Learn the Essentials of Choosing a Stainless Roasting Pan, from Construction and Shape to Indispensable Extras

By Bethany Boylan

Do you love cooking a holiday meal for your family? There is nothing like the smell of the roast in the oven. But for creating a perfectly roasted turkey, you need the best stainless roasting pan. If you end up with an inferior roasting pan, it could result in meat that is burnt in some areas and raw in others, scorched gravy, and a pan that is too hard to get out of the oven.

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.

There are deals on pans that include handy extras. A rack is one. My favorite extra is heavy forks. Even if I only use my forks once a year to lift that heavy turkey out of the pan onto my serving platter, they were worth it. - 30289

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