What makes a good roasting pan

Cuisinart covers its roasting pan with a limited lifetime warranty that protects against manufacturer defects. However, we did discover some slight discoloration from acid after roasting five halved lemons with whole chickens in our pan. This model has a straight-cut edge, not a bent lip like our runner-up and upgrade picks. The straight lip causes slight dribbling when pouring pan juices.

But given that this roaster is an outstanding performer and an excellent value, this tiny flaw is not a dealbreaker. We really like the Cuisinart roasting pan.

The more we use it, the more we like it. We used this pan to roast chicken and lemons recently and it did a fantastic job, producing golden skin on the chicken and making the lemons soft and pulpy. When our top pick inevitably sells out in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, the comparably priced Anolon Tri-ply Clad Roaster with Nonstick Rack is a good alternative.

Like our other tri-ply picks, this fully clad pan distributes heat well in the oven and on the stovetop. The only issue we have with the Anolon roaster is the channel that collects oil and liquids around the perimeter. The golden, juicy turkey we roasted in this pan would be a swoon-worthy centerpiece on any holiday table. When it came time to make gravy on the stovetop, however, we had to tilt and maneuver the Anolon a bit to whisk a consistent roux and smooth gravy, because liquids ran off the raised center.

We had a similar issue searing chicken on the stovetop, because the oil gathered along the sides, away from the chicken pieces. Its bent lip makes clean work of pouring pan drippings into a fat separator, and the rounded roasting rack has a lot of surface area for larger turkeys. However, the rack is nonstick coated, so opt for a gentle scouring sponge when cleaning.

The KitchenAid Tri-ply Stainless Steel Roaster is a sturdy, fully clad tri-ply roaster that performed on a par with our top pick, but costs twice as much. It features a flat bottom that offered the same stovetop searing and gravy-making performance as our top pick, the Cuisinart.

The slightly larger, thicker, and heavier KitchenAid roaster also has a bent lip to make pouring off pan juices easier—a feature the Cuisinart lacks. And the spacious roasting rack offers more surface area than any other V-style rack we tested. The interior heat circulation in the KitchenAid roaster is similar to that of the Cuisinart, yielding a mostly golden turkey with small spots of pale skin under the wings. And like our top pick, the flat cooking surface let us easily sear crispy-skinned chicken pieces and whisk a smooth gravy on the stove.

But nonstick coating has a tendency to flake off with age and use, so be sure to clean the rack with a Dobie pad or other gentle scouring sponge. A nice feature of the KitchenAid roaster is its bent lip, which allows you to cleanly and accurately pour off pan juices into something like a fat separator. Granite Ware inch Covered Oval Roaster F is a good pick for those who only want something to use for roasting the annual turkey.

Our testing found that it was capable of roasting a turkey well, but not much else. The Granite Ware does not have a rack, but the turkey cooked well regardless. The handles are on the small side, you can still grab them with mitts or towels. Making gravy on the stovetop was serviceable but far from ideal. The channels in the bottom of the pan make it difficult to scrape fond and whisk a smooth gravy, and heat is centralized over the burners due to the lack of a heat-conducting aluminum core.

The lack of a core also lead to a complete failure in the one-pan chicken meal test. Chicken skin stuck to the bottom when searing, and the whole pan buckled and twisted from the direct heat. The bent lip let us cleanly pour off pan juices, and the included flat rack as opposed to a V rack holds roasts and poultry of various sizes and shapes.

If you like one-pan meals or weekly Sunday roasts, this pan will serve you well. In our tests, the All-Clad roasted turkey was the only one with an all-over deep golden color that extended down around the wings.

This roaster outperformed the competition at searing chicken, consistently rendering and browning each piece. Our one-pan chicken dinner from the All-Clad had the crispiest skin and most flavorful caramelized vegetables, though the one made in the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro was a very close second. Instead of a V-rack, which is specific to poultry and oblong cuts of meat, the All-Clad comes with a flat rack, which lets you prop up roasts, whole fish, or pork shoulder for all-over radiant heat contact.

We tested the large, and it was plenty big for a pound turkey or a one-pan chicken dinner. The flat bottom made scraping fond and whisking roux and gravy easy. All-Clad tri-ply cookware is very easy to clean. And when the holidays come around, it can accommodate up to a pound turkey. It's recommended that this pan be hand-washed to preserve the quality of the nonstick surface. The best thing about the lid that comes with this roasting pan is that it can also be used as another roaster, so you're essentially getting two pans for the price of one.

Tapered rims allow for mess-free pouring and the dishwasher safe stainless steel cleans easily and looks good as new after each wash. This roaster will become a staple for holiday meals for years to come.

