Isn't that heat too high for the chicken and vegetables?

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

helle

i've made it yesterday. i used 20 degrees celcius less [i've converted the fahrenheit first] because i've used the fan program of the oven.

but it was still hot. i cooked for 20 minutes and then for another 45 minutes on the other side of the chicken, but in that time, i needed to lower the temperature significantly, so it will not burn along with the vegetables..

i want to know if i did it wrong.......

here is a photo

 

[dragnlaw]

So you roasted for 20 minutes, breast side down, at 220 C.
Then you flipped the birds over and roasted for another 50 to 60 minutes.
You removed the chicken and browned up the vegetables on a burner while the chickens rested.

So what you are saying is that the vegies were starting to burn?

What are the vegies that you have there? It is a little bit difficult to see what they are. I see potatoes. Are those carrots? I see onions, but not what kind of course. What else?

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

yes..... 220 c with a fan.. 20 minutes [breast side down] + 45 minutes [breast side up]

the veggies started to burn and the chicken was way above the needed temperature after 45 minutes even after lowering the temperature significantly early on.
i measured with a thermometer

isn't the oven was too hot?
i did used a rack tho because i don't have one.. just a pan..

 

[dragnlaw]

and the vegies?

yeah maybe, if you got burning that fast. She has 2 chickens at 4 lbs each, (that almost 2 k each) How big were your chickens? Also, just a thought, if your oven space is large the higher heat would be OK, but if you have a small oven size could also make a difference? I say this as I know many apartment stove's have smaller ovens. Or maybe yours just runs hot.

You have to look at the quantity of vegies to the chickens as well. Plus the size of your pan, in ratio. Too big would have your vegies spread out too far. Too small your vegies would steam/boil instead of roast.

The root vegies, as she says, must be much the same size. Don't forget, she kept the root ends still on the shallots to keep them together.

I wouldn't worry too much about the rack, would have been easier to remove the birds, of course, but not crucial IMHO.

 

[taxlady]

Next time @SEEING-TO-BELIEVE, please make the link easier to see. I didn't even see it until I read the post three times. The post seemed to be missing a whole lot of information.

I think they goofed and edited out the part where she lowers the temperature*. I have roasted chicken where you start at a high temperature for a short while and then lower the temperature significantly. I would probably drop it to around 325°F or 350°F.

* I'm just guessing that the temperature gets lowered, because I would expect the chicken and veggies to burn if the temperature is kept that high.

I can't see the recipe on the linked website, because it's behind a paywall.

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

the veggies got a black crust fast.. the shallots onions were almost burnt entirely.

i forgot to mention that i've used only one big chicken [i don't know the weight..].

my oven is small compared to the US standard i guess. mine is more like an ordinary european size..

and yes. i forgot to leave the the root of the shallots. but they didn't come apart much....

so the standard roasting of chicken and veggies can really be 250 c degrees [without a fan] like she is suggesting? i never thought that it will be a good idea to roast chickens and veggies at that heat.. can i use let's say 200 c next time?

wouldn't the rack make the chicken crispy and not wet underneath when ready?

i lost my tongs so i used forks to take the chicken out..

cooking meats is not easy. it's hard when things don't go well but also hard because of the feeling of using an animal for my cravings. so depressing.. i don't want to eat plant based diet though for reasons i want explain now

thank you

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

I would probably drop it to around 325°F or 350°F.

this is what i think too

about the paywall.
when i opened the link it was visible under a UK vpn server.
but israel and the US are blocked

i will make the link more visible in the first post

do you people find the content of americas test kitchen reliable overall?

 

[taxlady]

so the standard roasting of chicken and veggies can really be 250 c degrees [without a fan] like she is suggesting?

In my opinion, no. My experience says that will burn the chicken before it is cooked through.

 

[taxlady]

do you people find the content of americas test kitchen reliable overall?

Usually it is reliable, but they usually make things the hard way. I have followed a couple of their recipes and they were frustrating, but worked. No, I don't remember which ones they were.

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

is this video by them is reliable? they recommend a bullion paste

i actually bought it from iherb [the chicken version] and it's not bad.
but maybe you have more insight about that.

 

[taxlady]

I won't bother watching the video. Yes, Better Than Bouillon is excellent. I usually mix it with homemade veggie stock instead of water.

