The Sweet Addition That Helps Roasted Vegetables Caramelize Quicker

Want to know the one easy trick that helps roasted vegetables caramelize even better? Add a little sugar. Just add a dash or two prior to cooking, and your vegetables will come out of the oven lightly browned and tasting slightly nutty and mildly sweet. It's a little known secret to add depth of flavor with very minimal effort.

Vegetables already have natural sugar content, so they will always caramelize to some degree on their own when you roast them. However, adding some sugary goodness increases the potential for the process and deepens the flavors. It also helps them cook faster and more evenly. Texturally, caramelizing results in delightfully crisp edges that brown without burning. Cooking with sugar changes the taste as well, taking things beyond being simply sweet. Instead, a richer flavor will develop, with layers of mildly candied, butterlike toastiness.

For the best results, roast vegetables like squash, raw zucchini, broccoli, or cauliflower quickly at a high, dry heat of 500 degrees Fahrenheit. They'll come out browned and crispy in under 10 minutes.

Sugar comes in many forms: white, brown, maple syrup, honey. Each type can be the catalyst for caramelization, but will give different results, and choosing the right sugar depends on the subtle play of flavors in the ingredients you're working with.

Seasonal peaches that are caramelized with brown or white sugar will provide a tasty treat that pairs great with vanilla ice cream. Using white sugar yields a lighter hue and mild sweetness, while brown sugar gives the fruit a richer color and bolder, toffee-like flavor.

Maple syrup works great for caramelizing harvest vegetables such as roasted sweet potatoes and carrots. It adds an autumnal earthiness, ideal for fall recipes, but can be good any time of the year. Honey-glazed root vegetables, like parsnips or beets, also provide a hearty meal. The nuttiness of the caramelized honey can hlep brighten up the starches.

There's also caramelized sliced onions that make a great addition to many dishes. Use them as toppings for cheesy omelets, burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas, or to season soups and dips. Onions, which already have a pungent flavor on their own, pair particularly well with the slight sweetness of white sugar.