Roasting is a cooking method that utilizes dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavor enhancement. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted. Any piece of meat, especially red meat, that has been cooked in this fashion is called a roast. Also, meats and vegetables prepared in this way are described as "roast", e.g., roast chicken or roast squash. Some foods such as coffee and chocolate are always roasted.

Until the late 19th century, roasting by dry heat in an oven was called baking. Roasting originally meant turning meat or a bird on a spit in front of a fire. It is one of the oldest forms of cooking known.

Traditionally recognized roasting methods consist only of baking and cooking over or near an open fire. Grilling is normally not technically a roast, since grilled meat is usually seasoned with wet ingredients or marinated. Smoking differs from roasting because of the lower temperature and controlled smoke application.

Roast meats and vegetables are usually basted on the surface with butter, lard or oil to reduce the loss of moisture by evaporation.

Meat

Most meat roasts are large cuts of meat, and have to cook for a long time. This meat may be moved during cooking, as on a spit or rotisserie, or roasted in place. A roast of meat is occasionally referred to as a joint, especially in Britain, or a Leg, if it is a leg. Red meats such as beef, lamb, and venison, and certain game birds are often roasted to be "pink" or "rare" meaning that the centre of the joint is still red. For hygiene reasons this practice is not common with pork and farmed poultry - although there is a growing fashion in some restaurants to serve "rose pork."

Coffee

See also: Coffee roasting

Coffee goes through two changes in the roast. In the first, the bean releases its internal water vapor, after which the bean 'cracks'. The second stage is caramelization. The level of caramelization defines the type of roast, from light to dark. After a second 'crack' the coffee begins to carbonize and generally the roasting is stopped at this point even for the darkest roast.

Other

Roasting is a preferred method of cooking for most poultry, and certain cuts of beef, pork, or lamb. Some vegetables, such as potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, turnips, parsnips, cauliflower, squash, and peppers lend themselves to roasting as well. Roasted chestnuts are also a popular snack in winter.

•  • [ e] Cooking Techniques
Cooking under heat	Baking Frying Deep-frying Boiling Braising Grilling/Broiling Roasting Sauting Stir frying Poaching Parboiling Steaming Pressure cooking Pressure frying Simmering
Cooking without heat	Smoking Marination
Food preservation	Canning Drying Pickling Refrigeration Salting Smoking
Par-cook	Blanching
Other Techniques	Creaming Fermenting Outdoor cooking Scalding Tempering

References

See also

• Roast Beef
• Low temperature cooking

External links

• Cooking times for roast meats.