Using a Skillet Instead of a Roasting Pan

[Shel_B]

I have a few large skillets: stainless steel All-Clad, Non-stick Calphalon, Lodge cast iron, and a large, early All-Clad sauté pan, all of which are oven safe. I have recently moved to a small retirement apartment which has a small kitchen with minimum storage space. During the move, my roasting pan disappeared - pffft! It will be spendy, time consuming, and eat up a bunch of space to replace the roasting pan at this time.

Two nights ago I wanted to roast some cauliflower and then add some tomatoes and continue the roasting process. I decided to do it in my non-stick Calphalon skillet, which was just the right size and which would afford easy cleanup. It worked very well.

So, before I decide to forget about getting another roasting pan, what may be the downside to using a skillet? I rarely - can't remember when I last did - roast meat or fowl, so mostly I'll be roasting vegetables. Would any of the skillets mentioned above be a better choice for a roasting pan substitute? I was thinking that the sauté pan might be as it has straight sides that are somewhat deeper than the other two skillets and is lighter than the cast iron. Any problems using the broiler with any of these skillets?

FWIW, I have a good quality sheet pan that works pretty well for vegetables, but the skillets, with their handles are easier to use and clean.

[rotuts]

Id not use non-stick. other than that, use what fits your needs. I use 'jelly-roll' pans a lot for veg. the sl. lip keeps all the jus in the pan:

this is my fav. set:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Chicago-Metallic-trade-Professional-3-Piece-Cookie-Jelly-Roll-Pans/1013043906?Keyword=jelly+roll+pans

if they have any your way, snap them up! these pans are not flimsy.

Edited September 27, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[Shel_B]

Id not use non-stick. other than that, use what fits your needs. I use 'jelly-roll' pans a lot for veg. the sl. lip keeps all the jus in the pan:

this is my fav. set:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Chicago-Metallic-trade-Professional-3-Piece-Cookie-Jelly-Roll-Pans/1013043906?Keyword=jelly+roll+pans

if they have any your way, snap them up! these pans are not flimsy.

You suggest not using non-stick when using a skillet, yet the pans you referenced are non-stick. Why is it OK to use non-stick jelly roll pans but not a non-stick skillet.

That said, a few years ago on eGullet I asked about such pans, and was referred to a couple of sites that had heavy duty pans - 16-gauge aluminum - NICE! and I grabbed a couple back then. I'm OK for pans right now, but I may get one for Toots who has a small-sized oven and no decent pans.

[Martin Fisher]

Cast iron skillets and dutch ovens in several sizes are all I use for roasting, all the way up to a 17" skillet.

No problems under the broiler.

For the larger skillets I use a wok lid if a lid is need.

[Toliver]

A lot of skillets that say they are safe for oven use come with an asterisk(*). When you follow the asterisk, it'll say something like " *Safe for oven use up to 350°F" or some such temperature. Which means high temperature roasting in them is out. Better safe than sorry!

[rotuts]

the jelly roll pans, if they are called non-stick is a misnomer they have no teflon or current day telfon

they are just darker steel

they are my go to pans for a milliion things: cookies, bread, roasting potatoes\

you can even use one of those silicon mats in them

[Lisa Shock]

If the oven is convection, the pan may affect cooking by blocking the airflow, a regular sheet pan works better in this case.

[Smithy]

As long as the pan in question is deep enough to allow cover (if you need it) there's not a thing wrong with using your skillet(s) instead of a roasting pan. As for whether to use nonstick vs. er, non-nonstick, I'd say it depends on 2 things:

1. Will the oven temperature be high enough to threaten the nonstick coating and, by extension, your air quality? If so, use the stainless or cast iron.

2. Will the materials in question let off juices that would lend themselves to deglazing and making a sauce or gravy, and would you take that extra step? Stainless or cast iron will give you a better fond and a deeper flavor.

Otherwise, I agree with you that nonstick will be a better choice due to its easy clean up. My husband (King of the One-Step Meals) has been using a nonstick baking pan as a roaster for years. We've observed dark stains developing on the interior, but it doesn't seem to matter for his purposes; the pan continues to be nonstick for the meat and occasional veggies he roasts in it. I cover my bets and keep another nonstick pan reserved for baking. Just in case.

[Anna N]

I don't own a roasting pan and don't feel the slightest need for one. I use a cast iron skillet and sheet pans. I can, however, see it being an issue if I were to want to roast a turkey but hell will freeze over before that happens!

[JAZ]

This will sound obvious, but if your pans have "stay cool" handles and you're used to using them on the stove top, drape a side towel or oven mitt over the handle when you take it out of the oven. Otherwise -- if you're like me -- you'll forget that it's hot and grab it and burn your hand.

