Roaster Ovens?

[maslex]

Does anyone use these during the holidays to cook their main meat (turkey, ham, chicken, roast etc) to eave room in the regular oven for the sides and rolls?

How well do they work and what size would you recommend for like. 20-25 lb turkey? Ant certain brand you like?

 

[wvjules]

I have used a roaster for years. I think mine is an Oaster. It cooks a lot faster than the traditional oven so I lower the temp and cover the little feet with foil so the skin doesn't pull back. You will not get a nice brown top like you do in an oven so beware of that. It always comes out so juicy and flavorful.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We have one that we use for our turkey. I think it's an Oster roaster and can hold up to like a 25 or 27 lb turkey. We LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It frees up the oven and it makes such a juicy and flavorful bird. No basting whatsoever is required. We do move it to the actual oven for the last 30-40 minutes so that it browns properly as some of us are big fans of crispy turkey skin.

 

[fla4fun]

We have one, but it rarely gets used. We have a countertop Breville Smart Oven and it gets used for side dishes that won’t fit in the main oven with the turkey. I love the smart oven and use it daily, much more often than my microwave. It’s big enough for a frozen pizza or a 15 inch cookie sheet. It works great for dinner rolls or casseroles.

The last time we used the roaster was the thanksgiving when the main oven element caught on fire during preheating. We had to pivot fast. The roaster wasn’t quite big enough to hold our turkey, but we covered it with foil instead of trying to use the lid and we managed to get it done.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Another Breville oven user. My kitchen is too small for one use appliances.

 

[NAB]

I use mine every holiday for my big ham, use my oven for the turkey. Works great.

 

[_19disnA]

Don't own one but can recall being at a party at a friend's house and they had issues with it constantly tripping the circuit breaker. Might want to check how much current they draw and if you house can handle the extra load. For something that large/bulky and probably only use a couple of times per year, not anything I would have an interest in owning.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

We grill our turkey / chicken, serves the same purpose to keep the oven free for all the sides.

 

[clh2]

I love my Nesco Roaster. I have not used it to cook a meat (Ie ham turkey etc), but it does great for things liked cooking baked ziti.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I know some libraries rent out appliances like roaster ovens. Worth checking into. My kitchen is tight on space with lots of smaller appliances so a roaster oven i "might" use once a year just isn't practical.

Side dishes go into my crock pots.

 

[HopperFan]

Own one and it never occurred to me to put turkey in it.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Does anyone use these during the holidays to cook their main meat (turkey, ham, chicken, roast etc) to eave room in the regular oven for the sides and rolls?

How well do they work and what size would you recommend for like. 20-25 lb turkey? Ant certain brand you like?

Roaster ovens do not brown well. They are more moist than a regular oven because the smaller space and the lid serves to keep the heat and moisture in. Other than that they do a good job. You'll need a 20 quart roaster for that sized turkey.

 

[disykat]

My mom had a roaster oven that I tried to finagle away from her when she was no longer cooking much and I was in the band mom and youth group dinners stage, but she couldn't let it go yet. She didn't use it for many years and I finally took it when they moved into assisted living. Of course by that time I had an empty nest and very little need for it. Unlike my mom, I still do cook and use it on holidays.