Yes, everybody makes basic cooking mistakes. Like, say, something as simple as overcooking mushrooms or toasting grains and spices. Below, reader Amy Stephens confesses to scorching roasted vegetables to associate food editor Rick Martinez. Here’s Martinez's advice for making sure it never happens again. Welcome to Effed it Up.
__Dear Rick, rescuer of blackened roasted veggies everywhere,__Last night, I scorched my roasted veggies. I mixed up a sauce—balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, plus salt and pepper—to put on my vegetables before roasting. Next I checked on them, let's just say it "caramelized" the pan quite nicely. As in, it blackened the bottoms of every last vegetable. What happened? How do I prevent this?
Thanks,
Amy
Dear Amy,
I'm sorry to hear about your blackened vegetables—you and your veggies deserve better. When roasting anything—meat, fish, and vegetables—you have to think about sugar. What do I mean by that? When adding sugar into sauces, marinades, and rubs, you have to be careful, because the sugar runs the risk of caramelizing and burning before your food has completely cooked through.
That's not to say you shouldn't add sugar to your roasted food. Adding sugar, especially brown sugar, is a great way to endow your roasted food with extra flavor and depth. Just rethink when and where you add it.
One option is to reduce the amount of sugar you use in marinades and rubs. Otherwise, consider finishing your roasted foods with a sweet sauce or glaze during the last 15 minutes of their cooking time.
Try this: Toss your vegetables with olive oil, salt, pepper, a few cloves of smashed garlic, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Spread the coated vegetables evenly across a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400°F until almost cooked through. (Time will depend on which vegetables you're roasting.) Then, whisk half a cup balsamic vinegar, one tablespoon dijon mustard, and one teaspoon maple syrup together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with your roasted vegetables. Continue roasting for another 10 to 15 minutes, until those vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick and begins to caramelize.
Now you can enjoy those roasted vegetables with no burned bottoms in sight.
Love,
Rick
Before you get to roasting, you'll want to get the most bang—and beautiful produce—for your buck.