 

[dragnlaw]

I've followed ATK for many years (and so has GG I believe) - I've never had a bad experience, ever. They pretty much explain every step of the way with the "why's" and "wherefores'".
So some might consider their recipes being done the 'hard way' but it is usually the tried and true way. Recipes evolve and may become simpler, either by combining steps or ingredients or plain leaving them out or substituting. But they are pretty classical - and I love them and the video's because I can "see" each step as it goes along.

So, back to you, Seeing. Your oven is smaller and that alone would be enough reason to lower the heat. There is not enough heat 'space' surrounding the foods. Larger ovens obviously have a larger space to heat to create the temp needed for the foods.

Doing just one chicken might also be a reason but not sure. As the density of all the foods together can change the dynamics for heating the foods thru.

Being on a rack would not necessarily crisp the bottom of the bird. The fat dripping down would likely keep it on the soft side. It probably will brown but not really crisp, at least not like it would on the top.

I will agree with one thing - in the video with Julia, those chicken's sure don't look browned as if having been done at 475F. But again, 2 chickens and several pounds of vegies, may very well handle 475F (240 C) just like that!

 

[pictonguy]

Yeah, 475 for an hour is too high of a heat. I suspect 475 should have been for the initial 20 minutes and the last 45 minutes in the 350 range.

 

[dragnlaw]

Seeing to Believe, no matter what I wrote about all the variables - taxy and pictonguy have the right of it. Lowering the heat after the first 20 minutes is the best answer.
As taxy mentions they, in all probability, forgot - even though I went to both, they don't say in the video nor in the printed recipe.

 

[taxlady]

Seeing to Believe, no matter what I wrote about all the variables - taxy and pictonguy have the right of it. Lowering the heat after the first 20 minutes is the best answer.
As taxy mentions they, in all probability, forgot - even though I went to both, they don't say in the video nor in the printed recipe.

Thanks for checking the recipe. I couldn't see it.

 

[dragnlaw]

No, I pay for the yearly access. I've stopped getting the magazine and figure the cost is a lot less paper in my space. Think the magazines actually work out cheaper but it gives you access to all 3 of their sites and much easier to look things up!

 

[taxlady]

Now I am starting to wonder if that high heat the whole time is a good way to cook chicken that I never heard about before. Yesterday, while checking out YouTube, I came across videos from a couple of sensible chefs who did that. Kenji did turn down the heat when his spatchcocked chicken started browning too fast. The other chef put a bed of veggies, which she claimed keep down the amount of smoke produced.

 

[pictonguy]

Now I am starting to wonder if that high heat the whole time is a good way to cook chicken that I never heard about before. Yesterday, while checking out YouTube, I came across videos from a couple of sensible chefs who did that. Kenji did turn down the heat when his spatchcocked chicken started browning too fast. The other chef put a bed of veggies, which she claimed keep down the amount of smoke produced.

It's complicated. A spatchcocked chicken (is thinner) will cook faster which will allow for variable temps and higher heat but not 1 hour @475 I'm not surprised he had to turn it down. 400 would have worked better for him. Yes the rendered fat in the second example would fill your kitchen with smoke so sure some veg will reduce that but both examples are probably better examples of why you shouldn't cook @475. 350 is a time honored and proven method for roasting chicken. I always roast my whole chicken @350 and breast side down, this allows the moisture to penetrate the breast. You can put it under a broiler for a couple of minutes if it's not browned enough. this is just my opinion of course.

 

[dragnlaw]

There is also the method of starting with a cold oven and cranking it up to 500 - a method I emphatically do NOT suggest. Especially if you have an oven that looks like mine on the inside....

 

[jennyema]

Now I am starting to wonder if that high heat the whole time is a good way to cook chicken that I never heard about before. Yesterday, while checking out YouTube, I came across videos from a couple of sensible chefs who did that. Kenji did turn down the heat when his spatchcocked chicken started browning too fast. The other chef put a bed of veggies, which she claimed keep down the amount of smoke produced.

It’s an excellent way to roast chicken. I use Barbara Kafka’s famous recipe all the time. I slice up potatoes and cover the bottom of the roasting pan. It helps with smoke plus the potatoes are delicious.

here is the recipe : https://food52.com/recipes/17568-barbara-kafka-s-simplest-roast-chicken