Countertop Rotisseries

[andiesenji]

This is the large one that I use out on the deck.  It is terrific and very versatile, but it "SPITS"  and you have to wear a heavy apron, long sleeves and gloves when standing in front of it.

 

I bought it new in 1962 and I have taken very good care of it.

Note the address - this was manufactured before the postal zip codes were adopted.

And the phrase, "They don't make them like that nowadays"  is 100% true.  It is heavy, very well made and should last another 45 years!

 

And note how the spit is constructed.  There are additional tines at each end, that nailed into a roast, a chicken, turkey or ??  will keep the item secure on the spit.

I did roasts, including rib roasts, pork loins on the bone, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and leg of lamb and hams.  

 

Edited January 15, 2018 by andiesenji (log)

[Paul Bacino]

My uncle worked for SunBeam--this is what I use, works great

 

[KennethT]

@Paul BacinoHave you used it for whole chickens?  How does the chicken sit on the spit?  Does the majority of the weight just sit on the bottom plate?  Otherwise, I'd imagine the spit would just spin inside the chicken without it turning.

[dcarch]

44 minutes ago, boilsover said:

 

I guess I need to see one of these in person, because it looks like the folding reflector is planar and bass-ackward.  Is the parabola under the food?  This is not ideal, but it's better than nothing.  

 

Here is a cut away view of the design. You can see how the reflector can be very effective in beaming the IR, and why distance to the food is not that critical. Also, a lineal radiating  source does not follow the inverse square law of distance  completely.

dcarch

 

 

 

44 minutes ago, boilsover said:

 

See, above.  Also, the Phillips elements seem very similar to those used in the Breville Smart Oven and its ilk.  My experience with the largest BSO cooking things roasted and toasted is that the elements are too far from the food to do a good job.  Farberware instructed users to adjust the spit downward to the point that the food barely clears the element.  We're not talking about a heliostat here...

 

 

[Paul Bacino]

8 minutes ago, KennethT said:

@Paul BacinoHave you used it for whole chickens? YES    How does the chicken sit on the spit?  There is a round circular plate, sits on the bottom juice catcher  Does the majority of the weight just sit on the bottom plate? Yes, exactly.  Otherwise, I'd imagine the spit would just spin inside the chicken without it turning. No problems with that .     Works great and produces a real juicy bird.

 

[boilsover]

9 minutes ago, dcarch said:

 

 

 

 

 

Saved me a trip to W-S, thanks.  I can see now why Phillips put the elements behind glass.

 

So that folding thing is what, just a spatter screen?

[KennethT]

Thanks everyone for the replies... I decided to get the Key Top (the one on Ebay that I linked to above) but wound up getting it from Amazon for $69 plus free shipping.  I'll report back once I've had a chance to use it...

[boilsover]

50 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

This is the large one that I use out on the deck.  It is terrific and very versatile, but it "SPITS"  and you have to wear a heavy apron, long sleeves and gloves when standing in front of it.

 

I bought it new in 1962 and I have taken very good care of it.

Note the address - this was manufactured before the postal zip codes were adopted.

And the phrase, "They don't make them like that nowadays"  is 100% true.  It is heavy, very well made and should last another 45 years!

 

And note how the spit is constructed.  There are additional tines at each end, that nailed into a roast, a chicken, turkey or ??  will keep the item secure on the spit.

I did roasts, including rib roasts, pork loins on the bone, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and leg of lamb and hams.  

 

 

 

 

Thanks, andie:  That looks like a really good design.  I bet the gears are heavy metal, too.  Now I'm looking for a Black Angus!

[andiesenji]

3 hours ago, boilsover said:

 

 

Thanks, andie:  That looks like a really good design.  I bet the gears are heavy metal, too.  Now I'm looking for a Black Angus!

I probably used it more for steaks and chops on the grill pan with it all the way up for plain meats.  I would move it down a level for stuffed chops and game hens, gratins and other dishes needing a few minutes under the grill. 

Move it down another levels for things like garlic bread, Welsh rarebit, and casseroles that needed toasted tops.  

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, andiesenji said:

 

You would need a space for it where SPATTERING GREASE would not be a problem.  I also have one of the HUGE horizontal rotisseries that has an open front and I had to use it out on the deck or swathe everything because grease would spit out 3 feet from the thing.  

