Roasting

This is one of the oldest cookery methods. In its simplest form, roasting occurs when an item is exposed directly to heat from a flame, such as when using a spit or rotisserie to ensure even application of heat. Roasting results in caramelisation or Maillard browning of the exterior of the item being cooked. This seals the outside of the item and keeps the natural moisture inside.

In a commercial kitchen roasting is most often done in an oven, which gives you greater control over temperature and air flow. A trivet made of bones, vegetables or a metal stand is often used to ensure that the hot air can get to all surfaces of the meat. Some ovens have rotisserie arms to mount chickens or other meat and some large commercial ovens allow you to roast many items at once.

Food Items Suitable for Roasting

Equipment for Roasting

Familiarise yourself with the types of equipment used for roasting.

Temperature Requirements and Cooking Loss

Roasting temperature contributes greatly to the following:

• Tenderness
• Weight loss
• Breakdown of collagen and tissue

Roasting is most suited to tender items, such as primal meat cuts, chicken and eggplant. Temperature control and timing are important, as they directly affect the tenderness of the final product. High temperatures and long cooking times tend to result in dry, tough items.

High temperatures and long cooking times also increase the amount of cooking loss. The higher the temperature and the longer the cooking time, the more moisture is lost from the item. It is not as simple as roasting at low temperatures to minimise waste, however, because higher temperatures also result in a crisp exterior, which is often desirable.

Many recipes call for a high temperature at the start of the cooking to "set" the item and crisp the exterior, followed by a longer time at lower temperature to cook the item through without drying it out. Alternatively, the item may be cooked slowly at first and finished at a high temperature in the final stage of cooking.

Experiment with different cooking times and temperatures to see how much weight is lost. Being able to calculate the cooking loss is especially important for large functions, because a small difference in percentage loss can mean that you don't have enough to serve all your customers!

Also consider the trimming loss when calculating how much raw ingredient is needed to result in the desired amount on the plate. Weigh the trimmed item before cooking (e.g. 250g), roast it and then weigh it after it has been rested to see how much is left (e.g. 200g). Divide the difference between trimmed and cooked weights by the trimmed weight (50g ÷ 250g) and multiply it by 100 to get the cooking loss percentage (20%).

Larger pieces of meat, such as whole turkeys, are often slow-roasted at a low temperature for an extended period of time. This allows the centre of the meat to cook, without the outside drying out. Slow-roasting allows more time for the collagen and other connective tissue to be broken down inside the meat. Higher temperatures will not allow the internal collagen to completely break down.

You can also baste the meat by pouring or brushing fat over the item to keep it moist. Consider the dietary implications if you use this method!

Make sure that you adhere to your temperature requirements and monitor the cooking and trimming loss.

Doneness

The term doneness describes how much the inside of an item has been cooked. The doneness scale goes from very rare, which is sealed but basically uncooked, up to well done, which is completely cooked through. As an item progresses through the stages of doneness, the internal temperature will increase, the colour will change (red to brown for meat, transparent to opaque for fish and poultry) and the texture will get tougher.

The degree of doneness can be determined using a number of methods. The internal temperature of the item is an indicator of the degree of doneness. A meat thermometer can be pushed into the centre of the roast to indicate the internal temperature. Modern convection ovens allow you to insert a thermometer into the meat during cooking, so that the oven will switch off once a certain temperature is reached.

Veal, pork and poultry are generally cooked à point at a minimum. Well done veal has an internal temperature of 77°C. Well done pork and poultry have internal temperatures of 85°C.

Have a look at examples of various meat doneness at www.certifiedangusbeef.com.

This following table shows you the internal temperatures for each degree of doneness in red meat.

Roasting Applications

Roasting Vegetables, Legumes and Fruit

Roasting is a popular method of cookery for potatoes, pumpkins, onions, fennel, carrots, parsnips and other root and bulb vegetables. They should be cut up evenly, sprinkled with olive oil, seasoned and placed onto a flat roasting tray. They should not be piled up, as the heat will not penetrate the vegetables evenly. Adding fresh herb sprigs, garlic and onion slices enhances the appearance and flavour of the vegetables.

Starchy vegetables are sometimes placed under roasts to serve as mirepoix in sauces, or to be served with the meal, such as in the traditional roast dinner. Vegetables may need to be protected if placed in a hot oven, e.g. wrapping potatoes with alfoil.

Not all vegetables are suited to roasting. Because green vegetables have a very high water content, they tend to shrink and lose flavour and colour when roasted. Nightshade vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes can be roasted to intensify their flavour, as the natural sugars caramelise during the roasting process.

Capsicums may be roasted to blister the skin for easy removal, which results in a sweeter taste. The skin can be peeled off with your hands, or the roasted capsicum can be placed into a bag so that the steam helps separate the skin from the flesh.

