As any home cook or professional chef will tell you, one of the most valuable pieces of equipment everyone should have in their kitchen is a roasting pan. Roasted meats and vegetables are fundamental staples of modern eating habits today, and a healthy and delicious way to enjoy the many foods we love.
Enjoying those roasted foods as part of our everyday diet plan takes more than just good recipes and the right techniques—it takes the right equipment: a great roasting pan is a must!
Choosing the Right Roasting Pan
There are many things to consider when choosing a roasting pan:
- Size– You want a size that is large enough to meet the needs of you and your family.
For example, if you are cooking for a large family, a roasting pan needs to be large enough to accommodate the size of a large roast without crowding the pan (you’ll want at least an inch or two open around your roast).
If, however, you are cooking for relatively small numbers of people, a smaller pan might be perfect, and a large pan, overkill (and taking up more space than necessary in a small household with storage considerations).
- Depth– If your roasting pan is too deep, the heat from your oven may not circulate well around your roast, resulting in uneven cooking and unpredictable cooking times.
If your roasting pan is too shallow, you may not have adequate room for your drippings or recipe ingredients that might typically place in the bottom of the pan. The last thing you want is for your drippings to boil over or slosh out of your pan.
- Weight– While you want a pan that is well made and feels sturdy and durable, you don’t want something so heavy that it might be awkward to lift from oven to stovetop or counter.
You want something you can still lift fairly easily, even when its loaded with your roast, vegetables and drippings.
- Material–Roasting pans come in a variety of different materials.
Stainless steel is easy to clean, plus it won’t react to certain foods as some other materials might. It’s also a good material for developing that dark, flavorful, concentrated base that forms in the pan as your drippings reduce and caramelize (creating the wonderful “bits” you deglaze with liquid at the end of your roasting time to make au jus or gravy).
Anodized aluminum is an excellent heat conductor, lighter in weight than stainless steel, and it’s generally darker coloring promotes excellent browning. It is often also available with a nonstick finish, and the usefulness of that feature speaks for itself.
Ceramic Porcelain is also popular, often fused as a coating to steel. The porcelain surface becomes glasslike when fused to the steel and is well known to preserve the natural flavor of your foods as well as being naturally nonstick.
Cast Iron, while considerably heavier and more unwieldly than other choices, is superior in its ability to retain heat and is very energy efficient.
Stoneware is another potential option, with very good heat-transferring and retaining qualities as well as the versatility to also be used in other ways (such as baking), plus it is often attractive enough to be used not only as a roasting pan but as a serving vessel as well.
- Rack Design– Whether the rack is built into the bottom of the pan or a separate insertable/removable piece, it’s a very necessary part of the roasting pan.
Without the rack, you have no air circulation around your roast and you are essentially braising, not roasting!
Does the rack sit high enough in the pan to keep your roast from sitting in the drippings? If it is a removable rack, does it have handles that are easy to grip? Is the material strong enough to withstand the weight of your heaviest roasts without warping, bending or twisting? Is it nonstick (or will it be easy to clean)?
These are all important criteria of the roasting rack to be considered.
- Price– Last but not least, another consideration when choosing a roasting pan is the price.
Does the cost of the pan fit your budget, and is it worth the price in comparison to the many different roasting pans out there to choose from?
8 of the Best Roasting Pans to Choose From in 2020
While a good roasting pan is a terrific investment for your kitchen, you also want to make sure you are getting all the features you want and need, and at a cost that fits your budget. We’ve taken an in-depth review of the many roasting pans available for purchase today, assessing and comparing their features. Let’s take a look at our picks for the top 8 roasting pans to choose from in 2020:
1. All-Clad Nonstick Roaster – Best for Large Capacity
This roasting pan by All-Clad ranked as our favorite roasting pan. It has all the elements we were looking for and more: a great size and depth, an attractive and functional design, high quality materials and easy clean up.
While we waivered between choosing an anodized aluminum model and a stainless steel model as our first pick, we decided on the anodized aluminum model because of it’s lighter and more manageable weight and nonstick surface on the pan as well as the rack.
Pros
- A spacious and sturdy 13”x16” pan with handles
- A removable V-shaped roasting rack with handles
- An easy-to-handle weight of 8 lbs.
- Hard anodized aluminum construction with an anti-warp base. Heats up fast and evenly.
- Nonstick on the pan as well as the rack for easy clean up
- PFOA-free, scratch resistant coating
- Stainless steel handles contoured for a comfortable grip
- Oven safe to 500 degrees F
- Stovetop safe
- Dishwasher safe
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- Expensive
2. All-Clad E752S264 Roasting Pan
This roasting pan, also manufactured by All-Clad, came in a close second for us. It’s a smaller, stainless steel option with great features and incomparable durability. Solid stainless steel is perhaps the most durable and long lasting of all materials, and its inert properties means it won’t react with food. Stainless steel is also very heavy however, making it less than ideal for a very large pan, but we think it’s perfect for this medium-sized model.
Pros
- A medium-sized 14”x11” pan good for smaller roasts
- A removable V-shaped nonstick roasting rack with handles
- An easy-to-handle weight of 6 lbs.
