Best Roasting Pan for Convection
As Thanksgiving approaches grocery and cookware stores begin to create displays that feature roasting pans, basting tubes, and other items considered necessary to cook a turkey feast. While some of these supplies may be essential when I see those disposable deep turkey roasting pans and basting tubes it is a reminder that despite the great cooking tools such as convection in our modern ovens, many people are still roasting the turkey using an old fashioned cooking method.
How Convection Makes Roasting a Turkey Easier
Using a Convection mode to roast a large turkey not only ensures a juicy flavorful turkey, the turkey cooks faster and requires no turning or basting. Best of all, once the turkey is removed from the oven to rest all the oven side dishes can be added to the oven and cooked at the same time. By the time the turkey has rested, gravy has been made and the turkey carved the piping hot side dishes will be ready to serve.
When turkey is roasted in convection the heated air circulates around the oven cooking the turkey from the edge to the center. In order for the turkey to cook evenly it should be placed on a rack in a shallow pan so the heated air can cook the turkey from the edge to the center.
When the turkey is placed directly in a high-sided pan the heat of the pan leeches moisture from the turkey and the high sides prevent the heat from cooking the turkey evenly.
How to Find the Perfect Roasting Pan
Shallow sided roasting pans that have a rack can be found online but you can also make use of pans and racks that may already be in your cupboard. In this video (link to new video) I show how a turkey can be roasted on a rimmed baking sheet with a rack or heat tolerant silicone trivet. A V-rack placed in a shallow-sided baking pan is another good option.
To learn more about different methods for roasting turkey in convection check out these videos:
Convection Roasting Tips Thanksgiving Turkey
How to Roast a Spatchock Turkey in Convection
How to Roast a Heritage Turkey in Convection
Tips for Preparing a Thanksgiving Feast in Convection
Thanksgiving Vegetable Side Dishes
If you are not roasting a turkey you will also find many other recipes with guidelines for convection and steam cooking that will guide you to make good use of the amazing technology featured in our modern ovens. I hope these resources will help you understand how to successfully orchestrate the cooking of a large feast so you can enjoy your Thanksgiving.
