You Need A Cooling Rack For The Crispiest Roasted Veggies

Roasted vegetables are a delicious, effortless side dish that pair with anything. You can roast fresh veggies or frozen ones, and thanks to the texture, they'll undoubtedly be more pleasant than if you steamed them or heated them up in a microwave. Of course, it's all about the seasoning when it comes to getting the most flavor — but in addition to that, texture is key. The best roasted veggies are crispy on the outside (you don't want a mushy exterior) but still soft on the inside — and that's where your cooling rack comes in handy.

When you place veggies on a baking sheet, the tops and sides get a nice crisp from the heat, but the underside of the veggies remains squishy thanks to a lack of exposure to the heat and nowhere for moisture to exit. Next time you roast some potatoes or asparagus in the oven, try placing them on a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet, which helps with air flow and moisture.

Vegetables contain plenty of water. As they cook, that moisture seeps out, but if the veggies are roasting on a baking sheet, the moisture underneath them has nowhere to go. By placing the vegetables on a cooling rack on top of the sheet, the moisture can drip from the veggies and land on the sheet below. The rack helps draw moisture away and lets those veggies crisp nicely on the outside.

In addition to helping with moisture, the cooling rack also helps with air flow. On a baking sheet, the underside of the vegetables is not exposed to the same heat as the other sides, meaning the veggies don't get the 360-degree crisp. The cooling rack creates separation between the vegetables the sheet, allowing that air to flow underneath and crisp them evenly on all sides — similarly to how an air fryer cooks. To avoid a mess, you can also place some tin foil on top of the baking sheet. This way, any moisture that leaks catches on the foil, then it's removed and thrown away, so you're not stuck scrubbing the baking sheet when you're done.