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What
is the difference between baking and roasting?
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Dear
Anne and Sue,
Why is it that when we put a cake in the oven it is
called baking and when a chicken is put in the same
oven it is called roasting?
Thanking you,
Benaifer
India
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Dear Benaifer,
The term baking refers primarily to the cooking of flour-based
foods in which the heat of an oven sets their structures.
Thus breads, cakes, muffins, and loaves are all cooked
by exposing them to particular temperatures that firm
each specific dough to the center, with just the right
degree of browning on the outside.
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Roasting traditionally meant cooking a food by exposing
it to radiant heat in the open. It was a term usually
applied to meat as it turned on a spit in front of a
fire. In contemporary cooking, we’ve expanded the
meaning of the term to include vegetables and fish.
An open flame, however, is now often an outdoor grill
or barbecue.
The
term roasting is also now used to refer to tender meats,
fish, or vegetables cooked in the enclosed space of
an oven. Roasting in an oven generally refers to a dry-heat
method of cooking without water-based liquids. Meats,
vegetables, or fish may be basted with a marinade, some
form of oil, or meat drippings.
In contrast, the terms pot roasting and braising indicate
oven-cooking in a closed vessel with some added broth
or liquid. These techniques are often used when cooking
tougher cuts of meat because moisture helps dissolve
their more plentiful connective tissues, making them
more flavorful and tender. Vegetables are often included
in these dishes.
Thanks for your question. We’re delighted you are
participating in the site!
Good wishes,
Anne & Sue
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