Published May 1, 1996.
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.
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.
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