Roaster ovens

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jpmcgrew

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:)Im thinking of getting a roaster oven to cook a turkey for Thankgiving.Who has one and how do you like it?Does it really make a good roasted turkey?
 
I like my roaster - it gives the turkey some "breathing" room and lets it roast versus the sides being so high and more or less steaming. It also comes in handy to mix big batches of potato salad or pasta salad in :chef:
 
Grandma had one and I never noticed anything wrong with her turkey. She also used it for hams and other things, too. It also frees up your oven for other uses on busy days when you're trying to cook a lot for a crowd.
 
We have one and really like it. Last year I baked my green bean casserole, sweet potato dish, extra dressing in it. I put a rack on the bottom and placed the sweet potato casserole and the green bean dish on it, put another rack on top of those and put the pan with the dressing on top. About 30 minutes before time to serve dinner, I wrapped my dinner roles in foil and put them in.

My grandmother had one, too, and cooked her turkeys in it. They were always delicious.
 
I probably am not doing it right but I noticed that when I make a turkey in it, the skin is kinda soggy. Still tastes good but doesn't have that gorgeous, Norman Rockwell painting look. So last year, I used it to bake my stuffing and that worked fine.
 
I probably am not doing it right but I noticed that when I make a turkey in it, the skin is kinda soggy. Still tastes good but doesn't have that gorgeous, Norman Rockwell painting look. So last year, I used it to bake my stuffing and that worked fine.
:)I just read that you can take turkey out 1/2 hour early and put in a 400 degree oven to finish it and brown and crisp it it.
This roaster Im looking at is a Hamilton Beach 18 qt roaster the neat part is it comes with an insert that has three 2 qt enamel buffet pans that fit in it with a stainless steel hinged lid.Its going for $45.00 on sale plus shipping which looks like its justabout $10.00.Im thinking about getting it.
 
:)I just read that you can take turkey out 1/2 hour early and put in a 400 degree oven to finish it and brown and crisp it it.
This roaster Im looking at is a Hamilton Beach 18 qt roaster the neat part is it comes with an insert that has three 2 qt enamel buffet pans that fit in it with a stainless steel hinged lid.Its going for $45.00 on sale plus shipping which looks like its justabout $10.00.Im thinking about getting it.

Ours is the same size and is GE. I didn't get the buffet insert. You might want to check Wal-Mart. That's where I bought ours. I paid about $26 for it. They're on sale there this time of the year. I think the 3-tray buffet server is about $12 on sale. I didn't check, but Wal-Mart online might be a place to look, too. You might get a better price. Some retailers will sell a product online and allow you to pick it up at one of their box stores with little or no shipping fee. Just a thought.
 
Ours is the same size and is GE. I didn't get the buffet insert. You might want to check Wal-Mart. That's where I bought ours. I paid about $26 for it. They're on sale there this time of the year. I think the 3-tray buffet server is about $12 on sale. I didn't check, but Wal-Mart online might be a place to look, too. You might get a better price. Some retailers will sell a product online and allow you to pick it up at one of their box stores with little or no shipping fee. Just a thought.
:)Thanks,I will check it out.
 
Have you considered one like this?

I really want one of these! The Wal-Mart I went to this past weekened didn't have one though. BUT.....there are three more in town I can check.....maybe I should call first? :LOL:
 
:)Looks like a cool one but Im not big on smoking foods.Im looking at the convection roasters now.Does any one have one of those?I bet they will brown your roasts.
 
Have you considered one like this?

I really want one of these! The Wal-Mart I went to this past weekened didn't have one though. BUT.....there are three more in town I can check.....maybe I should call first? :LOL:

LOL - yep, a phone call is cheaper than the gas to drive around town (well, atleast it is here in TX)! And, WalMart has another option - you can order it online and they will ship it to the store nearest to you - no shipping charges.
 
jpmcgrew said:
I just read that you can take turkey out 1/2 hour early and put in a 400 degree oven to finish it and brown and crisp it it.

That sounds like it would do the trick! That might be what Grandma did - I don't know ... males were not allowed in her kitchen on Thanksgiving or Christmas days.

jpmcgrew said:
Looks like a cool one but Im not big on smoking foods.Im looking at the convection roasters now.Does any one have one of those?I bet they will brown your roasts.

Probably - but that's not a roaster oven like we've been discussing.:LOL: My son has one of those convection oven rotisserie things and loves it ... I'll have to catch him tomorrow afternoon to find out how it crisps the skin (he works 7pm-7am and is in the neonatal ICU tonight so I can't call him before then).
 
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:)The only thing is I have only found 12 qt convection ovens and I have my heart set on an 18 qt.Unless I can be sure the regular roaster will brown and crisp the skin on a turkey.Any advice anyone?
 
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LOL - yep, a phone call is cheaper than the gas to drive around town (well, atleast it is here in TX)! And, WalMart has another option - you can order it online and they will ship it to the store nearest to you - no shipping charges.

Amen! More reason and less enthusiasm is needed!!! Thanks! :LOL:
 
Isn't a roaster bascially a big crok-pot? Heat on bottom and side, but not on top. Can it brown the skin? Don't know, but design is telling? I'd be interested to learn more!
 
Isn't a roaster bascially a big crok-pot? Heat on bottom and side, but not on top. Can it brown the skin? Don't know, but design is telling? I'd be interested to learn more!
:)Thats what I was thinking but they claim the can roast,cook,bake etc.But to me roasting means browning I think some roasters have vents to let the steam out but I dont know if that makes a difference. If so could I not set the lid ajar just so slightly to lose the steam?
 
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OK, I went downstairs and looked. I have a Rival 18 qt. roaster. I think it was in the neighborhood of $40 from Wal-Mart. It does have the little insert that holds 3 separate food trays but I have never used these. It also has some little vents on the top that open and close. I can't remember if I opened them or not when I roasted the turkey so that may have been an issue with the skin not being crisp. It was browned, but kinda soggy/wrinkled and not at all crispy.

It did work splendidly for the dressing, which I buy from Bill Miller's BBQ every year. I get 3 or 4 gallons, which comes raw. (I add some extra celery and other things but it's really good cornbread dressing - much better than I could make, I'm sure.) Anyway, the roaster holds all that very comfortably because it's really big.
 
:)Thats what I was thinking but they claim the can roast,cook,bake etc.But to me roasting means browning I think some roasters have vents to let the steam out but I dont know if that makes a difference. If so could I not set the lid ajar just so slightly to lose the steam?


My GE roaster has vents that can be adjusted, jp. Whatever...I love mine and even though it's just Buck and me, it's really useful. It can also be used as a giant crock-pot for large gatherings. One of the things I like about that is that the temp is controllable.
 
I called Mom this afternoon and asked her if she remembered what brand she, Grandma, and my aunts had .... all she could remember was it was either a GE or Sunbeam ... and the more she thought about it the more she thought it was a Sunbeam. They all got them about the same time ... circa 1948-1950. Grandma got hers, and liked it so much she got one for each of the girls for Christmas.

I do remember that it had an adjustable vent on top .... and it also came with a white enameled 2-door cabinet stand with locking wheels.
 
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