Electric "Oven" Roasters

[Jamie Lee]

I posted on the "What to cook for Thanksgiving thread":

Before I get ejected from eGullet, let me set the stage:

I will be without an oven (or patio, or smoker, or grill) on Thanksgiving, but still think I want something close to my traditional meal, but want to do it solo. (I'm new to the area, my condition the day of T-day is iffy due to medical issues, and don't really want to intrude on fellow chemo "pals" for the big meal.)

That said, it seems my options are:

1. Restaurant - um, no.

2. Pre cooked "Meal" from the grocery store, warmed on stove and in microwave.

3. All-stove top meal with either turkey cutlets or rotissiere turkey (if I can find it) with stovetop stuffing, gravy, taters, etc.

or,

4. Something like this (A Rival Roaster Oven)

I know not to expect crispy skin. I also know friends who use something like this every year even though they DO have an oven, they swear the meat is moist and juicy.

Has anyone used something like this before to "roast" a turkey? What else could you use this for? (Pot roast I suppose, but I've got a nice dutch oven I use for stove-top braises..

Thoughts?

But wondered if there might be some opinions here... are there?

J

[SundaySous]

You may want to check out something like a Ronco Rotisserie. I got one for my Mom and still wonder why I haven't gotten one for me yet.

I think this would be great for someone without an oven. Haven't done a turkey but chickens come out perfect. I don't think we've ever done a bad meal out of one of those.

[annarborfoodie]

My mom has a Nesco roaster that is at least 30 years old, and she uses it almost every time she hosts Thanksgiving because it frees up her only oven. I've never noticed any difference in the appearance of the turkey that comes out of the Nesco - it's still nice and brown with crispy skin.

I've noticed that some of the newer roasters also double as buffet servers, which seems handy for feeding a crowd.

http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American-Harve...94287492&sr=8-4

[andiesenji]

I have more than one roaster oven, of various sizes, and have used them for all kinds of things for nearly 50 years. In fact, I have my grandmother's, which she bought in 1947.

I have cooked just about everything one could think of it them, including turkeys, geese, ducks, chickens pheasants, legs of lamb, very large hams, ribs (is fantastic for ribs), hassenpfeffer and other stews, chilis, soups, apples for applesauce. I also use it for candying big batches of ginger, citrus peel, whole fruits and so on.

For people with limited kitchen space, they can be used in the garage - before I moved up here, where I have a large kitchen, I used to use two on holidays, one on top of the washing machine, one on top of the dryer.

Sometimes they come with interior divider/containers so that you can cook more than one food at a time. This was a big selling point back in the late 40s and in the '50s, etc. Ovens were small and few people had more than one.

this one is similar to the Rival

Some of the ones I have are larger than 18 quarts.

Here is some helpful advice

Edited November 5, 2007 by andiesenji (log)

[Anna N]

Andy,

Thanks for the above post. I am also considering a roaster but would love to hear from you on how a turkey cooked in one of these compares to one cooked in a conventional oven (and also a beef roast if you don't mind). I have only one oven and a small toaster/convection oven so that one of these sounds like a plan but I'm leary of ending up with stewed meat! I don't even have a garage! But I would find a spot for one of these when needed.

[Jamie Lee]

Andie:

I also thank you for the website - it answered so many of my questions. I'll stay tuned to this site in case you feel inspired to share more tips and recipes (the ribs, please!)

For those with a Target store near them, they are offering (in my area - PNW - at least) an 18-qt. Rival Roaster for $39 - just don't buy the last one at my store!

I'd love to keep hearing more tips!

[andiesenji]

An electric roaster essentially cooks with steam and it doesn't duplicate the open roasted in the oven method but it cooks the turkey through more rapidly and it can always be shoved into the oven for 30 minutes on High temp to brown the skin.

With exceptionally large turkeys, I have done the same thing with a bird that wouldn't fit into the electric roaster.

I have an enormous Magnalite roaster which can be used on top of the stove (covers two burners and then some)

I have cooked a 35-pound (dressed, no stuffing) on top of the stove for 4 hours and browned in the oven for 40 minutes. (In the oven, 11 hours)

One thing for sure, the meat is moist and tender - using the rack, it won't be stewed. It is very similar to birds cooked in foil or in roasting bags.

I am willing to bet that someone you know actually has one and would let your borrow it to see if you like how it works. It is surprising just how many people have hung onto these things, sometimes for decades.

[plk]

My grandmother always used to make her turkey in one of those giant roasters! She'd pack the stuffing around and inside the bird and it all kind of stewed together and made the stuffing nice and wet. I don't remember there being any actual browning, but we didn't care. It was good! I haven't had a turkey done that way in years, though, so I can't offer any sort of comparison between the roaster and a conventional method, but hey, I liked it.

