1950's Westinghouse roasters

[tomturbomatic]

Consumer reports tested these in the late 40/early50s. One of the interesting things I read was that the instructions for the Kenmore suggested that if you had a turkey that was too large for the oven with inset pan and lid configured normally, the turkey could be put in the load and lift rack in the roaster and COVERED with the inset pan, the great big porcelain cooking pan. One year, we got a giant turkey and did that with our Westinghouse. I had to be careful in washing the roaster, but this procedure did not damage anything. We always made the gravy in the roaster, then put the load and lift rack into the gravy to cook all of the dripping off of it to enrich the gravy.  We did the same with the roaster oven base. Clean up was usually achieved by putting the inset pan in the lower rack of the KDC15 so there was more to wash with having to wash the base by hand. 

 

One morning mom went to bake a pan of brownies and the bake element in the wall oven shorted out so she just turned on the Roaster Oven and baked the brownies very satisfactorily in it. It's always good to have a backup.  

 

There were summer days when we took the roaster oven out onto the carport to make oven meals like meatloaf and baked potatoes.

 

[rp2813]

Tom, I've read about that same procedure being used with a Westinghouse, and has been mentioned, there are holes in the insert and pegs in the roaster body designed to allow for this.  And yet instructions advise against ever using the roaster without the insert placed inside the roaster cavity. 

 

Even though the cavity is water-tight, I would guess that the only uses with the inverted insert on top would be for things that weren't being cooked in any liquid.  If I were ever to use a roaster this way, I'd try to find a roasting pan that fit inside the cavity (with enough space around it to easily extract it, of course) to collect drippings, etc. and possibly effect an easier cleaning process after use.

 

Certainly the amount of energy required to maintain temperature for double the volume of heated space would be significantly higher, causing the heating element to cycle more often, and the inverted insert would be a burn hazard in the event of accidental skin contact.  A manufacturer's suggestion for this procedure would surely be DOA with the CPSC today, even if they included an insulated wrap for the insert to remediate the risk of injury, I suspect.  Everything must be idiot-proof and plastered with warnings like a sun visor in a car.

 

 

 

[customline]

Here's mine........

In full action, and I have the automatic timer for this unit also.

 

[luxflairguy]

Fab kitchen! Hotpoint? Greg

 

[appnut]

Yes, I would say that not only is the oven Hotpoint, but also the cook top.

 

[customline]

Yes...........

And the refrigerator too !!!!!

 

[vacerator]

Awesome for Greg!, and for Ralph;

your avatar is spot on for recent events. It was an atrocity i.m.h.o. I saw many contrasting opinions on i.g., etc. One guy in Las Vegas had th same quote on a flag of the opponent above his Christmas tree. He got hammered with rebuttles, and begged not to be unfollowed. Soon after he posted a daily story of an AK47 pointed at an Afriacan American males head, red dot aglow, saying he was in Charlotte Va. If anyone wanted to hang out. His account is no more.
Having been a victim of a hate crime as a teen, and many in our own circle have encountered, niether hate nor Human rights are "political" to me.
I know a gal who told me Jan. 6th. was more justified than the summer riots, and nothing like whats to come. No one connected to that movement, just ignorant.
Do they think they are like Bolczyvek's?
They wern't facist at first, but we all know how the Soviets became.

 

[foraloysius]

Can now we return to the regularly scheduled program of Westinghouse roasters, please?

 

[luxflairguy]

Someone woke up on the wrong side the the bed! We love his kitchen and expressed that? So what's your beef?

 

[foraloysius]

Beef

The political post in this thread.

 

[paulg]

Here’s ours...

We did some canning last weekend so our Westinghouse roaster was back in use as a hot bath for all the jars.
As you can see, we got a lot of snow last night.

 

[sarahperdue]

Roaster ovens

I have a Nesco and an older Westinghouse as well as the Westinghouse clock timer. I've never baked pies in mine, but I have cooked supper on the porch in the summer time using the insert pans as designed. It's fun and keeps the house cooler.

We've also used it to bake the turkey on Thanksgiving when the double ovens are filled with traditional casseroles.

Ralph, Your GE is beautiful! I think it might be a similar vintage to my Westinghouse.

I've thought about painting the Nesco--which I found on the curb between two houses in my neighborhood complete with all of the literature. Strangely, both neighbors said it wasn't theirs. The Westinghouse has beautiful painted script, so a paint job is not in its future.

I've stolen pictures from the internet since I don't have any of mine handy. I don't have a cabinet for either.

Sarah

 

[circlew]

Sarah, your Nesco and its stand are like what my dad's cousin Mary had. I remember her keeping her delicious cornmeal yeast rolls warm in it.

I'm not sure, but I think the Westinghouse is one of the later ones - maybe early 60's. There may have been another restyling before Westinghouse sold the line to Hamilton Beach.

 

[rp2813]

I like that Nesco, Sarah.  There is something to be said for hinged lids when work and/or cooking space is at a premium.