Electric Roasters – Are They Worth It?

Last Christmas was the first time I cooked a big holiday meal for family.  I planned everything – or so I thought – in advance, from the menu itself to the timing of when each dish needed to be prepared and cooked.  What I failed to consider is how many things could fit into my oven at one time!  I’m surprised I didn’t burn down our house with a large ham balancing against a turkey roasting with some other side dishes shoved around it.

I’ve been dreaming of a double oven but they’re expensive and would require us to remodel our kitchen.  In other words, it’s not an option.  But then I saw roasters advertised – $27 for an 18-quart roaster.  Did I really need another appliance?   Would the roaster make a tasty turkey?  I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to know the answers so I went ahead and purchased the roaster…and I’m glad I did!

I took it home and read the instruction manual – seemed easy enough.  Next, I went and bought a 14 pound fresh turkey.  When I got home, I preheated the roaster and got the turkey ready.  Less than half an hour later, I lowered my turkey into the roaster using the convenient roasting rack.  I shut the lid and set the timer.

Soon, turkey smells filled the kitchen.  The manual said not to lift the lid too often because it will lengthen the cooking time but it also said the cooking time is shorter in a roaster.  Well, I’m glad I did lift the lid after just over 2 hours because my turkey was done.  I didn’t trust the pop up thermometer that came with the bird because it seemed too easy to be done already.  But I used two different meat thermometers (Cindy and Nancy would be proud) to confirm that my turkey was indeed done.

So, did it make a tasty turkey?  YES!  It was nice and juicy.  The skin wasn’t as crisp as in the oven but the manual explains ways of achieving it.  And the clean up was easier than my roasting pan from the oven.  I immediately poured the turkey drippings out of the pan and washed it.  It only took a couple minutes – I was thrilled.

For holiday gatherings, an electric roaster is an affordable way of expanding your kitchen that produces tasty results.

And an added bonus is that the roaster comes with a buffet insert – what a deal!