Picture your jovial, smiling family sitting down to a delicious holiday meal. All of your hours of planning and preparation have been worth it. Now imagine your panic as you take a burnt turkey out of the oven. Choosing the best stainless roasting pan goes a long way to helping you to create a perfect holiday meal. A bad pan could result in unevenly cooked meat, a pan so heavy that the roast is dropped, and scorched gravy.
First, the size of the roasting pan matters. Ideally, your pan should fit in your oven and still leave 2 inches for air to circulate between it and the sides of the oven. In addition, you don't want a pan so large that the juices from your average roast will have too much room to spread and will burn.
The metal or alloy that your roasting pan is made of is also essential to consider. Things such as weight, sturdiness, and heat conductivity vary from pan to pan. The best heat conductor is aluminum, but it can react badly to acids in some foods. Stoneware is nice but it can be heavy and sometimes fragile. The best choice is a sturdy stainless steel roasting pan, layered in with aluminum and maybe copper. This gives you the best heat conductivity, low reactivity to acids in foods, and a good weight.
Your turkey roasting pan must also be able to stand up to high oven temperatures and the high direct heat of the stove top. You often will want to use your roaster on the stove top to sear the meat and also to make gravy after roasting. Some lightweight pans can buckle under high-heat conditions. The poorly made pans can also distribute heat unevenly and cause burning and scorching of your roast or gravy.
Did you ever consider the handles on a pan? Easy to forget about, but essential when you are removing that heavy, hot pan from the oven. The best handles are strongly riveted to the pan and stand straight up from the pan so oven space is not wasted. Cheaper handles stick straight out from the pan or even worse, fold down. Try getting your potholder-covered hand through that handle easily. In addition, you should choose a rectangular pan with rounded corners that facilitate easy cleaning. The height of the sides of your pan should be 2.5 to 3 inches, which is the happy medium to allow air to circulate, yet won't allow hot juices to spill easily.
Additional items you may look for to go with your pan are forks and a rack. Heavy forks are very much appreciated at that moment when the roast or turkey must be transferred out of the pan.
First, the size of the roasting pan matters. Ideally, your pan should fit in your oven and still leave 2 inches for air to circulate between it and the sides of the oven. In addition, you don't want a pan so large that the juices from your average roast will have too much room to spread and will burn.
The metal or alloy that your roasting pan is made of is also essential to consider. Things such as weight, sturdiness, and heat conductivity vary from pan to pan. The best heat conductor is aluminum, but it can react badly to acids in some foods. Stoneware is nice but it can be heavy and sometimes fragile. The best choice is a sturdy stainless steel roasting pan, layered in with aluminum and maybe copper. This gives you the best heat conductivity, low reactivity to acids in foods, and a good weight.
Your turkey roasting pan must also be able to stand up to high oven temperatures and the high direct heat of the stove top. You often will want to use your roaster on the stove top to sear the meat and also to make gravy after roasting. Some lightweight pans can buckle under high-heat conditions. The poorly made pans can also distribute heat unevenly and cause burning and scorching of your roast or gravy.
Did you ever consider the handles on a pan? Easy to forget about, but essential when you are removing that heavy, hot pan from the oven. The best handles are strongly riveted to the pan and stand straight up from the pan so oven space is not wasted. Cheaper handles stick straight out from the pan or even worse, fold down. Try getting your potholder-covered hand through that handle easily. In addition, you should choose a rectangular pan with rounded corners that facilitate easy cleaning. The height of the sides of your pan should be 2.5 to 3 inches, which is the happy medium to allow air to circulate, yet won't allow hot juices to spill easily.
Additional items you may look for to go with your pan are forks and a rack. Heavy forks are very much appreciated at that moment when the roast or turkey must be transferred out of the pan.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about stainless roasting pans, then visit Bethany Payne's page on how to choose the best turkey roasting pan for your needs.
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