[Shel_B]

A lot of skillets that say they are safe for oven use come with an asterisk(*). When you follow the asterisk, it'll say something like " *Safe for oven use up to 350°F" or some such temperature. Which means high temperature roasting in them is out. Better safe than sorry!

That's a good point. I do, however, know to what temp my skillets are safe, and would pay attention to that. The cast iron skillet has been used to more than 450-deg with no problems.

[Shel_B]

This will sound obvious, but if your pans have "stay cool" handles and you're used to using them on the stove top, drape a side towel or oven mitt over the handle when you take it out of the oven. Otherwise -- if you're like me -- you'll forget that it's hot and grab it and burn your hand.

That's happened only once - Yikes! I now keep a towel draped over the oven door handle - can't open the oven door without grabbing the towel.

[Shel_B]

If the oven is convection, the pan may affect cooking by blocking the airflow, a regular sheet pan works better in this case.

I don't understand. Is a convection oven the one with the fan? Mine is just a regular electric oven. In any case, how can a skillet block the airflow any more than a roasting pan? Or are you suggesting that a roasting pan may not be the best choice for certain items? Please help this poor ol' country boy understand thanks!

[Shel_B]

I don't own a roasting pan and don't feel the slightest need for one. I use a cast iron skillet and sheet pans. I can, however, see it being an issue if I were to want to roast a turkey but hell will freeze over before that happens!

You and I are similar in that respect.

[Shel_B]

As long as the pan in question is deep enough to allow cover (if you need it) there's not a thing wrong with using your skillet(s) instead of a roasting pan. As for whether to use nonstick vs. er, non-nonstick, I'd say it depends on 2 things:

1. Will the oven temperature be high enough to threaten the nonstick coating and, by extension, your air quality? If so, use the stainless or cast iron.

2. Will the materials in question let off juices that would lend themselves to deglazing and making a sauce or gravy, and would you take that extra step? Stainless or cast iron will give you a better fond and a deeper flavor.

Otherwise, I agree with you that nonstick will be a better choice due to its easy clean up. My husband (King of the One-Step Meals) has been using a nonstick baking pan as a roaster for years. We've observed dark stains developing on the interior, but it doesn't seem to matter for his purposes; the pan continues to be nonstick for the meat and occasional veggies he roasts in it. I cover my bets and keep another nonstick pan reserved for baking. Just in case.

Thanks for your comments and sharing your experiences.

[dcarch]

It does not matter what kind of oven or what kind of cooking vessel (no plastic) you use. They all work.

Steel, cast iron, ceramic, aluminum, silicone rubber, even (some) glass.

It means timing will be different and some of them you may have to turn the food over more often to roast the other side.

dcarch

[quiet1]

I don't own a roasting pan and don't feel the slightest need for one. I use a cast iron skillet and sheet pans. I can, however, see it being an issue if I were to want to roast a turkey but hell will freeze over before that happens!

Same. I borrowed a roasting pan when I was hosting Christmas dinner for the full family and wanted to do a turkey/goose/very large roast/two chickens at once (two pans didn't fit as well as one pan with two spaced-apart chickens) but for everyday I didn't need a roasting pan. Mostly I used a cast iron skillet. Worked out fine. Just keep an eye on size of pan relative to what you're cooking in it so stuff doesn't end up too squished in.

[Lisa Shock]

If the oven is convection, the pan may affect cooking by blocking the airflow, a regular sheet pan works better in this case.

I don't understand. Is a convection oven the one with the fan? Mine is just a regular electric oven. In any case, how can a skillet block the airflow any more than a roasting pan? Or are you suggesting that a roasting pan may not be the best choice for certain items? Please help this poor ol' country boy understand thanks!

Convection is the oven with a fan in it. The fan blows horizontally, so, the higher the sides of a pan, the more the lower part of the food is protected from the hot air and the longer it will take to cook. Putting a high walled pan in a convection oven is like moving a bookcase in front of a heat vent in your home.

Anyway, Smart & Final sells half sheet pans for $7, a couple of those plus a cast iron frying pan and a dutch oven (sometimes sold together) should be fine for your needs.

[haresfur]

Id not use non-stick. other than that, use what fits your needs. I use 'jelly-roll' pans a lot for veg. the sl. lip keeps all the jus in the pan:

this is my fav. set:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Chicago-Metallic-trade-Professional-3-Piece-Cookie-Jelly-Roll-Pans/1013043906?Keyword=jelly+roll+pans

if they have any your way, snap them up! these pans are not flimsy.

Conversely I use my cast iron skillet mostly for baking. Is there any other way to make pineapple upside-down cake?