Roasting Pans

Choosing the best roasting pan for your kitchen

Australia is home to the best produce in the world which results in the ability to make the best roast lamb, beef, chicken or fish! A roasting pan is such a familiar item that you might just take it for granted.

It's important that when shopping for roasting pans the following are considered:

Nonstick, Cast-iron or Stainless Steel Roast Pans - which to choose?

Nonstick Roasting Pan

A nonstick roasting pan provides the benefits of roasting with less oil as the surface allows for easy release of food when cooking. It also provides convenience for easier cleaning. What's important to note with nonstick roasting pans is that they generally cannot be used metal utensils like roasting forks and knives as this can scratch and damage the nonstick surface. Nonstick cookware also tends to wear with age, which is why we specifically only sell hardwearing nonstick cookware from the likes of Scanpan and Swiss Diamond. 

Cast Iron Roasting Pan

A cast-iron roasting pan is a popular choice as they provide exceptional heat dispersion and retention. They are ideal for oven to table serving as the heat retention keeps ingredients warmer for longer. An enamelled cast-iron roasting pan provides a similar nonstick surface with the benefits of cast iron cooking properties. The most popular cast iron roasting pans that we sell are by Le Creuset and Staub. Both of these brands manufacture their cast iron cookware in France.

Cast iron pans are also all induction ready, so they are suitable for those who use induction stoves should you intend to sear or brown your meats prior to oven roasting.

What's important in your consideration of purchasing a cast iron roasting pan is that due to the iron, these tend to weigh a lot more than nonstick or stainless steel roasting pans.

Stainless Steel Roasting Pan

Stainless steel roasting pans are popular for those who wish to have a lighter cookware piece as they tend to be lighter than cast iron and in many cases nonstick roasting pans as well. They can be used on high heat which makes them suitable for searing and browning meats before roasting as well as use on higher oven temperatures. As they do not have a delicate cooking surface, they do require a bit of oil to make food release easier and can be used with metal utensils and scourers when cleaning.

These are commonplace in many commercial kitchens as they are easier to maintain and can handle harsher cooking environments. 

What is the best size roasting pan?

It can become a very subjective choice when choosing the size of your roasting pan. As a rule of thumb:

• Small roasting pans are great for 1-2 people or for cooking side dishes
• Medium roasting pans are preferable for 2-4 people, roasting medium-sized lamb legs or butterflied chickens and fish. They are also ideal for serving large portions of roast vegetables
• Large roasting pans are preferable for 4-6 people or when combining ingredients like meat and vegetables together. It's important that you check the sizing as these pans tend to fit in wider ovens.