Cat Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 I have a Rival 16-quart electric roaster that I bought years & years ago, and I haven't used it in ages. We just haven't had those "big family Thanksgiving dinners" that I used to make when Mom was still here. I was reminded of it in Mt_Rider's thread "Basics of Groceries - Sale time" http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=52355&hl= The WE2'sSale times are always good times :-) We picked up two HUGE turkeys at our local Woods for 71 cents a pound. They're in our 5-day cooler to thaw, and we'll put them in our big electric roaster after Thanksgiving, and then I'll can up some shredded turkey meats and some turkey broth. Mt_RiderWE2....how do the elect.roasters do with cooking turkey? Do they brown? I have one but haven't used it for that. Might be easier than getting down the big roaster for the regular oven. Suncatthe electric roaster works well.. maybe not as brown as in the oven but it does brown.. oh and it generally cooks a bit faster too. The WE2'sThe electric roaster we have heats from the sides and very little from the bottom. We love ours and yes, it does brown (enough for us anyway). Some time back we put in nearly 30# of chicken leg quarters and it literally fell off the bones. For MrWE2's birthday camp out, I used it to brown the hamburger and then added all the "stuff" for a ton of chili. You wouldn't believe how tasty it was! Because it heats mostly from the sides, if you turn it down low you don't have the bottom being scorched. SO - tell us how you have used yours. What kind/size is it? Do you like it? Why or why not? What's your favorite way to use it? Tips? Tricks? Recipes? Help us utilize ours better, and help others decide if it's a "must have" or a "no way"... Quote Link to comment
Suncat Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 I have a 22qt? whatever the biggest is. We have a large family. So any given meal is going to be that much larger.. But this also lets me cook a 20-25lb turkey. General roasting types of cooking.. beef or pork roast, whole chickens, turkey, ham Baking potatoes Anything that doesn't need a nice browning on top and will fit in a 9x13 or smaller can be baked in it. Even breads. Beans.. probably my number one use.. I cook 5-6 pounds at a time and then can portion it out and freeze for future meals. Oh.. I make broth after cooking a turkey in it.. take the turkey out.. use the drippings and then add the carcass back into the roaster and cover with water and whatever additives you like (like onions and celery etc) and let that simmer overnight.. plus the roaster is much easier to clean after you take the broth out. Other soups if you're making a large amount. Big benefit.. it can be set outside (patio, garage etc) during the summer months to keep from heating up the house. And as I said in the other thread it does tend to cook just a bit faster than your standard oven. Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Breads? REally? I'd have never considered that. MtRider ...definitely under-using mine. Got it for cooking in summer...the heat factor Suncat mentioned. Quote Link to comment
Suncat Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 the top of the bread doesn't brown but it does get cooked.. When our oven stopped working.. we did biscuits by flipping them over once they were cooked to brown the tops Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Ours is a Procroe Silex 22 qt.(I think...may be 24 since it's the BIG one and has a stainless steel rack with handles that fits down inside it) and our turkey is in right now, at 250 degrees. It will go up to 450, which I'll do at the very last, to see if I can get more browning on the top :-) I'll also put our sweet potatoes in towards the last. We noticed today Menards had a 19qt (?) Nesco electric roaster for $39.99 in case any of you are looking for one. I have a separate table that I set mine on when I'm using it since my kitchen has very little counter space. And yes, you can use them outside as long as you can keep them out of rain etc, and keep any stray dogs etc. from becoming inquisitive :-( And yes, like Suncat said, you can use if for all the ways she mentioned. I've used mine (as mentioned above) to make a mighty fine pot of chili for a large group of people. I put four pounds of hamburger in it and browned it at about 400, then dumped in a #10 can each of chili beans, crushed tomatoes, pork & beans, three chopped onions, three chopped bell peppers, and then added my chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, a bit of cayenne and three small cans of tomato sauce. I then reduced the heat to 250 and let it simmer covered for three or four hours, stirring the sides etc. periodically. Makes great ham & beans, large batches of soups (just add your noodles etc., last) and just about anything you could cook in an oven you can probably cook in your roaster. For biscuits I spray the bottom of my roaster butter spray and then spray the tops of the biscuits so that when I turn them over they don't stick or scorch. You'll love fresh green beans, salsa, all kinds of goodies too! The biggest reason we bought ours though was for canning purposes. Try one...you love it! Edited November 26, 2015 by The WE2's Quote Link to comment
Suncat Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 My office area is at one end of the kitchen.. and I have a metal 2 drawer file cabinet.. the roaster fits on top of that perfectly. Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 To really "brown" your turkey in the electric roaster...mix up some butter, some Kitchen Banquet and some paprika and brush it on your turkey "before" you put it in the roaster. Looks absolutely lovely! Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 I don't think one would be for me. I usually use my electric pressure cooker for meats and long cook meals. They would be good for slow 'fix and forget' meals though. Especially in the summer when you don't want to heat the house with an oven. I just can't stand to wait for a roaster or crock pot when the smells start wafting through the house. I'm like Pavlov's dog drooling. I'm built for speed not endurance. My son said they have one and the turkey was so tender it fell off of the bone. He didn't even really need a knife to carve it. I saw a Youtube on Linda's Pantry and she was using one and it looked really nice for what she was using it for. I can't remember what it was right now. Dang, I'd probably use it if I had one. Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Gonna share some pics of our electric roaster. For ours we can; remove the insert pan and place 4 or 5 small loaf pans in the bottom and bake or just cook things in smaller portions (like green beans etc.,) all at once. We pur about four cups of water in the main pan and that's how I sterilize my jars...it will hold nearly about 16 pints. Place the insert back in and it with the rack, and it becomes a roaster for turkey, hens, several cornish hens, hams and other large cuts of meat. And yes, the meats come out pull apart tender. When we canned up nearly 20# of chicken earlier this year, it was a life saver for us. With the insert in we cook chili, soups etc. We also are able to turn up the dial and cook large amounts of bacon. We're thinking there's probably a lot of other uses for it, but we just haven't experimented with it yet :-) We just put our meat in it, turn the dial to our preferred temp, and that's it. We check it every once in awhile. Wanna see our #2 turkey project? (plus our turkey breakfast yesterday?) Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Looks like a good way to keep canning jars warm! Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Thanks, that gives me ideas!! MtRider ...course mine's buried right now, due to not using it.... Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Looks like a good way to keep canning jars warm! Yep...the temp goes up to 450 so it get them REALLY hot, just leave them like that for 5 or 10 minutes, then turn the dial down to 350 and they're ready for canning. Quote Link to comment
Suncat Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Oh another not mentioned.. I've made granola in it.. nicely controlled temp and easy to access for stirring. Quote Link to comment
Sarah Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Looks like a good way to keep canning jars warm! Yep...the temp goes up to 450 so it get them REALLY hot, just leave them like that for 5 or 10 minutes, then turn the dial down to 350 and they're ready for canning. Umm... Carefull. I think that is above the maximum safe temp. But good idea. Quote Link to comment
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