Help me understand traybakes

[HelpfulDH]

I see so many great recipes for traybakes and have been checking out the Roasting Tin books and love the idea of a one pan meal... but! It just never works for me!

What am I doing wrong?

If I put raw potato in a tray in my oven i swear it could cook for hours and still be raw. Or it will just stick and burn.

Is it my oven? My tray? I don't understand!

Everytime I see a recipe that says "and roast for 20 minutes " I mentally discard it as I know it would take ages. I've occasionally successfully roasted small pieces of sweet potatoes and Cauliflower but again that took at least 45 minutes, and some bits did get a bit burnt, while others were a little underdone.

Sounds like your oven might be faulty..,

Definitely sounds like an oven issue, have you tested it with a thermometer?

I suspect it may be your oven. I make loads of traybake type meals and never have an issue. What sort of oven do you have?

I always cover them with foil and do at a lowish heat for a while...then foil off and temp higher to brown

You need an oven thermometer, I agree it sounds like the issue could be your oven. What happens if you cook something like oven chips - do they take a while too?

Also be careful to cut ingredients to the size it says - if you make the pieces too big they will take much longer. Check there is sufficient liquid if the recipe requires it.

I do often find a tray bake takes a while to cook, I would expect to do something with chicken thighs etc probably for 35 mins, but the key thing being you just shove it in the oven and ignore it.

If your oven has hotspots you might need to turn it part way through cooking, and you need a decent non stick tray, and I still usually have to oil them to stop stuff sticking. Once you have a technique down they are super easy!

Agree re considering checking your oven temperature.

Potatoes are particularly tricky, I find they do have to be cut very small to cook in the time. If the recipe says something vague like “cubed potatoes” - they mean 1cm cubes not 2 inch cubes!

How long does a baked potato (say fist sized) take to be done in your oven ?

If you're not a Protestant, that might be the source of your problem.

You need to get an oven thermometer and see what's going on with your oven.

If that's OK, you might need to invest in some decent non-stick oven trays.

If you've a hot oven and a decent oven tray, it's about having a decent amount of oil or fat, cutting things to the right shape/size and (importantly) not fannying around too much when they're cooking. You want food to hit hot fat in a hot oven on a hot tray then leave it sitting for a good 20 mins to get a crust. Then you can give it a shake/stir if you need to. But most traybakes I make I don't touch once they've gone in.

@ElizabethinherGermanGarden

If you're not a Protestant, that might be the source of your problem.

Does that extend to savoury dishes though?

Thanks all! I think our oven does take longer in general, for things like oven chips too. I couldn't say how long jacket potatoes take as I always pre soften them in the microwave for this reason too. But usually it gets there, just need to add perhaps 30% cooking time for everything.

With traybakes though it seems to go wrong altogether. Some good tips here like the foil tip, oiling the tray well, and chopping things smaller, I probably am guilty of making them too big.

I'll give it another go at the weekend. If you have any favourite recipes that are particularly easy let me know and I'll start with that! Chucking something in the oven during baby's last nap and having dinner ready when DH and toddler come home sounds heavenly!

Ah I'm probably guilty of faffing, opening the oven and moving things around so I'll stop doing that.

Also never preheated the tray and oil, should I do that for all traybakes?

If your oven is taking 30% longer, you need a new oven!

Every time you open the oven, you lose heat. So if you've got a dodgy oven in the first place, you're probably never running hot enough...

The potatoes always take longer. I usually cook those in my air fryer for a bit and Chuck them on the tray after- par boiling would also work. I also dry lots of the other veg ( e.g. peppers) before I stick them in- if they are a bit wet then they don't caramelise so well. I don't usually put chicken thighs on top( roast these separately then throw them on the tray bake a bit later.)

My oven is pretty crap though as despite being a fan oven, does not cook evenly...

www.nigella.com/recipes/spanish-chicken-with-chorizo-and-potatoes

I think this is pretty foolproof. You'll note she gives everything an hour, with only one 'intervention' for a bit of a baste and a swap around.

I opened this assuming there would be more marshmallows or rice Krispies involved

I cheat, if it’s potatoes or hard veg that takes ages I whack it in the microwave for a few minutes before to soften.

Make sure all your ingredients are in one layer. If you don’t have a tray big enough (I bought the big ones for a tenner from Ikea just for roasting tin recipes), the food will take much longer to cook, and will steam rather than roast. Not what you want! If necessary, cook in two different tins so you can spread things out more.

I love one tray meals and never have a problem. So I agree with others. You need a new oven.

I give things like potatoes a few minutes in the microwave first to speed things up.

www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/spanish-style-chicken-bake

This is one of my favourites.

@truthfullylying definitely need a new oven, I can't stand it (can't ever bake a cake that works either) but I also need a whole new kitchen so need to wait to have money for that ideally.

Good to see others also cheat and precook and parboil things.

Thank you for the recipe links, both look delicious!

If you can’t cook cakes or roast vegetables in it, your oven is essentially non-functional.

It’s fine not to want to replace it, but hardly fair to blame the recipes. They don’t work because your oven doesn’t work.

When I do a tray bake roast I cut everything the same size.
Pots, sweet pots, parsnip, Brussels and carrots.
I put some water in the bottom of the tray and a foil hat and bung in a heated oven for 20 minutes then uncover, drain water, spritz with oil and bake again for 20 minutes.

Roasted veg and Yorkshire puds need a very hot oven with a hot pan and oil.