Welcome to another episode of ‘Lost & Found’. Today, we look at a simple tip that guarantees perfect, crispy, golden roasted potatoes every time. And if you react like I did – you’ll be kicking yourself for having forgotten it!
Perfect Roasted Potatoes
I keep thinking it’s a dark cue that Alzheimer’s is coming on. But I have been assured I am not on the road to dementia (where you end up ‘not knowing if you’re coming or going’). Not yet, anyway.
Nevertheless…
I have been marvelling at myself lately for having forgotten so many simple, effective and – in many cases – essential tips and hacks for producing perfect dishes.
When I saw the photo accompanying Ivy Manning’s The Kitchen post on roasted potatoes, I was im-mediately reminded of my Mom’s and both of my grandmothers’ incredible, full-flavoured, perfectly browned roasties. I even seem to remember making them myself a long, long time ago. But over the years, I lost the secret. Until I stumbled upon Ivy’s exposé…
She sounded as though she had been having the same memory issues as I was.
“There are a million recipes for roasted potatoes out there, from the British-style boil-them-first ‘roasties’ to simple sheet tray versions with a rainbow of seasonings,” Ivy explains. “But they all fail for me in one important way: They tend to stick to the pan.”
“No matter how much oil I use, or how much I stir them, I end up jabbing at the spuds with a spatula to loosen them from the pan,” she laments. “- Often leaving behind the crusty bits I was most excited for.”
Been there. Done that. Hated it.
A simple solution…
But Ivy has rediscovered the secret. “[A] trick I learned in Italy remedies this and produces the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had. It’s so simple, I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before: Preheat the roasting pan.”
That’s it. That’s all.
Just prep the spuds for roasting as usual. Peel them or not, pre your preference. Toss in a little Olive oil blessed with your choice of herbs and/or spices. And spread out on a PRE-HEATED baking sheet in a single layer, not touching.
“By putting a sheet pan in a cold oven and preheating it to 425 F, not only does the pan become less sticky, but it also creates a better sear on the potatoes, so they have a thicker layer of browned goodness on them than conventional roasted potato recipes.” Ivy explains.
“Bonus: Less sticking means the sheet pan will be a breeze to clean (no more scraping, soaking, or cleaning hacks required).”
There’s science behind it
A physicist or engineer would tell you the secret is all at the ‘micro’ level…
“It makes total sense if you stop and think about it. When sautéeing in a stainless steel (not nonstick) pan, experienced cooks know to heat it for a bit before adding oil and the ingredients. That’s because cold metal is porous.” Ivy learned.
“When you heat a metal sauté pan, the metal expands, making the pores on its surface smaller, thereby making the cooking surface smoother and less sticky. The same principle applies to sheet pans — heating them up makes them virtually nonstick.”
My take
Of course! The fundamental rule I let drift away from my culinary consciousness has ALWAYS been: ‘Pre-heat the pan!’ What I forgot is, that goes for ALL roasting, frying, sautéeing, searing and grilling pans. Not just some, where pre-heating is specifically called for in the recipe instructions.
Pre-heating the pan is a rule we should all follow when roasting or frying anything!
~ Maggie J.