Legumes and fruit are not generally roasted.

Roasting Farinaceous Items

Farinaceous is a term used for items containing flour or starch, such as pasta, rice and corn.

Roasting can be used to give rice an interesting taste. Dry roasting rice until it gains a golden tinge, then using regular cookery methods, results in a toasty flavour in the final product. Cereals such as barley, millet, rye and wheat can be roasted to prolong storage life. Spirits such as whisky and bourbon are made from roasted cereals.

Roasting Dairy Items

Dairy items are products derived from milk. This includes all types of milk such as goat’s milk, cow’s milk and milk alternatives such as soy milk. Products include milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and cheese varieties such as fresh, white mould, blue mould and hard.

Dairy products are not roasted by themselves, but are often used as part of a stuffing to provide contrast, texture and moisture. Milk is used to soften the bread used in stuffing and cheese can be diced and added to provide extra flavour. Feta cheese and other fresh cheeses are well suited to this purpose.

Roasting Protein Items

Protein items are food products that supply the body with protein. This includes meat, seafood, poultry, game, nuts and legumes.

Most meat is ideal for roasting. Pork and lamb are self-basting due to their natural fat content and most tender joints of meat are suitable. Joints can be roasted on the bone, or the bones can be removed and the space stuffed for additional flavour. If the bones have been removed, netting or string is often used to keep the shape and ensure even cooking and the bones can be used as a trivet. Forequarter cuts should be cooked at a slightly lower temperature than hindquarter cuts, because they have more collagen that needs to be converted into gelatine.

Many roasted items are popular due to the crispy texture of the skin, such as pork crackling and duck skin. This can be achieved in 2 ways. For pork the skin is rubbed with salt and oil, placed in a hot oven (240°C) and cooked until it blisters. When roasting whole joints with the skin on, follow the normal roasting process, which softens the skin, then finish in a hot oven to make the crackling.

Note: The cooking time will vary if you remove the bones! Bones or metal skewers transfer the heat, meaning that the heat penetrates to the inside more quickly.

Not all beef cuts are suitable for roasting. If you want to roast forequarter joints, then only younger animals should be used. Traditionally, if older animals or cuts such as topside were used, then larding with bacon fat and back fat was done to provide extra moisture. There was debate about whether this worked, as the incisions that were necessary to insert the fat with the larding needle could also allow moisture to be released. Larding is no longer common practice due to the amount of labour required, the availability of younger animals and the use of more appropriate cuts.

Note: Larding was classically used to provide additional moisture to furred game that had been hung in order to achieve the characteristic haut-goût flavour of game.

Leg joints can be marinated in mustard and herbs for a few days to soften the fibres. This extends the shelf life and also provides extra flavour and caramelisation during the roasting process.

Poultry is often roasted as it is also self-basting due to the fattiness of the skin. Roasting makes the skin crisp and appealing to eat. Poultry is trussed (tied up) to maintain its shape and allow for even cooking. Trussing also gives the breast a nicer shape, which enhances presentation on the plate.

Roasting Other Protein Items

Some game birds are leaner due to their diet and lifestyle, so they require additional basting. Barding with thin strips of bacon fat placed over the meat is done to help prevent the bird from drying out. An alternative to this approach is to lift the breast skin and place herb butter, chorizo or even truffle under the skin for additional flavour and/or moisture.

Chef's Hint: Older game birds are usually braised because the meat is generally tougher and barding does not provide enough moisture.

Furred game can be roasted but care must be taken, as the meat is very lean and can become dry. Whole joints are well suited to roasting and whole, young rabbits or other small game can be roasted on a rotisserie. Meat from larger game should be kept underdone to maximise the inherent moisture.

The tenderness of seafood and its quick cooking time mean that roasting is rarely used. If you are using a rotisserie, then special wire baskets will be required to prevent the fish from falling apart. This is sometimes done for plate-sized fish or thicker fillets. Salt-roasting is another option, where the fish is encased in a salt crust, roasted in the oven and then dramatically served to the customer by cracking the crust to reveal the flavoursome fish.

Roasted nuts are a popular wintertime treat throughout the world. Roasting creates a crunchy texture, enhances the flavour and makes the nuts easy to peel. Nuts such as chestnuts and hazelnuts can be roasted in the oven, over hot coals, or buried in hot sand or salt. They can be used as a garnish for game dishes, caramelised for desserts, or by themselves as a nutritious snack.

Seeds are also often roasted with a bit of oil on a tray. Simply keep some of the pumpkin seeds when cleaning a fresh pumpkin, dry them slightly and then place them onto a tray with olive oil and sea salt, roast them in the oven and use them as garnish on fresh salads for different texture and colour.

Note: Make sure you cut chestnuts before roasting, otherwise they will explode!

Menu Examples Using Roasting