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New oven, bottom 1/2 inch of roast not cooking
On 8 Oct 2003 06:10:31 -0700, (anonimoose123)
wrote:
>Bob Pastorio > wrote in message >...
>> anonimoose123 wrote:
>>
>> > I have a new gas oven and have noticed that with every roast so far
>> > (chicken, pork) the bottom 1/2 inch of meat does not cook. I've
>> > checked the oven temperature with a thermometer and no problem there.
>>
>> Why do you put water in a roasting pan? It won't keep then meat moist.
>> It will retard cooking. When it evaporates, it creates an area of
>> lowered temperature under the meat.
>
>I always thought a bit of water would help keep the meat moist. My
>recipe for roasted chicken called for some chicken broth at the bottom
>of the pan, which is later used for basting. I will definitely try
>the next one without the water.
Braising (cooking previously browned meat in a covered container with
a small amount of liquid) and roasting (exposing meat to dry oven
heat) are rather different processes. The puzzle is why this is a
*new* problem for you. Water baths are used for oven-cooked dishes
like custards to both even out the heat and expose the pan to
temperatures lower than 212F. You can boil water in a paper cup on an
electric coil because, until all the water vaporizes, it cools the
paper to well below the kindling temperature. If your "roast" rests in
water or broth, the submerged portion will be simmering, not roasting.
I just can't figure out why this method was *ever* satisfactory.
Roasts *do* exude fat and juice, but not usually in a quantity to
change roasting to boiling. In fact, the water content rather quickly
boils off to leave the "browned bits" one scrapes up for sauce. I'm
guessing that melted fat remains at a much higher temperature.
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