You've Been Adding Oil To Roasted Veggies At The Wrong Time

As much as it pains us to tell you this, your tried-and-true method may not be the best way to roast vegetables. Yes, we know that your recipe was handed down by Mom or Dad or your beloved Gam-Gam; yes, we know about the hacks and tricks, from slathering your vegetables in mayo before roasting to pre-heating the sheet pan to amp up their flavor. These are all well and good, and perfectly valid ways to achieve crisp, delicious roasted vegetables. We simply ask that you also consider dry-roasting your vegetables, which involves adding oil or butter after they've been in the oven. (Avoid the huge mistake of using too much oil, and try a neutral oil like canola instead of EVOO.)

We know you might be skeptical. So we asked Grace Vallo, chef, founder, and recipe creator for the food blog Tastefully Grace, to advocate for dry-roasting vegetables. "The advantage of dry-roasting is more concentrated flavor and better absorption of dressings after roasting," she explains. As Vallo notes, vegetables roasted in oils or fats don't release as much moisture as they would in dry-roasting. By expelling more moisture, the vegetables develop an absorbent exterior that soaks up dressing like a sponge. "The veggies take on more flavor from what you add after the oven," she says. 

Nothing in this life is foolproof, and that goes double for dry-roasting vegetables. As Grace Vallo says, "The downside? Less even browning, risk of sticking, and drier texture for certain veggies." But the pleasures of dry-roasting far exceed the perils, and Vallo has a few suggestions for how to minimize error in order to get the best results.

As with any method of oven roasting, placement and surface matter. "Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking," advises Vallo. "Also, make sure veggies are well spaced for airflow, and flip [them] halfway through roasting." 

So, do some vegetables react better to dry-roasting than others? "Root vegetables (like carrots, parsnips, potatoes), along with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms do well dry-roasted," Vallo says. "They have natural sugars and starches that caramelize and don't need oil to shine!" You, however, should be prepared to beam like the sun from all the praise you'll garner from these dry-roasted delights.