I Roasted 8 Chickens and 20 Pounds of Potatoes to Find the Best Roasting Pans

When it comes time to cook a large roast for, say, a big holiday gathering, many opt to use a cheap, disposable aluminum tray. Hey, I can’t knock it! The clean-up is zilch and it does the job adequately. However, these flimsy pans are prone to collapsing under the weight of hefty proteins, and you can forget about deglazing one to make a pan sauce or gravy. 

That’s why I prefer a dedicated roasting pan. It’s a regular sight in restaurant kitchens where cooks are used to pulling off complex recipes, like roasting veal bones and deglazing with wine to make demi-glace. Try doing that in a disposable aluminum pan. While this may seem like a bulky addition to your cookware collection, when you need one, it is difficult to replace.

Roasting pans come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials, so which should you go for? I tested eight of them to find out.

The Winners, at a Glance

This pan had a flat, even bottom that did well whether I was roasting or deglazing with it, and it had a slightly flared lip for drip-free pouring. I also liked its curved roasting rack, which can hold large or small roasts without slippage.

Flared roasting pans had a smaller capacity but were easier to maneuver a spatula into and remove food from. The All-Clad is pricey but versatile and easy to clean.

This is more like a rimmed baking sheet than a roasting pan, which is why editorial director Daniel Gritzer is a huge fan of it. “There are several key specs that make this roasting pan a compelling one,” he writes. “Like a rimmed baking sheet, it has low sides to allow for proper air circulation and the escape of steam, but they're just a bit higher so that if you do add liquid to the pan, the risk of sloshing and spilling is less—still possible, to be clear, but less.” 

The Tests

• Roasted Chicken and Pan Sauce Test: To see how well each pan did at roasting a simple chicken, I followed our roast chicken recipe, skipping the steps for browning the bird in a pan first. After the chicken was done, I set the pan over a burner and deglazed it with broth and butter, scraping the bottom with a whisk to loosen any bits of fond.
• Roasted Potato Test: To determine if the roasting pans could also be used for cooking vegetables, I halved two pounds of Yukon gold potatoes and roasted them with olive oil. I checked to see how evenly the potatoes browned and how easy they were to flip.
• Water Bath Test: To see how well each pan could be used as a water bath (common for baked goods like bread pudding or custard), I placed our favorite glass baking dish in each roasting pan. I added water to the pan until it reached the halfway point on the dish, then picked up the roasting pan and carried it around to see if it caused splashing or usability issues.
• Turkey Test: Any good roasting pan should be able to accommodate a whole turkey. I placed an 11-pound turkey in each roasting pan and checked to see if it would securely fit on the included rack if it had one. I then picked up the pan and carried it around, evaluating how easy it was to do so. 

What We Learned

A few of the roasting pans I tested either had no rack or flat racks. The flat racks were tricky to use, as raw chicken and turkey slipped around when I moved the pan into the oven. Roasting pans that had a curved or angled rack were better. Birds didn’t budge an inch during multiple moves from oven to stovetop to table. Depending on the shape, these angled racks can leave enough room to stuff vegetables or aromatics underneath. The upward-angled handles were easier to grab and lift too. 

Straight-sided roasting pans hold more liquid—around two quarts more on average. That gives you added versatility. For example, you could roast vegetables in the pan, add water, and make a vegetable stock without transferring it to a pot. Straight-sided roasting pans also came with more raised, angled racks that allowed air to circulate thoroughly around poultry, so there was still decent browning. 

Does that mean that flared pans weren’t good? Not at all. This design had a few advantages. While the volume might be lower, the flared edges offered more maneuverability when using a spatula or spoon to flip vegetables. The flared sides allowed air to circulate around the food, helping with even cooking and browning. For those who don’t foresee themselves making recipes requiring a high volume of liquid, a flared roasting pan is absolutely worth considering.

Some roasting pans come with a channel that runs around the perimeter. Paired with a slightly elevated surface, this allows excess fat or grease to move away from what’s roasting in the center. However, I found channels hindered optimal results when I made roast vegetables and gravy. When roasting the potatoes, the oil slipped away from the tubers and into the channel, leading to less browning. When I tried to make gravy, the whisk could not glide smoothly over the surface to whisk up fond; my chicken stock also pooled in the channel, leading me to use more stock than I wanted to cover the pan’s surface. 

When it comes to roasting pans, wide, looped handles that you can securely grip are crucial, as you may be carrying heavy roasts with plenty of hot grease that risks spilling and burning. Handles that were at least four inches wide and two to three inches deep were roomy enough for my hands plus pot holders or thick kitchen towels. I preferred square handles to round ones, as my hands moved around less with the former.

The roasting pans I tested ran the gamut with handles that bent out, bent in, or went straight up. The ones that bent out were bulkier and could be troublesome if you have a smaller-than-average oven, while handles that bent in could interfere if you’re packing your pan with a large roast. Straight handles avoided both of these pitfalls.

I only tested one carbon steel roasting pan, but did not prefer it to stainless steel. Not only does carbon steel need to be seasoned before use, but it’s sensitive to acidic ingredients which are often used to roast veal, lamb, and beef bones when making stocks and jus, and often pop up in red meat braises and stews. For this reason, choosing a carbon steel roasting pan will limit the versatility of a pan that you’re already only going to break out once in a while. Stainless steel offers none of these challenges.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Roasting Pan

By and large, I preferred the durability and easy cleanup of a stainless steel roasting pan. The edge of the pan should have a slightly curved lip to make pouring easy, and it should include large, looped handles that you can grip with or without a towel or oven mitts. Skip any with a channel around the bottom of the pan, which makes both roasting and gravy-making more difficult. Look for a pan that has an included angled or curved rack that is rated for use at a high temperature. A rack made of stainless steel will have more durability and longevity compared to one that’s nonstick-coated.

