How to choose the best roasters: Test Kitchen review

Roasters are high-walled dishes, typically made from either metal or glass, whereas baking dishes and trays are usually shallower and may be glass or ceramic. Roasters can also be used at low or very high oven temperatures.

Perfect for:

These are best for joints of meat, roast vegetables and potatoes: all of the Christmas must-haves! They are also ideal for everyday dinners, from roast chicken to lasagne.

What to consider:

The best metal roasters are made from quality carbon steel and have a non-stick surface, making easy work of scraping up the best browned bits from a roast. Look for high sides that promote even heating around larger joints of meat and leave room for cooking liquid to gather and be used later for gravies and sauces. High walls will also allow for easy tenting — covering the roaster with foil to trap in heat — either while cooking or while your meat rests. Most importantly, opt for a roaster that is large enough to fit your ingredients, without being too large for your oven.

What we love:

We put the Pyrex® Magic Rectangular Roaster to the ultimate test by tasking it with the much-loved Christmas ham. We’re delighted to report it excelled at every step: the generous size was perfect for a large ham, but would be equally as suited to a family-sized serving of roast potatoes or vegetables. The non-stick coating meant we didn’t lose any of the precious ham glaze, and the easy-to-grip handles made safe and quick work of getting it into and out of the oven. Our favourite feature, however, might be the handy pouring spout at the corner: not a drop of cooking liquid went to waste!

Pyrex® is a trademark of Corning Incorporated used under licence by International Cookware.