Videos

How to Roast Peppers

by:
July 22, 2011

Whether you like them sweet and soft or al dente with a kick, roasted peppers are the vegetable candy we look forward to each summer (it's pepper season!). A&M roll out two tricks for roasting -- oven and fire (stove top, please) -- that will discipline your poblanos, or whatever pepper you like.

This week's videos were once again shot and edited our videographer Elena Parker (who now produces our bi-weekly Dinner & a Movie column as well!).

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Droplet
    Droplet
  • Blissful Baker
    Blissful Baker
  • Lisarsrn
    Lisarsrn
  • Dr.Insomnia
    Dr.Insomnia
  • foodluver
    foodluver
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17 Comments

Droplet October 18, 2011
Blistering them with a brulee torch is another way to do it ( an to justify the purchase of a tool with an otherwise limited use).
 
Blissful B. September 23, 2011
As a roasting newbie, I watched your video & then made Oui, Chef's soup, promptly forgetting your instruction to use an old pan. Instead I tossed the peppers in olive oil in a pyrex pan & spent what felt like the next week scrubbing the charred black from the pan afterwards. For anyone else new to roasting peppers, if you use the oven method, line your pans!
 
Lisarsrn July 28, 2011
No length of cooking time was stated for the second half of oven roasting the peppers. I assume another 20 minutes?
 
Lisarsrn July 28, 2011
No time was given for oven roasting after turning but I assume another 20 minutes?
 
Dr.Insomnia July 27, 2011
I just broil mine to get the quick cooked affect without the danger and difficulty of fire. Of course, I (unfortunately) have an electric stove, so unless I have a kitchen fire, it doesn't work.

And I'd add that you don't need to wrap them in plastic. I usually put my peppers in a casserole dish after they are cooked and then I top the dish with plastic. That's enough to steam the skin off.
 
foodluver July 26, 2011
Great video, but I'm concerned about possible health issues from wrapping the hot peppers in plastic wrap. I'd go with the brown paper bag or inverted bowl suggestions or wrap them in foil.
 
GreenChef July 26, 2011
Brilliant ladies. I BBQ roasted some peppers this past weekend and decided from here on it I would remover the seeds and membranes before I roasted them next time. Once roasted I put them in a mason jar and covered in EVOO. Next time I will freeze them roasted. Sounds like a splendid idea. I wasn't sure how to preserve them once they were roasted.
 
mainecoon July 25, 2011
When I peel (red bell) peppers, I cut them in half from the tip through stem and open flat onto a baking sheet to bake for about 10 minutes and broil for about 5 or as long as it takes to blacken them.
The advantage is that you do not have to turn them over and they spend much less time in the oven, thus retaining their shape.
 
When I roast peppers I put an upside down bowl over the pepper once they are done, I leave them in the pan I roasted them in to steam them. I also use a pottery or glass dish at about 400. If you use a pottery or glass dish you can use the liquid that the peppers produce either as a dressing or add it to whatever you are putting the peppers in for more flavor.
 
WileyP July 24, 2011
Very nicely done, ladies - Thanks! And you can roast chiles on an electric cooktop if you set a rack about 1/2" above the element and lay your chiles on that. Actually it does an even better job than gas or propane because there is less moisture to the heat.
Coincidentally, I went to a baby shower in Chimayo (CHEE-my-oh), New Mexico yesterday. I chatted for some time with a wonderful old gentleman and his lovely bride of 53 years, natives of the little town. Prior to the influence of New Mexico State University's efforts to establish Doña Anna and Mimbres Counties as the chile capital of the world, Chimayo was where all the best chiles came from. It still is, in my way of thinking. This old man's family has been growing chiles for generations there and (at least to me) they are so much more flavorful and have so much more character than those grown further south. Whether roasted and diced or dried and powdered when green or powdered after they are red and ripe, these lovely chiles truly embody the flavor of New Mexico.
This gentleman roasts his chiles on the top of a 100+ year old wood-fired kitchen stove. Once roasted so the entire outer skin is charred, he places them in a paper bag to allow them to continue steaming internally for 20 minutes. Then he freezes them without peeling them. He said that leaving the skin on until you thaw them back out does two things: First, it keeps the flavor fresher longer and second, they are even easier to peel then. Obviously, if you are going to use them right away, just peel them and seed them and use them. But here, when the harvest is on, we stash away enough to last for at least a year.
 
inpatskitchen July 24, 2011
After my folks got tired of canning jars and jars of roasted peppers, they started freezing them and yes they didn't peel them first...works like a charm!!
 
isabelita July 24, 2011
I often freeze raw peppers but never thought to freeze them roasted. Thank you cookbookchick and thank you Amanda for all you wonderful tips and recipes.
 
Melody July 24, 2011
i spy a pair of crocs!

very cute!
 
fo July 22, 2011
beautiful peppers gals. ive never done them in the oven, but wow, what a difference in color. can't wait to see what sort of pepper dishes happen this week!
 
inpatskitchen July 22, 2011
Great video! I often broil mine instead of stove top or (especially if it's raining!)
 
Sagegreen July 22, 2011
Thanks for another great video. For those of us reduced to electric stoves, don't forget you can grill peppers outdoors, too!
 
Sasha (. July 22, 2011
Did Amanda just say she wants a fabric made out of the blistered pepper skin? Love it.