About Roasting and Baking

Spit-roasting was one of the earliest cooking methods. This technique involves placing the food on a rod that is turned either manually or with a motor. The radiant heat, given off by a fire or gas jets, cooks the item in much the same manner as grilling or broiling. Constant turning assures that the food cooks evenly and develops a good crust on all sides.

The tradition of serving roasted and grilled foods on toasted bread or a crouton began when pieces of bread were placed below the cooking food to trap escaping juices. In contemporary kitchens, drip pans are placed under the spit.

Roasting, as it is most commonly practiced today, however, is more similar to baking than it is to the original form of roasting.

Roasted foods are cooked through contact with dry, heated air held in a closed environment - an oven. As the outer layers become heated, the food's natural juices turn to steam and penetrate the food more deeply. The rendered juices, or pan-drippings, are the foundation for sauces prepared while the roast rests.

The flavor and aroma of a roasted food should contribute to an overall sensation of fullness, richness, and depth. This is due in part to the nature of the food and in part to the browning process. They should normally have a rich color, ranging from delicate gold colors to the nearly black color of a perfectly roasted rib of beef. The proper development of color has a direct bearing on the flavor. Items that are too pale lack not only eye appeal but also the depth of flavor associated with properly roasted foods.

Baking is the term associated with most portion-size foods that are cooked according to the techniques outlined here, including pork chops, potatoes, and squash. Still, this is not an ironclad rule. Garlic is roasted, hams are baked, and potatoes cooked in their skins are baked while those peeled and added to the roast's drippings or coated with oil are "oven-roasted".

Smoke-roasting is an adaptation of roasting that allows foods to take on a rich, smoky flavor. The foods cooks in a smoke bath, in a tightly closed roasting pan or smoking setup. This can be done over an open flame or in the oven.

Unlike smoked foods made in traditional charcuterie operations, the food does not have to be brined and cured before smoking. There are limitations and drawbacks, of course. Smoke-roasting does not preserve foods. Any food left too long in the smoke bath can develop an acrid, unappetizing aroma and taste.