A layer of aluminum between two layers of stainless steel makes this roasting pan heavy duty while also ensuring even heat distribution. Inverted handles help to maximize oven space while also making the pan easy to transport.

The pan can be used for a variety of cooking methods including induction, stovetop, oven, grill, and broiler, as well as being refrigerator and dishwasher safe. Not only is this sage-blue roasting pan with gold handles the prettiest one we've ever seen, but it's also made with a nontoxic ceramic coating that won't release toxins while cooking.

It's safe for use in up to degrees, dishwasher safe, and suitable for all cooktops. While it's beautiful enough for serving your prized main dish on special occasions, it's easy-to-clean surface also makes it ideal for serving your favorite casseroles any time of the year. Le Creuset is known for the even heat distribution their cookware offers and their Signature Roaster is no exception. It can be used with or without a roasting rack for cooking meats, vegetables, casseroles, and even desserts.

The interior of the Calphalon roasting pan includes three layers of nonstick coating to ensure food releases easily. One reviewer shared that it, "cleaned like a dream. This flat roasting pan is more compact than some of the larger roasting pans but can still deliver quality flavor.

Aluminium is a fantastic heat conductor but on its own, it can be lightweight. Stainless steel has the benefit of being easy to clean, since it resists taking on marks. It also helps to create the lovely, sticky fond on the bottom of the pan, which makes for delicious gravy.

Cast iron is a happy heat conductor but it can be rather heavy especially if you often roast large joints. It is efficient, hardy and, when enamelled, super easy to clean. It also retains heat well so it can keep your meat warm when used to serve the table.

Stoneware, a fire-treated clay, has great heat-transferring and retaining capabilities. With handles, the length extends to 18 inches. It also comes in two smaller sizes, 15 inches and 13 inches.

The following comments are a compilation of the pros and cons of this cookware, as reviewed by verified purchasers at Amazon. At the time of this writing, the majority of reviewers were happy with the performance of this roaster. On the negative side, there are numerous complaints of the pan arriving with chips in the porcelain and large patches with no coating at all — quality control seems a bit iffy.

Several have also complained about the thinness of the steel, which results in hot spots and burning. Also, there are a number of comments about the lid not fitting properly, as it often slips into the pan itself. Read customer reviews and check prices now.

And that concludes our look at the best roasting pans on the market today. All in all, we think that the Viking offering is a superb choice for most people who want heirloom quality and the Calaphon Contemporary is almost as good, a great option for the more budget minded.

Recently retired as a costume specialist in the TV and film industry, Lorna now enjoys blogging on contemporary lifestyle themes. Thanks for this information. I have been having a lot of problems with my pans and they are very ugly. Now i know the little secrets in selecting the best. Glad you found the post helpful ellyjude, a good product can make a big difference in the results we get. Thanks for this thorough post!

I appreciate the effort — it must have taken a lot of time to test all those. I like that you have shown items in different price ranges. It is nice to see that some roasters will come with a rack.

It is just big enough for a small ham. When we want to cook our turkey we simply just buy the cheap aluminum versions from the dollar store. Then once we are done we throw it away. The down side is, you will have to wash it…. I do not think you really have to worry about the aluminum seeping into the meat or anything, at least I really hope not.

I am a big fan of the disposable pans too, but Lorna is right in that in the long run, you might as well spend a little money and a good one that can last you for a long time. Glad to see a nice review of everything to consider here, though, and that certainly always helps. I love the content here at Foodal. Never ceases to entertain and inform me! So glad I found you guys. Thanks for providing great info for us—we need it!

Thus, normally I would choose price over anything else. I appreciate all the information presented here. I would have thought that enameled cast iron are pretty and worth considering, but the heads up about it being prone to chipping or cracking sure gives me pause now. Glad you found the post to be informative saravet. I have selected some of the best pans for my kitchen thanks to the tips in this article.

I am now looking forward to some more articles regarding kitchen tools. I am planning to put up a master kitchen before i get married on April this year. Elly, we have a bunch of tool guides on Foodal. I had it frozen and decided to finally make it. Well the first issue was not having a pan large enough for it. It worked okay, I guess… ham tasted fine and everything, but for issue 2, all that water that cooked out of it nearly overflowed the top of my pan.

What a mess I would have had! This is one of the best product reviews I believe I have ever read. Thank you!! I have an oven a hair under 17 inches wide so I was really interested in the Viking handles to save on width.

But it turns out at least on amazon that the specs for that are incorrect. Going to have to return it and keep looking. Viking pan is very sturdy and induction capable for making pan gravy afterward. After some research and looking at positive reviews this is the best for my brisket. We use our Weber kettle grill most of the time for cooking chickens and turkeys. I will give it a few rounds and I will update this post to let you guys know.