How To Roast Peppers, 3 Ways
Roasting bell peppers is the home cook’s back-pocket trick to instantly improving the flavor of a readily available vegetable. Use one of these quick, reliable methods to make your own “fire-roasted peppers” and enjoy your efforts in everything from sandwiches to tomorrow’s scrambled eggs.
Char Is Your Flavorful Friend
There are few instances when burning food improves its flavor, but roasting peppers is one. The skin on most mass-market peppers is bred to be tough for more reliable packing and shipping.
By charring the skin, some moisture is drawn out out of the pepper, concentrating the pepper’s natural sweetness and incinerating the peel.
3 Methods for Roasting Peppers
There are three methods for roasting peppers: on a gas stovetop, on a grill, or under the broiler. Use the method that works best for you, but remember that some methods are better for large batches of peppers than others.
- Stovetop: Ideal for one to two peppers, as each pepper has to be charred individually.
- Grill: Best for four to six peppers. Any more than that and you’ll have some peppers that char and some than simply steam.
- Broiler: Great for six to eight peppers (or more), but remember that broilers vary drastically, so watch your first peppers carefully.
Peeling Roasted Peppers
Once the peppers are roasted, the easiest way to remove their peels is to wait. Place the peppers in a large bowl, cover securely with plastic wrap, and let the peppers steam themselves inside the bowl. The moisture between the charred skin and the pepper will natural release the pepper’s skin. Peel away by hand and discard.
Here’s Another (Similar) Technique: How To Peel Roasted Peppers
I Roasted My Peppers — Now What?
Roasted peppers are great for chopping up and adding to salsas or an antipasto salad. You can turn them into relish or add them to pasta dishes. Roasted red peppers add flavor and lend silkiness to soups. You can also put them on homemade pizza or in tapenade, eat them on sandwiches, or turn them into dip to spread on sandwiches.
How To Roast Peppers, 3 Ways
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 to 8
bell peppers
Equipment
Tongs
Outdoor grill or baking sheet--depending on method
Heatproof bowl
Plastic wrap or aluminum foil
Instructions
Roast pepper on a gas stovetop (best for 1 to 2 peppers)
Turn a burner to the highest setting and set your pepper directly on the flame. Use a pair of tongs to turn the pepper occasionally until the skin is completely blackened, about 8 minutes.
Roast peppers on the grill (best for 4 to 6 peppers)
Heat a gas grill to high or prepare a charcoal grill for direct heat. Place the peppers directly over the heat.
Turn the peppers every 2 to 3 minutes until they are completely charred, about 10 minutes total.
Roast peppers under the broiler (good for 4 to 8 peppers)
Position an oven rack as close as you can to the broiling element in your oven, and turn the broiler on to high.
Place your peppers on a baking sheet and place it directly under the broiler.
Use a pair of tongs to turn the peppers occasionally until the skin is completely blackened, about 8 minutes total.
How to peel roasted peppers
Put the still-warm pepper(s) in a heatproof bowl and cover either with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a pot lid.
The skin will loosen as the pepper steams, and once it's cooled down a bit, you can easily remove the skin with your fingers.
Recipe Notes
Storage: The roasted peppers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.