The problem of evenly cooking a food item so that all sides cook and brown evenly is solved by the use of a roasting platform that raises above rendered substances that can cause a steam and wetness to the surface of a food item. The roasting platform can be foldable or compressed, so that it takes up minimal storage space and can be deployed for use. Drain holes allow rendered substances to be more quickly separated from the surface of a food item. The same drain holes can be used as visual indicators when deploying the roasting platform to show when he folds of a roasting platform are sufficiently separated for maximum usable area and support for a weight placed thereon.