Roasting
Roasting is cooking by dry heat. Tender meat or poultry can be roasted uncovered in your oven. Roasting temperatures, which should be low and steady, keep spattering to a minimum. When roasting, it is not necessary to sear, baste, cover or add water to your meat.
Roasting is really a baking procedure used for meats. Therefore, oven controls are set to BAKE or TIME BAKE. (You may hear a slight clicking sound, indicating the oven is working properly. ) Roasting is easy; just follow these steps:
Step 1: Check weight of meat, and place, fat side up, on roasting rack in a shallow pan. (Broiler pan with rack is a good pan for this. ) Line broiler pan with aluminum foil when using pan for marinating, cooking with fruits, cooking heavily cured meats, or for basting food during cooking. Avoid spilling these materials on oven liner or door.
Step 2: Place in oven on shelf in A or B position. No preheating is necessary.
Step 3: ‘Ibrn OVEN SET to BAKE and OVEN TEMP to 325°F. Small poultry may be cooked at 375”F. for best browning.
Step 4: Most meats continue to cook slightly while standing, after being removed from the oven. For rare or medium internal doneness, if meat is to stand 10to 20 minutes while making gravy, or for easier carving, you may wish to remove meat from oven when internal temperature is 5 to 10°F. below temperature suggested in guide.
If no standing is planned, cook meat to suggested temperature in
guide on opposite page.
N(YI’E: You may wish to use TIME BAKE, as described on pages 31 and 32, to turn oven on and off automatically.
Remember that food will continue to cook in the hot oven and therefore should be removed when the desired internal temperature has been reached.
For Frozen Roasts
●Frozen roasts of beef, pork, lamb, etc., can be started without thawing, but allow 10 to 25 minutes per pound additional time (10 minutes per pound for roasts under 5 pounds, more time for larger roasts).
●Thaw most frozen poultry before roasting to ensure even doneness. Some commercial frozen poultry can be cooked successfully without thawing. Follow directions given on packer’s label.
Questions and Answers
Q. Is it necessary to check for doneness with a meat thermometer?
A. Checking the finished internal temperature at the completion of cooking time is recommended. Temperatures are shown in Roasting Guide on opposite page. For roasts over 8 lbs., cooked at 300°F. with reducedtime, check with thermometer at
Q. Why is my roast crumbling when I try to carve it?
A. Roasts are easier to slice if allowed to cool 10 to 20 minutes after removing from oven. Be sure to cut across the grain of the meat.
Q. Do I need to preheat my oven each time I cook a roast or poultry?
A. It is rarely necessary to preheat your oven, only for very small
roasts, which cook a short length_‘. of time.
Q. When buying a roast, are
there any special tips that would help me cook it more evenly?
A. Yes. Buy a roast as even in thickness as possible, or buy rolled roasts.
Q. Can I seal the sides of my foil “tent” when roasting a turkey?
A. Sealing the foil will steam the meat. Leaving it unsealed allows the air to circulate and brown the meat.
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