[Anna N]

An electric roaster essentially cooks with steam and it doesn't duplicate the open roasted in the oven method but it cooks the turkey through more rapidly and it can always be shoved into the oven for 30 minutes on High temp to brown the skin.

With exceptionally large turkeys, I have done the same thing with a bird that wouldn't fit into the electric roaster.

I have an enormous Magnalite roaster which can be used on top of the stove (covers two burners and then some)

I have cooked a 35-pound (dressed, no stuffing) on top of the stove for 4 hours and browned in the oven for 40 minutes.  (In the oven, 11 hours)

One thing for sure, the meat is moist and tender - using the rack, it won't be stewed.  It is very similar to birds cooked in foil or in roasting bags. 

I am willing to bet that someone you know actually has one and would let  your borrow it to see if you like how it works.  It is surprising just how many people have hung onto these things, sometimes for decades.

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Thank you, Andie. Doesn't sound like what I am looking for. May have to save up for one of thse Cadco convection ovens to serve as a real second oven. On the other hand - I have to be reasonable about how many times I actually NEED two ovens.

[plk]

Hmm, do you have an outside grill or barbeque? My in-laws do a pretty good turkey in their Green Egg. The skin gets crispy, nice smoky flavor, and juicy meat.

[Anna N]

Hmm, do you have an outside grill or barbeque? My in-laws do a pretty good turkey in their Green Egg. The skin gets crispy, nice smoky flavor, and juicy meat.

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Works wondrously in summer but most of the big entertaining goes on when the temperature dips below zero and tending a BBQ or grill doesn't hold much appeal.

[Anna N]

Bumping this topic up because I finally had a chance to try one of these roaster ovens. Member Kerry Beal kindly let me use one that she just happened to have in the trunk of her car!

This is just a simple white bread that has become our "house" bread and I make it at least once a week in the cooler months. What would happen, I wondered, if I tossed into the roaster oven (a Proctor Silex 18 quart). I didn't really expect much but considering that it's only flour yeast, water and a bit of olive oil, I figured I could afford the experiment. And Voila!

I thought it so unlikely that this would actually work that I reserved the second loaf to bake in the standard oven so that at least we would have bread today. But it wasn't necessary at all and I ended up baking both loaves in the roaster oven.

So thanks to all who answered my initial query! It took me a while to get around to testing it.

[andiesenji]

That's lovely, Anna.

I am very impressed.

[Kerry Beal]

Bumping this topic up because I finally had a chance to try one of these roaster ovens.  Member Kerry Beal kindly let me use one that she just happened to have in the trunk of her car!

This is just a simple white bread that has become our "house" bread and I make it at least once a week in the cooler months.  What would happen, I wondered, if I tossed into the roaster oven (a Proctor Silex 18 quart).  I didn't really expect much but considering that it's only flour yeast, water and a bit of olive oil, I figured I could afford the experiment. And Voila!

I thought it so unlikely that this would actually work that I reserved the second loaf to bake in the standard oven so that at least we would have bread today.  But it wasn't necessary at all and I ended up baking both loaves in the roaster oven.

So thanks to all who answered my initial query!  It took me a while to get around to testing it.

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You didn't tell me you'd baked it in the roaster oven when you sent me the picture!!!

[Marlene]

Sure, Anna. Make me covet another appliance.

[Anna N]

Sure, Anna.  Make me covet another appliance.

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I think if you already have more than one oven, then this is likely not to make it high on your wish list! Since I only have one oven and a small toaster oven, it could be very useful at Christmas and such when oven space is at a premium. It is very big and gets very hot so finding a safe surface to put it on becomes an issue. Believe it or not, it's on my coffee table! The table is all ceramic tile and takes the punishment!

[Kim Shook]

I adore my Nesco and wouldn't part with it for anything. I haven't cooked a turkey or ham any other way since I've had it (10 years, or so). Giant amount of stew, chili, soup, etc. Warming rolls for a large crowd. As a warm server for bbq. In mild and dry weather, I've even put it outside to cook and that really frees up the kitchen space. If someone made me choose between that and my food processor, the food processor would be out the door (but please don't make me choose between my KA and my Nesco! ).

[emilyr]

My best friend swears by her Rival roaster. She, admittedly, isn't much of a cook, but the one meal she does cook every year is Thanksgiving, and, since she lives in a small apartment, she says she wouldn't do it without the Rival. I asked her about the skin, and she said she's done a couple of things to help keep it from being too flabby. First, baste consistently with butter; second, make sure the turkey is up off the bottom (she uses carrots as a "rack"); and third, she sticks a wooden spoon in to lift the lid off the roaster for the last 35 minutes or so to let steam out.

[andiesenji]

I have to confess that a couple of times when the turkey skin was not quite brown enough, I took my torch to it and very carefully "tinted" in so that it was nicely browned and crisp.