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 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: Turn OVEN TEMP knob to 325”F. Small poultry maybe cooked at 375”F. for best browning. (You may hear a slight clicking sound, indicating the oven is working properly. )
Step 4: Most meats continue to cook slightly while standing, after being removed from the oven. Standing time recommended for roasts is 10 to 20 minutes to allow roast to firm up and make it easier to carve. Internal temperature will rise about 5° to 10”F.; to compensate for temperature rise, if desired, remove roast from oven at 5° to 10”F. less than temperature on guide.
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 pounds, cooked at 300”F. with reduced time, 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 66tent” 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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