The words “
baking” and “
roasting” are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t quite the same thing.
In professional cooking, to bake food is to surround it with hot air (not necessarily intensely hot) and is usually applied to breads, pastries, vegetables and fish. Roasting is a more specific term, usually applied to meats and poultry, although the technique is essentially the same. Roasting, however, can be done on a spit or in front of an open fire.