 

Yes - don't all of these damn things splatter grease?

 

I was unable to sleep last night - that Phillips piece of crap is all over the TV infomercials.

Edited January 16, 2018 by weinoo (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

8 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Yes - don't all of these damn things splatter grease?

 

I was unable to sleep last night - that Phillips piece of crap is all over the TV infomercials.

 

 

My Farberware rotisseries do not splatter grease.

 

[andiesenji]

24 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

My Farberware rotisseries do not splatter grease.

 

The one I had did. I had to cover the kitchen table with newspapers, otherwise it was a bitch to clean.  

It was a wedding gift and I used it a few times but I eventually gave it to my sister in law.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

13 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

The one I had did. I had to cover the kitchen table with newspapers, otherwise it was a bitch to clean.  

It was a wedding gift and I used it a few times but I eventually gave it to my sister in law.  

 

Odd.  What were you cooking and what part of the appliance were the spatters coming from?

 

[andiesenji]

36 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Odd.  What were you cooking and what part of the appliance were the spatters coming from?

 

It has been many years and I don't recall exactly but I think it was boneless turkey breasts and rolled and tied pork roast that was worst.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

It has been many years and I don't recall exactly but I think it was boneless turkey breasts and rolled and tied pork roast that was worst.  

 

Were using your Farberware as a rotisserie?  I can't imagine stuff going anywhere but downward, in which case any drips or splatters should be well contained.  Most of my rotisserie experience is with whole fowl.

 

I've been using the Farberware probably half my life.  Maybe it's time for more chicken mechoui.

 

[weinoo]

I would think there are splatters from any rotisserie.  I mean, there are splatters when cooking a whole chicken in the oven, not on a rotisserie.

[boilsover]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

I would think there are splatters from any rotisserie.  I mean, there are splatters when cooking a whole chicken in the oven, not on a rotisserie.

I'm with JoNorvelle on this one--no spatters out of my Farberware, either.

[KennethT]

I'm hoping I don't hvae a problem with splatters either - I think this will be minimized since the heat source is between the meat and the reflector/shield - I imagine any splattering would be there, rather than the area where there is no heat applied and the meat faces room temperature.  He says, crossing his fingers....

[dcarch]

It really depends on what you are cooking. You will have splatter if you are cooking oily and fatty stuff.

 

If oil or fat is heated at over 300F, it will create a little explosion when it meets water.

 

dcarch

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 minute ago, dcarch said:

It really depends on what you are cooking. You will have splatter if you are cooking oily and fatty stuff.

 

If oil or fat is heated at over 300F, it will create a little explosion when it meets water.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

I'd consider a whole duck "oily and fatty stuff".  No spatters and a nice bowl of duck fat and drippings at the bottom.  And I'm still working my way though that duck fat.

 

[boilsover]

11 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I'd consider a whole duck "oily and fatty stuff".  No spatters and a nice bowl of duck fat and drippings at the bottom.  And I'm still working my way though that duck fat.

 

Great minds think alike.  I've probably roasted 100 fat migratory ducks, brant and geese indoors on mine with no appreciable spatter.

[gfweb]

How does a rotisserie chicken differ from a nicely roasted bird? What am I improving if I get this thing?

[KennethT]

In my understanding, oven "roasting" is really just baking - where hot air conveys heat to the food.  A rotisserie cooks solely through infrared - a true rotisserie or roast should be open to the air so the food is not heated at all by convection, but only from the heat source.  Theoretically, the sinusoidal application of heat and room temperature as it spins towards and away from the heat source makes for very tasty birds.

[lindag]

The very best chicken I've ever had is from a recipe for Red Devil chicken done on our outdoor gas grill with rotisserie.

 

Red Devil Chicken

1 four-pound chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1/3 cup dry white wine 
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press (more is better)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp crushed hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp coarse salt
 

 

Marinate the chicken for up to two hours.  Mount on rotisserie and cook approximately 1-¼ to 1-½ hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2018 by lindag (log)

[Martin Fisher]

On 1/14/2018 at 12:59 PM, dcarch said:

 

Make your own?

I made mine.

 

dcarch

 

Nice!

How about a mirror ball rotator?

Inexpensive and easy!