Roasting Peppers at Home:
 A Simple Weeknight Move
If you cook with peppers even once in a while, roasting them is one of those small habits that pays you back fast. You take a raw pepper that’s crisp and
bright, apply heat until the skin blisters, and you end up with something softer, sweeter, and easier to fold into meals. Roasted peppers also keep well, which means you can do the work once and use them several times.
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You have three reliable ways to roast peppers, and the best one is the one that fits your kitchen.
The broiler is the quickest. It gives you blistered skin in minutes, but it does require you to stay close and turn the peppers as they blacken. A gas burner or grill works well when you’re doing a few peppers and want a little char flavor. The oven is the most hands-off option, especially if you want to roast a batch; it takes longer, but you can let it run while you do something else.
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No matter which method you choose, the goal is the same: soften the pepper and loosen the skin. Once the peppers are blistered and tender, put them in a bowl and cover it, or tuck them into a paper bag for about ten minutes. That short “rest” is what makes peeling easy. The trapped heat and steam separate the skin from the flesh so you’re not fighting with it.
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When you peel, keep it simple. Use your hands or a towel and rub off the skin. Don’t worry if a little char stays behind, it’s part of the flavor. What you do want to avoid is rinsing roasted peppers under running water. Water washes away some of the flavor and the natural juices you just worked to create. Instead, open the peppers over the bowl, remove the stem, seeds, and white
ribs, and let the juices collect. Those juices are useful later for dressing, sauces, or simply spooning over the peppers when you store them.
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For storage, keep roasted peppers in the refrigerator with a little olive oil and any collected juices. From there, they slide into everyday cooking without feeling like a
“project.” You can layer them into sandwiches, chop them into salads, stir them into beans or grains, or blend them into a quick sauce or dip. A small amount adds sweetness and depth to meals that otherwise taste flat, and you don’t need a recipe to use them well.
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Once you’ve roasted peppers a few times, the process
stops feeling like a technique and starts feeling like a shortcut. You get a flexible ingredient that makes weeknight meals easier, and you can do it with whatever heat source you already have.
