Why doesn't my roast veg roast?

[cakedup]

It just comes out more 'steamed' than roasted. I've tried not adding salt as i've heard this makes a difference. I use olive oil. Gas mark 8.

I love roasted vegetables

What kind of veg, what kind of temperature?

It probably needs longer than you think and possibly more oil/ heat

How long are you roasting them for? And are you sure your oven is working?!

I roast veg (along with sausages and Halloumi) for around 40 minutes, on 250 for 20 minutes, stir well, and then another 20 minutes on around 200.

I use plenty of olive oil and lots of salt, and they always come out well cooked, and nicely charred.

Ahh I missed gas mark 8, that should be hot enough.

Don't overcrowd the pan - too much moisture being released will steam rather than fry.

Do you use a metal baking tray as I find these are better than ceramic? Also if you wash the veg first, make sure you pat them dry with some kitchen roll.

Courgettes produce a lot of water so avoid these (or put them on their own tray).

are you making sure they are dry? If you par boil then make sure they get to sit on the tray to steam off, and air dry

if you are prepping them early only keep them in water if they are going to discolour....tatties and parsnips, and again make sure they are dry before they go in the oven

and don't over crowd the tray or they just sweat crossly like commuters on a tube train :o

I always salt mine and never have any bother.

Are you using a deep tin because things roast better in a shallow tin?

If the oven is at Mk8 (as it should be) it can only be because the baking try is too small. You need a single, not overcrowded layer for them to roast effectively. Otherwise, as a PP has said, they steam and don’t crisp.

pastabest today I tried parsnip, carrots, red pepper, red onion and sweet potato.

BIWI oven does work generally. Today I roasted for about 45 mins. The veg was soft and cooked, but just not roasted.

Sunseed I think I do tend to overcrowd the pan...will try less next time.

tealady yes I do use a metal baking tray. I didn't dry the veg today (can't remember if I normally do?) so they were a bit damp actually.

bilbodog yes the oven tray is quite deep I'd say.

Ok so...dry the veg, use a shallow baking tray and don't overcrowd. Thanks all, I hope this does the trick.

What veg are you roasting? The only veg I'd ever parboil would be potatoes, otherwise everything goes in raw. Last night I did onion, red and green pepper, garlic, chillies and courgettes. The only one of those that would never properly char or go crispy is the courgettes as they have too much water in them

Tray should be placed in the top 1/3 of oven

If you open at least once during cooking it will let out the steam which is what makes them soggy.

everythingstaken123 I thought you were meant to stir it up at least once?
BIWI I never par boil the veg, not even the sweet potato. I followed a recipe last time which invited comments from lots of people saying how it was the perfect roast veg, and how normally they end up steaming their veg. Didn't work for me though!

I roast my veg for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, I take it out of the oven and stir it round, so that it's all turned over, and gets the other side of the veg to brown

Single layer on a thin baking try with spaces in between the bits of veg...hotter than you'd think

Sorry my post must be confusing - definitely open the oven a couple of times to let out the steam. If there is lots of steam it will make the veg soggy so you need to open the oven and let the steam out.

I echo what other say.

More space than you think you need in the pan.
Hotter than you think.
Let the steam out of oven a few times.
Stir round once only.

Main thing is not overcrowding the tray - it needs to be in one layer and you need space between each veg piece so air can circulate and moisture can evaporate

Ooh didn't know letting the steam out of the oven was a thing.

I was definitely over-crowding because I'm greedy so will try less veg in a single layer next time.

You need to boil it before putting it in to roast.

A thin layer, on a baking tray, with a spray of dry light or tossed in about 1tsp oil. How much oil are you using?

Hah! I use loads of veg. And loads of olive oil. But it still comes out charred/well roasted, although also cooked/soft.

What kind of texture are you aiming for?

We roast carrots, parsnips and potatoes. All are parboiled first (the carrots for longer than the others). DH told me that once parboiled, they need to be shaken vigorously in the saucepan (with the lid on!) to roughen the surfaces. We then roll them around in melted lard, though I would expect olive oil to work. Roughening the surfaces means they take on the fat better, so are roasted rather than just heated.