If you’re in the market for the best roasting pan, chances are you need a big one. Most standard-size cuts of meat, like chickens or tenderloins, cook easily in a cast-iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel skillet, so the benefit of owning a dedicated roasting pan is that it can fit an oversized, crowd-pleasing main for a big dinner party or holiday gathering, like a large turkey or rack of lamb. If you find yourself charged with hosting Thanksgiving, investing in the right cookware can do a lot to ease your holiday cooking stress—even if you do need to clear some space to store it in the off-season.
The best roasting pans
The good news is that with roasting pans, it’s hard to go wrong. We tested 11 highly rated models—in materials ranging from nonstick and stainless steel to aluminum and ceramic—and found that all worked well and cleaned up easily. We chose our finalists based on small construction details, like the shape of the handles and amount of space under the rack. Read on for our top picks—and for more information about how we tested and which pans didn’t make the cut, scroll down further.
Best roasting pan overall: Anolon Triply Clad Stainless Steel Roaster with Nonstick Rack
The Anolon was a heavy-duty roaster (the heaviest we tested actually, at over 10.5 pounds), which manifested excellent heat conduction, resulting in the crispiest exterior on the veggies from any pan. The rack, which is large enough to hold a 20-pound turkey, overhangs the pan slightly, creating easy-to-grab handles for moving the bird from the pan to a cutting board.
It has a nonstick rack, and we wouldn’t choose something nonstick as our top pick for most cookware, because the coatings tend not to be very durable and require replacement every few years. But since the rack is unlikely to come into contact with direct high heat like skillets do (which is the source of a lot of wear) we feel comfortable choosing the Anolon because of its otherwise great design and performance. Because of the nonstick coating, the whole rig is only oven safe up to 500ºF, lower than some other pans, and can’t be used under the broiler. But we didn’t dock it for those things since neither are primary uses for a roasting rack by most home cooks. Also, both the pan and the rack come with a lifetime warranty.
Finally, the Anolon provided seriously easy cleanup. Even though things in the pan got pretty crispy, all the bits wiped off with very little effort.
What we didn’t like about the Anolon Triply Clad Stainless Steel Roaster with Nonstick Rack
The riveted handles are skinnier than our favorite handle shape on the Cuisinart pans. They aren’t uncomfortable to hold when the pan is full, but they do require a little extra gripping.
Size: 17.25″ x 12″ x 6″ (with handles)
Weight: 10.6 lbs.
Includes rack: Yes
The best budget roasting pan: Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless Steel Roaster with Rack
Our former top pick was outperformed in the oven by the Anolon but still did a heck of a job for something that, depending on stocks, can cost somewhere between half and a third the price. With an aluminum core inside stainless steel construction, it conducts heat very well and doesn’t need to be babied—it’s safe up to 550ºF, and okay to use under the broiler or on the stovetop (even induction cooktops). It’s also dishwasher-friendly. The smartly designed rack sits lower in the center and higher on the sides, so there’s plenty of space underneath for vegetables to roast and for the bird to cook evenly. The incredibly comfortable handles sit outside the pan, making it easier to place inside of and retrieve from the oven. (The roasting surface is 16 inches but extends to 20.8 inches with the handles, so if your oven is small, you may want to measure it to make sure the pan will fit). While the handles do get hot in the oven, they stay cool on the stovetop as long as they aren’t placed directly over a burner. Washing the pan, including the stainless-steel rack, is also a breeze. In fact, it’s so easy to clean, we’d rather wash it by hand and save the dishwasher space for more plates.
What we didn’t like about the Cuisinart Classic Stainless Steel Roaster with Rack
It is a lighter-duty pan and feels like it could be prone to a little warping if it underwent temperature shocks.
Size: 20.7″ x 12″ x 4.9″
Weight: 8.1 lbs.
Includes rack: Yes
How we tested
We tested pans that were large enough to roast an average-size Thanksgiving turkey. All were in the 16-inch range, not including the length of the handles. We chose a simple recipe for roast chicken with vegetables, adjusted slightly to accommodate cooking in a roasting pan rather than a skillet. We tossed potato and onion wedges in olive oil with salt and pepper in the base of each roasting pan, then fit on the accompanying rack (if the rack sat too close to the bottom of the pan, we did our best to distribute the vegetables so they wouldn’t be squashed by the rack). Then we roasted a patted-dry and seasoned chicken breast-side up on each rack at 425ºF for 70 minutes. In the original version of this test we also removed the chicken and vegetables and attempted to make a pan sauce using the chicken drippings in the roasting pan itself. In our retest we dropped this. Instead we deglazed the pan and transferred the drippings to a skillet. Trying to make a sauce in something as big as a roasting pan is unwieldy and many home stoves don’t have a burner configuration that makes even heating easy or even possible. Rating roasting pans on their ability to cook in on the stovetop also privileged totally flat pans like the Cuisinart’s and docked otherwise high performing pans like the Anolon, again, without a real practical payoff.
