe – it’ll help you make improvements, or even adjustments if something goes wrong.

But sometimes, there’s just nothing that beats Mom’s secret recipes for Christmas dinner.

So here’s a little collection of delicious recipes for Christmas dinner that I know you’ll love! And I hope they make your Christmas as awesome as they make mine.

Home › Making Soup › Pureed SoupPureed soups are a wonderful way to enjoy vegetables. They’re warm, they’re comforting, they’re satisfying. You really can’t lose!

So what is a pureed soup?

Well, unlike a vegetable soup, it’s a smooth blend of flavors that can be as simple or as complex as you like.

It’s actually similar to a cream soup… without the cream. Which means it’s not quite as rich – and that can be a good thing! You get all the goodness of the food, but you won’t end up feeling heavy or too full.

And of course, the best pureed soups are the ones you make yourself! I know, I say that about almost everything – but I really believe it! You just have to know how to do it.

Luckily, pureed soups couldn’t be any easier to make. One simple technique, and you can experiment with just about any vegetable you can imagine! So let’s find out how.

In this article, I’ll go over how to make pureed soups. First, I’ll talk about the three building blocks that make up a pureed soup: the soup base, the thickener, and the main vegetable. Then I’ll show you how to put it all together to make a delicious soup.

 

What Are Pureed Soups Made Of?

The Soup Base

• Some aromatic vegetables. Onions, leeks, and garlic are great choices, because they add lots of flavor and complement lots of vegetables so nicely. You can also use carrots or celery, or some minced ginger, depending on what type of soup you’re making – just remember, you don’t want to overpower your main vegetable.
• A little bit of butter or oil to saute the aromatics.
• Next, you need a good stock. Any kind will do – chicken, beef, vegetable. Each will add its own particularities to the soup though, so pick something that will go well with your vegetables and spices.
  
  • Nothing beats a homemade stock. To find out more, check out our articles on making homemade stock.
  • You can also used canned stocks or broths if you don’t have anything homemade on hand. It’s not quite as awesome, but you’ll still end up with a great soup.
  • Finally, you can substitute some water for some of the stock if you don’t have enough. It won’t add as much flavor, but you’ll still have all the delicious vegetable taste.
• (Optional) You can also add some seasonings to your soup. What kind? Anything you can imagine. Rosemary, sage, and thyme are some classic, tasty herbs. But you can also experiment with others – for example, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves go great with squash.
  • You can add these seasonings at any time during the cooking process… in fact, you may want to add them later rather than sooner – it’ll let you taste how the spices blend in with your vegetables.
  • Certain herbs should be added at the start, especially fresh herbs that need time to release their flavors, like a sprig of fresh rosemary.
  • It’s better to add the spices in a little bit at a time, taste, and then add more if you think it’s not strong enough. It’s much, much easier to add seasonings than to remove them!
• (Optional) Wine makes a delicious addition to pureed soups. Just add a bit to the aromatics before adding the stock, and let the alcohol boil off a bit. Or add it directly to the soup – just be sure to let it cook to get rid of the alcohol.

And that’s it! Just use these simple ingredients, and you’ve got the first part of a great pureed soup.

The Thickener

• • Potatoes are probably the most common thickener used in pureed soup. They do a great job, and they’re mild enough that their flavor won’t overpower your soup.
    • Just cut them up into one inch chunks and cook them in the broth until they’re soft enough to mash.
  • Rice can help thicken pureed soups, too.
    • Again, just cook a bit of rice in the broth – but remember, rice absorbs water, so you’ll end up with less broth than you started with.
    • Or, you can add separately cooked rice to the soup before pureeing it.

• Beans and grains are good thickeners.
  • You can use canned beans, or cook up your own dried beans and add them to the soup.
  • Grains like barley or quinoa can be cooked right in the soup, adding lots of nutrients on top of thickening the soup.
• There are lots of other thickeners out there. If it becomes soft when you boil it, and gets thick when you mash it, then it’s a great option for a thickener. Just be sure to use something that’ll complement the flavors in your soup, and not overpower them.

And that’s it for the thickener. What could be easier? Just another vegetable, or some grains or beans added to the pot!

The Main Ingredient

How To Make A Pureed Soup

Making a pureed soup is just a matter of putting the three basic building blocks together. And it’s so simple!

Here’s how you do it:

1. Make the soup base.
   
   • Chop up the aromatics and cook them in a bit of butter or oil, long enough for onions to get translucent but not brown.
   • If desired, add a bit of wine. Bring it to a boil, and let it reduce by about half.
   • Add the stock.
   • Add the seasonings. You can do this at the end, too, if you prefer, unless you’re using herbs or spices that need time to release their flavors (like a lot of fresh herbs).
2. Add all the vegetables and thickeners, based on how long they need to cook.
   • For example, turnips would need to cook longer than broccoli, so you’d add the turnips first, let them cook a bit, then add the broccoli.
   • Be sure to chop up the vegetables in small chunks that’ll cook quickly. They don’t have to be perfect – they’re going to pureed, after all. But they should cook fairly evenly.
3. Gently simmer the soup until all the vegetables are soft.
4. Puree the soup.
   • I find that using an immersion blender is the easiest way to do it. You can just blend the soup right in the pot it cooked in, and you’re done!
   • You can also use a regular blender. You should puree in batches, making sure not to fill the container more than halfway. Be careful to do it slowly, and vent steam regularly. If it builds up, the top could fly right off and throw very hot soup everywhere – very messy and dangerous.
   • If the vegetables are soft enough, you can puree them with a potato masher or by pushing them through a strainer.
   • You can make the puree as smooth or as coarse as you like it. Some people like their pureed vegetable soup a bit chunky, others prefer it silky smooth. Try different ways to see what you like best!
5. Taste the soup, and add any seasonings that you feel are missing. Maybe some salt, pepper, ginger, cloves… whatever goes well with the soup.
6. Serve, and enjoy.

And what about quantities? Well, to be honest, they really don’t matter very much. It really depends on what particular ingredients you’re using and what you like. But here are a few guidelines:

• You need about enough broth to cover the vegetables you’re cooking. Too much more, and you’ll end up with a very thin soup.
• A medium sized potato will do a good job thickening 2 to 4 cups of liquid. Use more if you have a very thin soup.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment. You can always add more liquid to a soup. And, it’s not as easy, but you can often blend in a bit of extra thickener.
• If you’re using wine, one part wine to six parts broth is a good ratio… but again, feel free to try different things out to see what you like!
• Season lightly at first and then taste. You can always add a little bit more, but it’s hard to take the seasoning out of a soup.

And there you have it! Now you can make any kind of delicious pureed soup you like. It’s simple, but so tasty and satisfying.

Enjoy!