The #1 Tip for Extra-Crispy Roasted Vegetables (2024)

FAQs

The #1 Tip for Extra-Crispy Roasted Vegetables? ›

Yes, cornstarch—that box in your pantry is the secret to a super-crispy exterior on veggies, from potatoes to cauliflower.

Turns out, there's a simple ingredient that can boost the crispiness of roasted vegetables and most of us already have it in our pantry: cornstarch! Yes, the same ingredient chefs use to make velvety sauces and gravies can also add a satisfying layer of crispiness to roasted vegetables.

The Oven Temp Is Too Low

A low-and-slow cooking technique is excellent for vegetables like carrots, beets or potatoes that you plan to puree into soup. But, they'll turn out soft and soggy instead of crispy and caramelized. The solution: Turn the oven temperature up to 400°F to 425°F.

Vegetables need to roast in a single layer without overlapping one another on the baking sheet. This will allow the air to circulate and crisp the outsides (otherwise, the veggies will steam and not crisp). Use Enough Olive Oil. Oil is necessary for the vegetables to caramelize.

The next time you roast vegetables, add some cornstarch. Yes, cornstarch—that box in your pantry is the secret to a super-crispy exterior on veggies, from potatoes to cauliflower. Cornstarch is commonly used to coat proteins like chicken or beef to achieve a crispy exterior, so why not use it with vegetables?

You want to see a bit of space around the veggies — don't be afraid to split them between two baking sheets if you need to. Crowding will make the vegetables steam instead of roast, and that's the opposite of what we're going for. Also, make sure your oven is good and hot before you put the vegetables in to roast.

For vegetables, chicken, and just about everything else, olive oil and ghee are our first choices for roasting at temperatures over 400°F. Not only do they help food cook up with the crispiness you crave, but each one also imparts its own unique flavor that you just don't get from neutral oils like grapeseed or canola.

A: Yes, when roasting vegetables, parchment paper is better than foil. Recent research in the International Journal of Electrochemical Science suggests that when we use aluminum foil during cooking, some aluminum leaches into food.

Moving the pan closer to one of the elements can help. I find that I get lots more crispy edges when I roast vegetables on a rack in the upper third of the oven. Use the convection feature on your oven, if you have one. The fan helps better circulate hot air.

How to re-crisp vegetables? ›

Place the Produce in Ice Water.

For most produce, you can submerge the food in a bucket or large bowl of ice water. Then, put the container with the vegetables in the fridge to keep the water cool. Let the food soak for 15 to 30 minutes. Heartier produce, such as root vegetables, may need longer, or up to one hour.

Lower Position: Bottom Browning

Use the lower position when you're looking for that bottom crust. Sheet pan pizza, roasted veggies, and a cast iron brownie all benefit from the lower oven rack position.

I've found this is most important for the root and winter vegetables and potatoes, which all take longer to cook in general. Line your pan with parchment paper. This is one of my favorite tips. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems to help the vegetables brown a bit better, and makes for super easy clean up.

There is no need to cover vegetables when roasting. Covering them creates steam, so they won't get as crispy and caramelized. Don't forget to stir once or twice while cooking so the vegetables get nicely browned on all sides. Other than that, you can't really go wrong.

The new process involves reducing blanching temperatures and adding a brief holdng period to allow a naturally occurring enzyme to "fix" the crispness in fruits and vegetables. The enzyme, pectin methyesterase, reverses some of the softening effects of cooking.

Storage: Keep them cold, sealed, and unwashed.

This particular veggie family is fairly low maintenance. Just get them into a sealed container, and tuck them into the fridge. Don't wash or trim them. Any excess moisture will cause the leaves to lose their crispness.

Dipping cauliflower florets in a wet dredge of water, oil, cornstarch, and flour makes them remarkably crunchy. When developing a recipe for air-fried Buffalo cauliflower, the one thing I knew it needed to be was crispy.