Session 10 — Roasting: Hot Oven, Dry Surface
← Block 3–4: Heat & Cooking Methods Overview
Skill: Roasting is dry oven heat that circulates around food, browning all exposed surfaces. The two secrets: (1) high heat (400°F+) and (2) a dry surface on the food. Pat everything dry. Never roast wet food — the moisture steams before it can brown.
Full Meal: Perfect Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Apple-Shallot Pan Sauce + Easy Roasted Broccoli
Use bone-in, thick-cut pork chops (1.5" minimum). Pat them completely dry, season generously. This is also the first time you'll use the pork internal temperature target: 145°F — significantly lower than poultry's 165°F because the risk profile is different. Use your thermometer.
| Component | Recipe |
|---|---|
| Protein | Bone-in pork chops — Kenji's method starts low in the oven, then sears in a hot pan. Your first time hitting the 145°F pork target |
| Veg | Roasted broccoli — 500°F oven, single layer, tossed in olive oil; the florets should char at the tips |
| Sauce | Apple-shallot pan sauce — after the pork rests, keep the fond in the pan. Sauté 1 sliced shallot and 1 sliced apple in the pork fat until softened. Deglaze with a splash of cider vinegar, add a knob of butter, swirl until glossy. Spoon over the chops. |
🎥 Compare Notes: Pork Chops with Madeira Mustard Pan Sauce (Helen Rennie) — Different approach to the same cut. Watch how she builds a pan sauce after the sear — you're doing the same thing here with apples and cider vinegar instead of Madeira and mustard. You'll go deeper on pan sauces in Block 5–6.