Our Favorite Roasting Pans

What we liked: This pan produced top-notch roasting and searing results. After the chicken, I was easily able to dislodge fond for a pan sauce, and the pan’s rim had a slightly flared edge for drip-free pouring. I found the pan’s nine-quart volume to be more than adequate—deep enough to hold a water bath or simmer a stock. The rack lifted the chicken high out of the pan, so as to not interfere with browning, and it left plenty of room underneath for adding aromatics or vegetables, if desired. The rack easily fit an 11-pound turkey and the handles were wide and easy to grip.

What we didn’t like: There wasn’t much I didn’t like about this roasting pan. Technically, the manufacturer discourages the use of metal utensils to preserve the bright chrome finish, but I didn’t note any damage after whisking in it.

• Material: Stainless steel clad with an aluminum core
• Weight: 7 pounds, 11 ounces
• Capacity: 9 quarts
• Dimensions: 20.75 x 6.25 x 13.25 inches
• Dishwasher-safe?: Yes

What we liked: Another great pan from my testing was the All-Clad Stainless Steel Flared, which produced supremely caramelized potatoes and a golden brown chicken that rivaled any rotisserie bird. After cooking the chicken, I was easily able to whisk the pan sauce, thanks to the pan’s rounded, sloping corners. During the turkey carrying test, there was plenty of room for an 11-pound bird, with more space available for a much larger roast as well. After testing, the All-Clad was easy to clean, though Bar Keepers Friend and a scouring pad will be your friend for removing baked-on bits.

What we didn't like: The flat rack didn’t do much to hold onto the raw chicken or turkey, and I experienced some sliding when moving the pan from the stovetop to the oven. The volume is a few quarts less than our winner, so I wouldn’t recommend attempting any soups or stocks.

• Material: Stainless steel
• Weight: 5 pounds, 4 ounces
• Capacity: 6 quarts
• Dimensions: 16.75 x 13.75 x 2.5 inches
• Dishwasher-safe?: Yes

What we liked: A hybrid between a sheet pan and a conventional roasting pan, the Misen has low sides that allow for maximum air circulation. Its riveted, wide, straight handles are incredibly easy to grab, even with the bulkiest oven mitts. “It solves just about every problem I've listed for both roasting pans and baking sheets, making it the first roasting pan I'd actually recommend without hesitation,” Daniel writes. “Another great detail of Misen's roasting pan is it's sized just like a standard rimmed baking sheet (technically a ‘half-sheet pan’ size), which means it can fit any wire rack you already own for your rimmed baking sheets, no need to get an extra rack just for the roasting pan.”

What we didn’t like: Its handles are high, which makes them easy to accidentally graze. It doesn’t come with a rack and has short sides, so you won’t be able to use a lot of liquid in it.

• Material: Stainless steel
• Weight: 6 pounds, 14.4 ounces
• Capacity: 2.5 quarts
• Dimensions: 19.5 x 13 x 1.5 inches
• Dishwasher-safe?: Yes

The Competition

• Anolon Triply Clad Stainless Steel Roasting Pan: The channel around the pan’s perimeter prevented even browning on the potatoes and made it hard to whisk a pan sauce.
• Viking Culinary 3-Ply Stainless Roasting Pan: This pan was almost a winner but the bottom was slightly domed in the center, which made making a pan sauce harder.
• All-Clad Stainless Steel Roasting Pan: The rack is nonstick but not rated as highly as the pan itself, so I was forced to skip using it to roast the chicken. The channel on the bottom interfered with potatoes browning, rendering them pale and flavorless.
• Williams Sonoma Thermoclad Roasting Pan: The handles are too small to be comfortable, but it’s otherwise a well-made pan that rivaled the winning All-Clad Flared pan.
• Made In Carbon Steel Roasting Pan: I like the idea of a carbon steel roaster, but despite the products' marketing claims, this particular pan was too small to accommodate an 11-pound turkey without parts sticking over the sides, and the potatoes I cooked in it did not brown properly. 

FAQs

In my opinion, a straight-sided stainless steel roasting pan with a V-shaped or curved rack is the best pan for roasting. This type of pan works equally well at cooking large roasts, caramelizing vegetables, and making a pan sauce.

A roasting pan and a baking pan serve different purposes and have distinct features. Roasting pans are generally larger and deeper with high sides, designed to accommodate larger cuts of meat and whole poultry. They often come with racks to elevate the food, allowing heat to circulate evenly for uniform cooking. Baking pans are usually shallower and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, such as rectangular, square, or round, and they’re tailored for baking cakes, cookies, casseroles, and other baked goods for which the primary goal is even heat distribution and containment of batter or other mixtures.

The point of a roasting pan is mainly to roast larger cuts of meat, like whole turkeys, standing rib roasts, or racks of lamb. This is especially true if you plan to make a pan sauce or gravy after the meat is done. While you could get away with an alternative tool to make these things, a roasting pan is specially designed to accommodate these types of recipes and should be large enough for even the biggest cut of meats or sauciest sauces.

Depending on the type of recipe, there are several things you can use instead of a roasting pan. For roasting vegetables, a rimmed baking sheet should do nicely. You can roast a chicken on a rimmed baking sheet, in a carbon steel or cast iron skillet, or in a deep Dutch oven. For larger proteins like a standing rib roast or turkey, you might need to get an aluminum roasting pan to pull off the job. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Taylor Murray has been working in food and food media for over 10 years, including in award-winning restaurants. She has written extensively for Serious Eats. 
• Taylor tested eight roasting pans, making a whole chicken in each, as well as two pounds of potatoes. She used the pan as a water bath with a glass baking dish and saw how well each could fit a turkey.
  

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