For Perfect Roasted Vegetables, Start With Uniform Chopping

When you're serving roast chicken, steak, pasta, and numerous other dishes, there's one side that's a staple and a crowd-pleaser: roasted veggies. Whether you prefer glazed vegetables or coated in mayo, vegetables are satisfying, delicious, and nutritious (though not all veggies are equally healthy). There's nothing quite like an assortment of perfectly tender yet caramelized veggies — and insisting on serving yourself so you can grab your favorite ones. But with anything this good, there are a few risks involved. And one of those is that veggies cook unevenly. Speaking from experience, taking your veggies out to find some completely charred and others half-cooked is not fun. But chopping each vegetable evenly is an easy way to avoid this.

Cutting your vegetables into equal sizes will ensure that they take roughly the same amount of time to cook through. For the purpose of cooking evenly, it's not as crucial for the shape of your veggies to be consistent (although it might be if you want to impress some guests). If you're unsure about size, cutting them into one-inch thick, bite-sized pieces is a good place to start.

When cooking an assortment of veggies, you might find that even when cut uniformly, they don't all cook at the same rate. This is because some varieties of veggies simply take longer than others. A good trick for this is to group the types of veggies together when roasting on the pan. That way, if some types are ready sooner, you can easily take them off earlier. Keep in mind that higher water-content veggies like squash, peppers, or mushrooms will take less time than denser veggies like carrots or beets. So, if you're roasting some softer veggies, start checking on them at the 10-minute mark.

Another important step for even cooking is to roast your vegetables in a single layer. Don't overcrowd or overlap them, as this will stop each piece from browning evenly. To really make sure that your veggies caramelize to perfection, toss and flip them halfway during roasting with a spatula. If you're roasting a variety of veggies and taking some out earlier than others, put them back in the oven for a few minutes to reheat before serving. And there you have it; you've just made the perfect, crowd-pleasing side dish.