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Roasted Red Bell Peppers

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Makes 4 roasted peppers

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Ingredients

4 red bell peppers (6 to 9 ounces each), prepared according to illustrations below

Before You Begin

Cooking times vary, depending on the broiler, so watch the peppers carefully as they roast. You will need to increase the cooking time slightly if your peppers are just out of the refrigerator instead of room temperature. Yellow and orange peppers roast faster than red ones, so decrease their cooking time by 2 to 4 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to top position. Turn broiler on. With oven door closed, let oven heat for 5 minutes. Oven rack should be 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches from heating element. If not, set a jelly-roll pan, turned upside down, on oven rack to elevate pan (see illustration 6). Broil peppers, with oven door closed, until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Reverse pan in oven; roast until skin is charred and puffed but the flesh is still firm, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
  2. Remove pan from oven; let peppers sit until cool enough to handle; peel and discard skin from each piece (see illustration 7). For those who prefer, peppers can be transferred to a large heat-resistant bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and steamed for 15 minutes before peeling skin.
Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Makes 4 roasted peppers

Ingredients

4 red bell peppers (6 to 9 ounces each), prepared according to illustrations below

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 red bell peppers (6 to 9 ounces each), prepared according to illustrations below

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 red bell peppers (6 to 9 ounces each), prepared according to illustrations below

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

We developed our roasted red pepper recipe to achieve tender but not mushy flesh, smoky flavor, and skin that would peel off easily. We found that oven broiling is clearly superior to charring over a gas burner, but took care not to overroast our peppers, or they became flabby and bitter. Once our peppers were roasted, we gave them time to cool before handling, steaming them for 15 minutes so the charred skin was easier to peel away.

Before You Begin

Cooking times vary, depending on the broiler, so watch the peppers carefully as they roast. You will need to increase the cooking time slightly if your peppers are just out of the refrigerator instead of room temperature. Yellow and orange peppers roast faster than red ones, so decrease their cooking time by 2 to 4 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to top position. Turn broiler on. With oven door closed, let oven heat for 5 minutes. Oven rack should be 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches from heating element. If not, set a jelly-roll pan, turned upside down, on oven rack to elevate pan (see illustration 6). Broil peppers, with oven door closed, until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Reverse pan in oven; roast until skin is charred and puffed but the flesh is still firm, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
  2. Remove pan from oven; let peppers sit until cool enough to handle; peel and discard skin from each piece (see illustration 7). For those who prefer, peppers can be transferred to a large heat-resistant bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and steamed for 15 minutes before peeling skin.

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