There is absolutely one piece of cookware that each family's cook needs in their arsenal of pots and pans and that is the proper roasting pan. How important can it be to choosing the best roasting pan for you when you might only use it a couple of times a year? Cooking a turkey or a big ham at Thanksgiving and Christmas can require a large and sturdy one. Here are a couple of tips on how to choose the right one for you.
Size and Depth
A roasting pan should be big enough so food won't touch the sides while it is cooking. The pan should allow enough space for the air to circulate and brown the entire bird or heat the ham.
An often overlooked factor is will the roasting pan fit into your oven? What a complete disaster you could be facing when you go to put the turkey into the oven only to find out it won't fit!
To make sure that your pan will fit into your oven, you will need to determine the internal dimensions of your oven between at the narrowest width - meaning not from the side of the oven to the other side of the oven. You have to examine the lip on each side wall of the oven where the rack slides in and out. You need to measure from the edge of this lip to the opposite side lip to get your clear width dimension.
Don't forget you might also need a little extra room to accommodate the handles of your pan and the oven mitts on your hands when placing or removing the pan.
How deep should your pan be? The sides of your pan need to be high enough to contain the juices from the meat without overflowing into your oven. Sides that are 2-1/2 inches to 3 inches tall should be fine. A taller height of 3 inches to 4 inches can also allow for vegetables to be placed along the sides of the meat being roasted.
Now armed with this information, you are now ready to find the right size roasting pan for your oven. Remember, you can always have more than one pad for different size meats such as chicken, roast and turkey.
Handles and Sturdiness
There are a two different ways handles are mounted on the pan. Handles can be mounted so they extend out horizontally from the sides of the pan. This makes lifting the pan out of the oven easier but at the same time the handles cut down on the cooking area inside the oven. Handles that are mounted vertically can save you space within the oven but can make it more difficult to lift the roasting pan out of the oven.
No matter which type of handles you prefer or decide upon, it is most important that the handles be riveted onto the metal of the pan. Riveted handles are the most secure and the strongest. You want to be in full control when maneuvering an extremely hot pan with hot oil and juices in it.
As far as sturdiness of the pan is concerned, you probably want to have a heavy roasting pan for bigger and heavier meats and dishes. You will want to be able to support the weight and avoid an awful accident. Simply Calphalon makes a nice nonstick pan that is strong enough for heavy dishes. Thinner pans might twist or bend with heavy foods in it possibly creating a potentially dangerous situation or accident with hot oils and juices.
Some people prefer to own a couple or three roasting pans. From a thin one maybe without handles to a thicker, more sturdy type to support heavier foods.
Whenever buying a roasting pan, you should consider these couple of features to make your future meal preparation better, easier and safer.
For finding the best
roasting pan, I recommend this brand <"http://simplycalphalon.com/alb/roastingpan" >Simply Calphalon Cookware and you can find good reviews on Calphalon there.
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