When To Use Your Grill Vs Broiler For A Big Batch Of Roasted Peppers

Jars of roasted red peppers may be super-convenient, but roasting your own capsicum means you can mix varieties (such as bell peppers, poblanos, and even spicy jalapenos) while controlling their level of sweet and smoky char. Scorching peppers directly over a gas burner works well but it's a messy job. Moreover, you have to monitor each individual pepper as it chars on the flame, making sure to turn it over as it cooks.

Roasting peppers on a grill is a better move because you can barbecue more than one at the same time, spread them out on the grates, and keep an eye on them easily (perhaps even cover them with a lid to encourage them to soften faster). However, this requires setting up your barbecue and isn't ideal in the colder weather. And there's an even better choice if you're roasting a bigger batch of peppers.

The key here is to arrange the peppers on a baking tray and place them under a broiler. This allows you to roast several peppers at once (perhaps up to eight if you have a large broiler) without having to venture outside. They also cook more evenly under the heating elements of your broiler that's set to a specific temperature. Simply halve and deseed your peppers and lay them cut side down on your baking sheet. Then broil them for 15 minutes or so or until their skins begin to blacken. To speed up the process and maximize flavor, you can add oil to bell peppers prior to roasting them.

It's tricky to peel roasted peppers when they're still hot from the broiler. Instead, you should immediately place them in a plastic food bag, seal them, and allow them to cool. The moisture inside the peppers will turn to steam as they sit in the bag, making it much easier to peel off the skins in one move and scrape off any stubborn seeds — this trick also works for roasted eggplants if you're making a dip like baba ganoush.

You could opt to leave the skin on your peppers, however, there's a risk that some of the charred areas will taste bitter and acrid, impacting the delicious natural sweetness of the softened flesh beneath. Indeed, the point of roasting peppers is to encourage them to caramelize until their flavor is both sweet and smoky. And it's this characteristic that explains why you should keep roasted peppers on hand for countless quick and delicious meals, such as comforting soups, baked pasta, salads, and more. Roasted red peppers are a key ingredient in Middle Eastern muhamarra but are equally as scrumptious stuffed into a sammie with deli meats and cheese. To infuse your roasted peppers with more flavor, consider marinating them in olive oil seasoned with aromatics, like crushed garlic and dried herbs.