Upgrade Your Roasted Veggies Without Putting In Any Extra Effort

Nothing beats perfectly crisped-up and caramelized roasted vegetables. Whether it's broccoli's impeccable cruciferous crunch, beautifully browned cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts with their charred up outer leaves, roasting brings out the best of what veggies have to offer. While there are plenty of tips for how to roast your vegetables to perfection, there's one that will bump up their yum factor that takes hardly any effort. All you have to do is preheat the sheet pan before putting your food into the oven.

The reason this works wonders is because the second the vegetables hit the pan, they immediately start to cook, hastening up the caramelization process ... and that's what gives your veggies their delicious, blackened tips while simultaneously bringing out their inner sweetness and full flavors. Since all ovens have their own quirks, some with areas that are hotter than others, preheating your sheet pan can prevent uneven heating by starting with a pan and oven that are at the same temperature. 

Another benefit is that this method creates an even cook. Because moisture in the vegetables will begin evaporating immediately, this allows the vegetables' insides to soften more quickly while not outpacing their surface as they start to crisp. The result: ideally tender centers with well-done but not burned outsides. Consequently, as any residual moisture vaporizes, it prevents the veggies from turning mushy. Rather than languishing in their own juices and steaming (which contributes to them going squishy), they'll just get straight to the business of roasting instead.

To further take advantage of this culinary upgrade, add sugar to roasted vegetables to caramelize them more quickly. Preheating the pan also speeds up the time it takes everything to cook — in fact, you may want to keep an eye on the veggies as they roast and cut down their time in the oven accordingly.

A preheated pan can also be considered one of the most effective yet overlooked methods for cooking frozen vegetables. Since these hold even more moisture due to freezing, they'll start to sizzle as soon as they hit the heat, ensuring that your vegetables melt quickly and don't end up in a puddle — another easy way to avoid the dreaded mush. This same elimination of moisture works especially well with scratchy vegetables like squash and potatoes (yes, french fries count here too). Since the preheated pan starts to crisp things up on contact, they also avoid steaming and therefore won't even need to be flipped halfway through cooking. 

As for the how-to, it's as simple as popping the pan into the oven as it preheats while you do all of your chopping and prep. Although it might seem like it'll save you a step by adding oil to the pan before it goes into the oven, the result will likely be the smell of burned oil filling your kitchen. Instead, season and oil your vegetables first, then add them to the preheated pan when you're ready to roast.