This is more of a technique than a recipe. You can use roasted peppers in so many different ways—in appetizers, main courses, side dishes, sandwiches, frittatas. If you have some in the refrigerator, you’re always just a few steps away from having something good to eat.

Most of the roasted peppers you can buy in a jar are pretty mediocre. They’re either too salty or too vinegary. They’re also undercooked, so they don’t have the pleasing taste or texture that home-roasted ones do. Once you try making these yourself, I think you’ll see what I mean. Six large peppers will make enough for a nice antipasto platter—all you need to add is some fresh mozzarella, some olives, and some sliced soppressata.

I prefer this method to charring the skins over an open flame for a few reasons: oven roasting requires less hands-on cooking time, the peels come off more easily, and you don’t get that acrid burnt-peel smell filling the kitchen and the rest of the house.