How to Melt Any Vegetable
Get the Recipe: Melting Potatoes
You know that sensation you get when you bite into something that's crisp and delicate on the outside and smooth and succulent on the inside? Think of the best French fry you've ever eaten. That clash of textures–crispy verse creamy–can be achieved by a simple cooking technique called melting. While potatoes may be the best example of the power of melting veg, you can melt a vast array of vegetables. To name a few: radishes, carrots, parsnips, beets, rutabagas, turnips, eggplant, squashes, sun chokes, jicama, yucca, cabbages, onions.... You get the picture. Here are the kitchen tools you'll need, plus an easy-to-follow formula to melt any vegetable your heart desires.
10 Kitchen Tools for Almost Any Melting Situation
- Cutting board (Buy one: bedbathandbeyond.com, $18)
- Peeler
- Knife
- Flat-bottomed, rimmed metal sheet pan
(Buy one: madeincookware.com, $25) - Tongs
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl (Buy one: surlatable.com, $16)
- Mise-en-place containers
- Serving plate
7 Easy Steps for Melting Almost Any Vegetable
1. Adjust your oven racks and turn on the heat
Adjust your oven rack by placing it in the top one-third of the oven. The top of the oven stays more consistently hot and hotter in general, which helps to crisp up the exterior of the vegetable. For starchier, denser vegetables like potatoes, set your oven to 500 degrees F; for beets, it's 450 degrees F (any higher and the sugars in the beets may burn); and for more delicate veg like cabbage, the sweet spot is 350 degrees F.
Recipe to Try: Melting Sweet Potatoes
2. Prep your veggies
This is where you show your knife skills (it's ok to use a peeler, too!) A sharp chef's knife will do the trick. Peel, trim, and cut your veg into 1-inch-thick slices or pieces. Adhering to the 1-inch rule ensures all the veg pieces will cook evenly and at the same rate. For cabbages, cut the head into wedges or 1-inch steaks, keeping the core intact so they hold together during the melting process. If you're adventurous or trying to get kids to eat their vegetables, try using a cookie cutter to punch out fun shapes.
Recipe to Try: Melting Sweet Potatoes
3. Add your seasonings
You can do this directly on the baking sheet, adding whatever seasonings that strike your fancy, For melting potatoes we recommend salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme, and a combination of extra-virgin olive oil and melted butter. Feel free to get frisky with dry seasonings, seasoning blends or even seeds. Cumin and caraway are excellent with green cabbage. Beets love dill. Choose the seasoning appropriate to your melting vegetable. Toss to coat.
Recipe to Try: Melting Sweet Potatoes
4. Cook to crisp up the exterior of the veg
After your veg is lacquered up, slide the pan onto the high rack in the very hot oven where it will oven-sear, roast, brown –whatever you want to call it. This is when the crisping happens. For potatoes, it takes about 30 minutes; 35 for beets. You may prefer to sear cabbage in a skillet on the stovetop before transferring to the oven, but up to to you. Melting is flexible.
Recipe to Try: Melting Sweet Potatoes
5. Add even more seasonings
This is when you add flavorings that would have burned during crisping, like smashed garlic cloves, or benefit from the addition of broth (which is the next step), like dry mustard. This is a good time to add more salt and pepper, too, if you like.
6. Add broth to the sheet pan to achieve the "melting" effect
Slowly and carefully pour your broth into the baking pan. It's important the pan is not warped and the bottom is flat so the liquid is evenly distributed around the vegetable—never completely submerging the slabs, wedges or other pieces of veg. They'll soak up flavor from the broth and secondary seasonings and will also steam-cook, creating the creamy, melt in your mouth interior.
Recipe to Try: Melting Sweet Potatoes
7. Cook some more, flipping the veg as necessary
After the addition of the broth, cook time is generally about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the veg. Keep an eye on the liquid level and flip the melting pieces about half way through. When almost all the broth is gone, the melting is complete. Finish with a flurry of chopped fresh parsley or a squeeze of lemon never hurt anybody.
Recipe to Try: Melting Beets