- Attractive polished 18/10 stainless steel pan construction with a warp-resistant base
- Oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees F
- Stovetop safe
- Dishwasher safe
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- Expensive
- Too small for large roasts (such as a large turkey)
- Only the rack is nonstick
3. Stone & Beam Tri-Ply Roasting Pan – Best Value
This is another excellent choice, a generously sized pan with exceptional features and a good value for the price. This pan features tri-ply construction, with the superior durability of stainless steel coupled with the unparalleled even heat conduction of aluminum: it has a layer of aluminum sandwiched between two outer layers of stainless steel. We like how the use of the aluminum as a core layer helps bring the heft of the pan down to a manageable weight. A solidly crafted, beautiful-looking pan, and depending on where you buy it, it may also include two nice serving forks as well!
Pros
- Sized at 16” x 13”, this pan is large enough to handle all your roasting needs.
- A removable U-shaped rack with sturdy handles
- A manageable weight of 10 lbs.
- Tri-ply construction, 80% stainless steel/20% aluminum
- Oven safe to 500 degrees F
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Not nonstick
- No warranty
4. Cooks Standard Stainless Steel Roaster
This roasting pan is the perfect size for smaller roasts. Beautifully designed and made from heavy gauge stainless steel, it’s a fantastic choice for any household, with outstanding quality and features comparable to more expensively priced models, offering exceptional value for the price.
Pros
- A medium-sized 14”x12” pan with handles, good for smaller roasts
- A removable V-shaped roasting rack with handles
- An easy-to-handle weight of 8 lbs.
- Solid, polished 18/10 stainless steel construction
- Oven safe to 500 degrees F
- Stovetop safe
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Too small for large roasts (such as a large turkey)
- Not nonstick
- No warranty
5. Rachael Ray Bakeware Roaster
We couldn’t put this list together without including this great roasting pan from Rachael Ray, an iconic celebrity chef with a brand name that has become synonymous with trust and quality. This pan has a unique feature that makes it very versatile: a dual-height adjustable rack, allowing you set the rack to different heights to accommodate different-sized roasts. And unlike most racks, its flat design makes it ideal for roasting vegetables as well.
Pros
- A 16”x 12” pan, spacious enough to accommodate even large roasts
- A removable, adjustable height flat roasting rack
- A very easy to handle weight of just 3.5 lbs.
- Hard anodized aluminum construction
- Nonstick coating on both the pan and the rack for very easy cleanup
- Oven safe to 500 degrees F
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Not as heavy or sturdy as more expensive models
- Not stovetop safe
- No warranty
6. Mr. Rudolf Chef’s Classic Set
This is a great oval-shaped, mid-size roasting pan, and we loved the added versatility of having the steaming pan and a nice glass lid with it. It can even be used as a Dutch oven. It has tri-ply steel construction as well and a lot of other great features.
Pros
- A mid-size 15”x10” oval shaped roasting pan with handles, perfect for roasts up to 10 lbs.
- A removable stainless steel rack
- A removable nesting steamer pan with handles glass lid
- A manageable weight of approximately 9 lbs.
- Tri-ply construction with two solid layers of stainless steel surrounding an aluminum core
- Oven safe to 500 degrees F
- Stovetop Safe
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Too small for large roasts (such as a large turkey)
- Not nonstick
- No warranty
7. Circulon 56539 Roaster
This beautifully designed roasting pan has many of the qualities of a more expensive pan with an economical price tag. It’s an attractive-looking pan made from carbon steel with rolled edges, a material that is quite durable and also provides exceptional heat distribution. It’s a great value and a very smart choice for budget-minded shoppers.
Pros
- An expansive 17”x 13” pan with sturdy handles, large enough to handle all your roasting needs
- A removable, U-shaped, chrome-plated rack with handles
- A very easy-to-handle weight of 6.7 lbs.
- Heavy duty carbon steel construction
- Superior Dupont Brand nonstick coating on the pan makes clean up a breeze
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Not as heavy or durable as more expensive models
- Only oven safe up to 450 degrees
- Not stovetop safe
- Chrome-plated rack could be subject to peeling
- Rack is not nonstick
- No warranty
8. Granite Ware 0508-2 Roaster
We would be remiss if we didn’t include this timeless, classic-style oval roasting pan on our list, a terrific choice and our most affordable option by far! This pan is constructed of granite ware, with a carbon steel body and a ceramic porcelain glass outer layer. This roaster heats evenly and consistently, is naturally non-stick, and its dark color makes it highly energy efficient. The pan also comes with a lid, making it great for braising. It’s very easy to see why this item has been a tried-and-true family favorite spanning multiple generations.
Pros
- An oval medium-sized 15”x 10” pan with sturdy handles, great for roasts up to 10 lbs.
- Comes with a dimpled lid that can be used separately on its own as an open roasting pan
- A very easy-to-handle weight of only 2.5 lbs.
- Made of granite ware, with a carbon steel body fused and a ceramic porcelain glass outer layer
- Naturally nonstick
- Highly energy efficient
- Oven safe to 500 degrees F
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Not as heavy or durable as more expensive models
- Not stovetop safe
- Rack is built in and not removable, with short grooves in the bottom of the pan that may not be ideal for keeping a roast out of the drippings.
- Cooking times may be faster and harder to predict
- No warranty
Now the Choice Is Up to You
All of these roasters would make a great addition to your kitchen (or a great gift!)—now it’s just a matter of deciding which size and unique features are right for you. But no matter which roasting pan you decide on, you cannot go wrong with one of these 8 great choices.