Roasting vegetables

I need an excuse to turn on the oven, so I'm going to roast some vegetables. Two questions:

Beets -- All the recipes call for wrapping each beet separately in foil. If I put a half-dozen unwrapped beets in a covered container, will I get the same effect? (Meaning cooked beets that will allow the skin to peel off easily.) Or is the individual wrapping important?

Zucchini -- Is there a secret to crisp, flavorful roasted zucchini? Mine always turns out either burned and stuck to the pan or limp, soggy, and tasteless. Different recipes call for adding oil before cooking vs. no oil and using parchment paper, and salt before cooking vs. no salt before cooking because salt makes the zucchini exude water. But I never have much luck. Maybe it's time to buy an air fryer.


In my experience, unless they’re small, your beets will be rocks unless individually wrapped or chopped up small. Also, I’ve never had crisp zucchini that were roasted/baked; I’m guessing you’d need to either batter them or deep-fry them. 


for zucchini, it seems like the trick is cutting it thin and adding some kind of coating to it.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=crispy+roasted+zucchini


We cut our beets into french-fry-type strips, and they turn out great roasted with olive oil (uncovered).

ETA: It's been a while, but I think we usually do something similar to this recipe (maybe also add some pepper): 

https://cookieandkate.com/perfect-roasted-beets/


It's not quite what you're after hear but my wife tried a trick she saw on a cooking show with Valerie Bertinelli. She takes some of those baby potatoes and boils them to a good softness. Then she dries them on paper towels and puts them on a cookie sheet. Smash 'em down with the bottom of a drinking glass and toss it in the oven. I forget the temp and for how long but when I bit into the first one she gave me it was like tasting gelato in Rome for the first time. It didn't use a lot of oil and you can season them to taste so get as healthy or sinful as you. My new favorite French fry technique.


I always find I get the best results - with cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, etc. - with a higher oven temp than I usually like. It means you have to keep a close eye on the baking sheets and be ready to pull them out at a moment’s notice, but it makes them nice and brown at the edges. 


Place the empty sheet pan in the hot oven for 5 minutes before adding whatever veg to it. 


blackcat said:

Place the empty sheet pan in the hot oven for 5 minutes before adding whatever veg to it. 

While I'm guessing that's helpful for searing in the moisture and/or sweetness of the veggies, I can see it leading to burning myself when I'm putting the veggies on the sheet pan, and arranging them.


sprout said:

blackcat said:

Place the empty sheet pan in the hot oven for 5 minutes before adding whatever veg to it. 

While I'm guessing that's helpful for searing in the moisture and/or sweetness of the veggies, I can see it leading to burning myself when I'm putting the veggies on the sheet pan, and arranging them.

Oven glove and tongs. 

I have a cast-iron pan that I only use to roast veggies. 

Put it in the oven as long as I can before dumping the veggies in. They come out awesome. 



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