What is the primary distinction between baking and roasting?

Baking and roasting are both cooking methods that utilize dry heat, typically in an oven, but the primary distinction lies in the type of food being cooked and their sizes. Baking is generally associated with smaller, often delicate items such as bread, pastries, and cakes, where the goal is to create a rise and structure in the final product. On the other hand, roasting is usually reserved for larger cuts of meat or whole vegetables. Roasting focuses on cooking these larger items evenly while achieving a browned, flavorful exterior.

This contrast in the size and type of food helps define the terms. For instance, while baking may involve items that require precise temperatures and times to create the right texture and structure, roasting allows for a more forgiving approach where the focus is on developing flavors and textures in larger pieces.

While other options present valid points, they do not capture this fundamental difference. Roasting can use both covered and uncovered techniques, and the temperatures for both methods can often overlap rather than have a definitive boundary. Additionally, both methods predominantly employ dry heat, disputing the suggestion that baking requires moist heat. Hence, the distinction regarding the size and nature of the food being prepared is what ultimately sets baking and roasting apart.