What are the main elements you need to make a good tray bake?

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di, Google the term "baking sheet dinner". From there you can see all the various options. Basically, they are sheet pans with sides (jelly roll pan, rimmed cookie sheet, probably have six other names I'm not familiar with...) that have all the ingredients of a full meal: meat, veggie, and maybe your starch like a potato. I've made dinner this way a few times. After the first time you remember to cover the sheet pan with foil before you lay everything down. Otherwise, the pan needs a good scrubbing.

Try chicken, cut into serving pieces (drumstick, thigh, breast cut in half, then each half cut in half, wings if you like them crispy), or individual pork ribs, or links of sausage, and partner them on the tray with carrots (cut in half lengthwise), chunks of potatoes, Brussels sprouts , broccoli, cauliflower - whatever sturdy veggies you like. If I'm using something that cooks quicker, I'll toss it onto the tray midway or so during the cooking time. I do like to drizzle some olive oil over everything (or you can toss in a bowl, then put onto the tray), and sprinkle whatever seasoning I'm in the mood for.

Easy to clean up from - basically your prep tools if you remember to cover that sheet pan! ;)
 
Ok. I think we've established that we aren't referring to casseroles or hot dish. ;)

As CG and GG point out, it's basically this:
Sheet Pan Dinner Ideas: Food Network

At first glance, the concept seems simple enough: throw a bunch of things on a baking sheet and roast. But I think there's some degree of complexity involved, since you would have to include only foods that finish cooking in the same amount of time.

I honestly don't see myself doing much of this type of thing. I'm not really a toss-it-in-the-oven-and-walk-away sort of guy. I prefer having everything on the stove top in separate pans where I can constantly flip, stir, taste, and re-season as needed.

In other words, I like to play with my food while I'm cooking it. :chef:
 
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I lived in Minn. in the mid/late '50's. Although I was young and not into cooking, other than fudge, brownies, taffee, my parents entertained a lot and were entertained. There were potlucks, etc. I don't ever remember hearing the term "hot dish". Is it a casserole? A dish made and kept warm on a serving burner? Like chicken legs or thighs in a sauce in a serving bowl?
 
Ok. I think we've established that we aren't referring to casseroles or hot dish. ;)

As CG and GG point out, it's basically this:
Sheet Pan Dinner Ideas: Food Network

At first glance, the concept seems simple enough: throw a bunch of things on a baking sheet and roast. But I think there's some degree of complexity involved, since you would have to include only foods that finish cooking in the same amount of time.

I honestly don't see myself doing much of this type of thing. I'm not really a toss-it-in-the-oven-and-walk-away sort of guy. I prefer having everything on the stove top in separate pans where I can constantly flip, stir, taste, and re-season as needed.

In other words, I like to play with my food while I'm cooking it. :chef:

I like both of these techniques, depending on the day and what all is going on. Sometimes I need an easier dinner than fiddling with several pots on the stove ;)
 
I lived in Minn. in the mid/late '50's. Although I was young and not into cooking, other than fudge, brownies, taffee, my parents entertained a lot and were entertained. There were potlucks, etc. I don't ever remember hearing the term "hot dish". Is it a casserole? A dish made and kept warm on a serving burner? Like chicken legs or thighs in a sauce in a serving bowl?

That wouldn't really be the sort of thing I'd call a hotdish. Something more like the classic rice, ground beef, onion, celery, mushroom soup (or scratch sauce) with a crunchy chow mein noodle topping, baked in the oven after the mostly pre-cooked ingredients are mixed in a deep casserole dish (2 or 3 versions of this showed up at every church smorgasbord we went to each summer).

A hotdish is just another name for a casserole, and it's normally a one dish meal, usually served straight from the oven to the table, same as the tray bake or sheet pan dinner, but saucier with a rice or pasta included along with the meat and veggies.

Technically, something like jambalaya would have been called a hotdish when I was growing up - that is if anyone in Minnesota had ever heard of such a thing back then (I never even heard of a taco until I was 20 and living in Montana - this was well before the age of Taco Bell). :rolleyes:
 
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oh, guys, come on, a hotdish, casserole, bakeon, hottray, etc, is something to be enjoyed by our friends and family members and many others.........that's why we're on this site isn't it....who cares what you call it...it's a composite of many wonderful things......I'm sorry......the kid next door is still violating his violin............just had to get this out as the last screech of his strings are assaulting my ears.........
 
oh, guys, come on, a hotdish, casserole, bakeon, hottray, etc, is something to be enjoyed by our friends and family members and many others.........that's why we're on this site isn't it....who cares what you call it...it's a composite of many wonderful things......I'm sorry......the kid next door is still violating his violin............just had to get this out as the last screech of his strings are assaulting my ears.........

Some of us like to be precise in our language, to prevent confusion and misunderstandings ;)

There are several words to describe a casserole, but that's not what this thread is about.
 
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My biggest question about this thread is why is it in the "Dry Rubs and Mops" forum? Probably would be a better fit in "Casseroles", or maybe even in "General Cooking". Just a suggestion for a mod to shift it for easier locating. :)
 
oh, guys, come on, a hotdish, casserole, bakeon, hottray, etc, is something to be enjoyed by our friends and family members and many others.........that's why we're on this site isn't it....who cares what you call it...it's a composite of many wonderful things......I'm sorry......the kid next door is still violating his violin............just had to get this out as the last screech of his strings are assaulting my ears.........


Got Garlic is totally right. What it's called matters. That's why we have nouns!:)

A hot tray as its being described in this thread isn't a casserole or a hot dish anymore than a pie is a tart or a Betty or a buckle. Different yummy things to make and eat.
 
Mystery solved. They're called Savoury Tray Bakes, and they're all over the web. I thought that 'dry rubs and mops' would have been the right category for it because, to a large extent, they have less moisture than a casserole. However, normally there are always herbs and spices included in the recipes. I'm sure you'll be familiar with these. I've come to the conclusion that the good thing about them is that there seem to be few fixed rules about how they they're made, provided it's a mix of ingredients, flavourings, some moisture but not a lot, and they're ready in a short space of time, so you use portion-size pieces of meat. Some are drier than others. You can do them in advance. A popular one seems to be chicken and chorizo with potatoes and tomatoes. The simple 'tray bake' is cakes of all kinds, as you already said.

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
No matter what they're called, they're a very convenient way of getting a dinner out that's tasty, easy to do, already 'portioned out', frugal on the use of utensils, so my challenge now is: what savoury tray bake would you make? I'm going to do one with pork chops, rosemary, potatoes, bell peppers, aubergines and white wine, and see how that works. Should take about 20 mins to put together plus baking.

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
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