Guide to turkey roasting pans
If you plan to host Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll definitely need a roasting pan to prepare your turkey. And don’t even think about buying a disposable aluminum version, thinking that it’ll make for easier cleanup when dinner’s done.
A good roasting pan can serve you well beyond Turkey Day – it’s just the thing for making a big batch of lasagna or a casserole for a crowd, it can be used to roast a chicken or two, or an impressive crown roast or other cut of meat.
If you’re not sure what to look for when you’re shopping for a roasting pan, check out these shopping tips:
The right size and shape: Your roasting pan should be just big enough to accommodate the size turkey that you’ll be preparing, but not much bigger. A pan that’s too big will cause the precious drippings to burn rather than collect. A 9- by 13-inch pan is good for smaller turkeys (and is a standard size for most casserole or bar cookie recipes), while a 16- by 13-inch size is a nice option if you’ll be making turkeys that are 16 pounds or above. The Williams-Sonoma website has a handy chart of turkey weights and corresponding pan sizes. If you choose a larger pan, be sure to measure the interior of your oven to make sure it’ll fit.
Pans are available in an oval or rectangular shape, and the rectangular pans either have sharp corners or rounded corners. A rectangular pan will be more versatile if you plan to use it for cooking casseroles or bar cookies, and one with rounded edges and corners will be easier to clean as well as to make a good gravy.
Choose a manageable weight: While disposable foil pans or lightweight aluminum pans have an advantage that they’re not adding extra weight to an already heavy turkey when you need to heave the hot food out of the oven, a thin, flimsy pan can buckle under the weight of a large bird, and is more likely to heat unevenly. A better choice is a sturdy stainless steel or clad aluminum pan, which is approved for use on the stovetop. This way you can use it to melt butter or sear a roast before putting it in the oven, as well as to return it to the stovetop to make a pan gravy. Choose a pan that has some heft but isn’t so hefty that you’ll have trouble lifting it when it contains a 16-pound bird.
Avoid nonstick: It’s tempting to choose a nonstick coated pan. After all, those baked-on drippings are hard to scrub off after a long day of cooking and ating. But if you’re a fan of pan gravy, choose an uncoated pan instead. Nonstick pans don’t generate the same browned bits of goodness (called fond by culinary pros) that are the foundation of a good gravy. Plus, you’ll have to be more careful with a nonstick pan, avoiding metal tools or sharp utensil…. And even then, the nonstick coating will eventually scratch and flake, at which point you’ll need to retire the pan. A good uncoated stainless steel pan will last you for decades.
Make sure handles are comfortable: Especially if you’ve followed the aforementioned advice and invested in a sturdy, stainless steel pan, you’ll want to make sure that the handles are sturdy, easy to reach for in an oven, and offer a sure grip. If possible, try lifting the pan in the store to make sure that the handles will be easy to grip while wearing a bulky oven mitt. Raised, wide loop handles riveted to the pan will likely offer a comfortable and sturdy grip.
Rack or no rack? Experts are divided on whether a rack is necessary when roasting a turkey or other large cuts of meat. In a Fine Cooking article, two out of three experts lobby for the importance of a rack, while the third argues that the skin sticks to a rack, and the pan gets too hot without the food sitting in it, which causes the pan juices to burn off too quickly. Those in favor of a rack say that it is important to browning all sides of the bird, and that the pan drippings are clearer. If you don’t have a rack, you can improvise with balls or rolled “snakes” of aluminum foil, or even a bed of cut aromatic vegetables, such as carrots or quartered onions, which will also add more flavor to your pan juices.
Be sure to check out our other Thanksgiving cooking information:
A good roasting pan can serve you well beyond Turkey Day – it’s just the thing for making a big batch of lasagna or a casserole for a crowd, it can be used to roast a chicken or two, or an impressive crown roast or other cut of meat.
If you’re not sure what to look for when you’re shopping for a roasting pan, check out these shopping tips:
The right size and shape: Your roasting pan should be just big enough to accommodate the size turkey that you’ll be preparing, but not much bigger. A pan that’s too big will cause the precious drippings to burn rather than collect. A 9- by 13-inch pan is good for smaller turkeys (and is a standard size for most casserole or bar cookie recipes), while a 16- by 13-inch size is a nice option if you’ll be making turkeys that are 16 pounds or above. The Williams-Sonoma website has a handy chart of turkey weights and corresponding pan sizes. If you choose a larger pan, be sure to measure the interior of your oven to make sure it’ll fit.
Pans are available in an oval or rectangular shape, and the rectangular pans either have sharp corners or rounded corners. A rectangular pan will be more versatile if you plan to use it for cooking casseroles or bar cookies, and one with rounded edges and corners will be easier to clean as well as to make a good gravy.
Choose a manageable weight: While disposable foil pans or lightweight aluminum pans have an advantage that they’re not adding extra weight to an already heavy turkey when you need to heave the hot food out of the oven, a thin, flimsy pan can buckle under the weight of a large bird, and is more likely to heat unevenly. A better choice is a sturdy stainless steel or clad aluminum pan, which is approved for use on the stovetop. This way you can use it to melt butter or sear a roast before putting it in the oven, as well as to return it to the stovetop to make a pan gravy. Choose a pan that has some heft but isn’t so hefty that you’ll have trouble lifting it when it contains a 16-pound bird.
Avoid nonstick: It’s tempting to choose a nonstick coated pan. After all, those baked-on drippings are hard to scrub off after a long day of cooking and ating. But if you’re a fan of pan gravy, choose an uncoated pan instead. Nonstick pans don’t generate the same browned bits of goodness (called fond by culinary pros) that are the foundation of a good gravy. Plus, you’ll have to be more careful with a nonstick pan, avoiding metal tools or sharp utensil…. And even then, the nonstick coating will eventually scratch and flake, at which point you’ll need to retire the pan. A good uncoated stainless steel pan will last you for decades.
Make sure handles are comfortable: Especially if you’ve followed the aforementioned advice and invested in a sturdy, stainless steel pan, you’ll want to make sure that the handles are sturdy, easy to reach for in an oven, and offer a sure grip. If possible, try lifting the pan in the store to make sure that the handles will be easy to grip while wearing a bulky oven mitt. Raised, wide loop handles riveted to the pan will likely offer a comfortable and sturdy grip.
Rack or no rack? Experts are divided on whether a rack is necessary when roasting a turkey or other large cuts of meat. In a Fine Cooking article, two out of three experts lobby for the importance of a rack, while the third argues that the skin sticks to a rack, and the pan gets too hot without the food sitting in it, which causes the pan juices to burn off too quickly. Those in favor of a rack say that it is important to browning all sides of the bird, and that the pan drippings are clearer. If you don’t have a rack, you can improvise with balls or rolled “snakes” of aluminum foil, or even a bed of cut aromatic vegetables, such as carrots or quartered onions, which will also add more flavor to your pan juices.
Be sure to check out our other Thanksgiving cooking information:
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