There are two kinds of roasts. One happens on Comedy Central and the other in my oven. Let’s talk about the one that tastes better!
Since I have been taking classes at ICE, many have been kind enough to offer encouragement and also have asked me to share what I learn. Perfect thing for a food blogger! So I have decided to write a “techniques series”. I have been learning so many new things at school that I thought I will try to write a little bit about the technique and how I applied it to creating my very own signature recipes. Seriously, school never tasted so good!
Roasting may be one of the easiest of all cooking techniques. My oven does all the work while I can chill. Simply put, roasting is nothing but cooking food in an uncovered pan in the oven. It is a dry cooking technique, as opposed to wet techniques like stewing or braising. The concept is that the dry, hot air surrounds the food and cooks it evenly on all sides. Large cuts of meat usually work best; whole turkeys or chickens or large cuts of tenderloins are good candidates. Roasting also works well for certain vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, beets, and winter squash, as it concentrates their natural sugars and intensifies their flavor. Depending on the food you’re preparing, you can roast at low, moderate, or high temperatures. One important tip: Always allow for 10 to 20 mins of resting time before serving. Large cuts of meat tend to retain enough internal heat and they continue to cook out of the oven, up to an added 8 to 10 degrees. Smaller cuts that do not have enough mass will only cook more by a couple of degrees. Either way, the main reason that meats should rest is to allow the juices to redistribute. If you slice into a roast chicken or beef roast immediately upon pulling it out of the oven, all the juices would pour out onto the platter and the resulting meat would be dry.
So while, roasting itself is quite easy (and there are a ton of recipes out there to roast whatever you want!), I decided to try something “signature” with the leftovers from my roast chicken. Diced or shredded, tender juicy roast chicken is perfect in these concoctions that take it to the next level!