What we looked for
How does the pan roast?
We looked for pans that conducted heat well, had even heat distribution, and produced juicy chickens with crispy skins and caramelized veggies underneath. There was some variation in the chicken, but where we could really see the pans distinguish themselves was with the vegetables.
How low does the rack sit in the pan?
Some racks sat so low that it was hard to cook the vegetables underneath the chicken. We found it inconvenient to lift the rack with the chicken just to stir the vegetables. We also deducted points for racks that smushed the vegetables down so much that they caramelized too quickly.
Is it easy to clean?
After you’ve made that holiday dinner, you don’t want to have to work too hard to clean up. We paid attention to how easy the pans and racks were to hand wash, and if they were dishwasher-safe.
Other roasting pans we tested
We tested nine other oft-reviewed pans in an effort to account for a variety of materials and a range of price points. All were rectangular though. We chose not to test any oval roasters because we thought they’d have a harder time accommodating a larger turkey.
All-Clad Stainless Steel Roaster
What we think of the All-Clad Stainless Steel Roaster
Though the All-Clad Stainless-Steel Roaster shared many of the Cuisinart’s advantages, it’s about twice the price. Plus, its rack sat lower, making it harder to cook the vegetables under the bird.
Cuisinart Multiclad Pro Triple Ply Rectangular Roaster
What we think of the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro
We had high hopes for the more expensive of the Cuisinart roasting pans. It’s a beautiful pan to look at and feels substantial (the triple-ply construction means it weighs 50% more than the Cuisinart Classic). The Cool Touch stainless steel handles were comfortable to hold with oven mitts. It also has straight sides, which made pouring the drippings easier. Ultimately though, the problem with this roasting pan was the roasting. Potatoes and onions didn’t get the same color as they did on our two top picks. It was also a little challenging to clean, which cost it some points.
Williams Sonoma Stainless Steel Ultimate Roasting Pan
What we think of the Williams Sonoma Stainless Steel Ultimate Roasting Pan
The Williams-Sonoma Stainless Steel Ultimate Roasting Pan is heftier than a number of other stainless steel models we tested with a deep basin and well-sized handles; it feels like it could handle any cut of meat you throw at it and last a long time. However, the flat rack is extremely shallow, creating barely ½-inch of space underneath—less than we’d like for vegetables.
Crate & Barrel Large Nonstick Roaster
What we think of the Crate & Barrel Large Nonstick Roaster
The dark finish on Crate & Barrel’s Large Nonstick Roaster made the vegetables cook faster than in the stainless-steel pans, so they had to come out before the bird—an unnecessary extra step. It also isn’t broiler-safe or recommended for use over 450ºF.
Calphalon Nonstick Roasting Pan
What we think of the Calphalon Nonstick Roasting Pan
Calphalon’s PFOA-free nonstick roasting pan had comfortably large handles and came with a baster and two stainless-steel lifters. But it suffered from the same problem as other pans with nonstick cooking surfaces: The dark surface meant the vegetables went black where they were in contact with the pan long before the chicken was done.
Chicago Metallic Nonstick Extra Large Roaster
What we think of the Chicago Metallic Nonstick Extra Large Roaster
Faberware Nonstick Roaster
What we think of the Faberware Nonstick Roaster
The Faberware Nonstick Roaster is highly rated and compact, but it’s again only oven-safe up to 450°F and not suitable for stovetop use. The fold-down handles on either side are nice for storage, but made it tough to grab the hot pan out of the oven.
Circulon Roasting Pan with Rack
What we think of the Circulon Roasting Pan
With thousands of five-star reviews on Amazon, the Circulon Roasting Pan with Rack came highly recommended but did not blow us away. The tall handles made it difficult to use without removing an oven rack (which would make it extra hard to store), and it’s not compatible with stovetop or broiler cooking. The slightly curved corners did make for easy transfer of the drippings to a skillet, however.
Oneida Red Aluminum Roaster with Ceramic Interior (NO LONGER AVAILABLE)
What we think of the Oneida Red Aluminum Roaster with Ceramic Interior
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