Hack: roasting vegetables

Roasted vegetables are one of the most frequently suggested meals among my friends when people don’t feel like cooking. Just throw some in the oven and you’re done, right? Yet the result can be disappointing. With this tip, your vegetables will always come out of the oven perfectly.

So I actually don’t like roasted vegetables at all. At least not the way most people I know make them. Throwing aubergine, courgette and bell pepper into the oven together with some olive oil and salt, after which you usually end up chewing on hard, undercooked or instead overcooked pieces. No thanks. It really doesn’t make me happy. Except when you use this trick. Don’t slide the rack your vegetables are sitting on into the middle of the oven; instead, place it on the bottom of the oven.

Top or bottom?

Do you always slide that tray into the middle of the oven? Logical, everyone does that. However, most of the heat comes from the bottom of the oven, meaning that with this technique you get the same effect as putting your vegetables in a preheated pan. At least, that’s what I read on Bon Appetit. This immediately sears the outside properly, while the inside then cooks through the heat in the oven. This gives you a beautiful golden-brown exterior, without burnt bits or overcooked carrots.

Cauliflower

I tried it with cauliflower, one of the few vegetables I roast in the oven with any regularity, and sure enough. The cauliflower florets that are usually just a little too brown for my liking were perfectly golden-brown this time, just as the inside had cooked through. Yes! It is important to cut your vegetables into equally sized pieces so that they cook evenly. I can also easily imagine that this technique works for extra delicious fried potatoes, but I still have to try that out.