The Biggest Mistake You're Making With Roasted Veggies, According To Our Test Kitchen Experts

And here’s how to correct it.

Cooking at home can be stressful. Take it from somebody who’s literally brand new at this—a recent college graduate. Of course I cooked in college, but my meals mainly consisted of ramen, chicken nuggets, and pizza rolls (sorry Mom). But now that I’m deemed by society as a functioning adult, I have to learn how to properly cook a meal for myself that doesn't consist of the generic college meals. One of my favorite, and simple, recipes to make is spaghetti and roasted Brussels sprouts with other various veggies.

Unfortunately, my veggies never seem to turn out right no matter how hard I try: They’re either too charred or not charred enough. But the wonderful thing about working at a food site is you have access to some pretty talented chefs—so I turned to our test kitchen for answers.

What is the Most Common Mistake Made When Roasting Vegetables?

It’s actually quite simple. According to our Senior Recipe Tester/Developer Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman, it’s crowding the pan. “By [crowding the pan] and not allowing some space between veggies, you end up steaming them and not getting that desired browning in addition to tenderness,” she explained.

If you’re anything like me, I simply throw everything on my sheet pan and hope for the best. But by allowing some space between your veggie of choice, you’ll allow for a more even cook and hopefully no raw veggies.

Here are some other mistakes that you might be making and how to correct them:

• If you’re roasting a mix of vegetables, make sure to pair ones that have similar cooking times for a more even roast. If some have a shorter cooking time, add them later rather than all at once.

• Food Stylist Julian Hensarling recommends ditching the aluminum foil and going straight on the pan. While it might be a mess to clean up after, putting your veggies on the pan rather than foil allows for a crispier roast. If you’re worried about charring, he recommends putting some foil on top of your veggies.

• If you’re looking for a crispier roast on your vegetables, Food Stylist Vivien Tran explains that you should put your tray in the oven before putting your vegetables on the tray. By heating up the pan, it allows for a better roast. But be careful with this one—you’ll want to rotate your veggies rather than just leaving them in the oven to allow for a nice, even crisp on all of them.

Read the original article on All Recipes.