GE Rotisserie Back In Action

[rp2813]

Some of you may have seen the recent thread about the broken connection on my GE Rotisserie/Broiler heating element.

 

I ended up going with a solderless lug for the repair.  Due to space limitations and nearby wiring, it was the least complicated method.

 

I'm happy to report that the repair worked and the element heats.

 

Tonight I put an inaugural chicken on the spit and it was roasted beautifully.  There was virtually no spattering at all during the roasting process.  With my Roto-Broil, spattering is a given and it goes flying in all directions.  I barely even had to wipe out the GE's roasting cavity.

 

Here are a couple of shots of the nearly-done bird.  I think I'm going to be very happy with this machine.

 

[yogitunes]

fork and knife in hand....I'll be right over!...YUM...

I love rotisseries.....I have one of the big ShowTime ones, its great for chicken......mine has the steamer pan for the top, but never thought about putting the potatoes inside....

you go Ralph!

 

[ken]

Ralph:

What would you say is the difference between the GE and Rotobroil that makes for the splattering difference?

 

[rp2813]

Spattering

Ken, the only explanation I can come up with is the size of the oven cavity.  The GE's is larger, so the bird is further from the heating source.    This definitely had an effect on the potato wedges, which were perfectly cooked the last time I did them in the Roto-Broil, but could have used more time in the GE.  The level of heat reaching the relatively distant drip tray wasn't as intense as in the Roto-Broil, and since the the glass door on the Roto-Broil covers the entire opening, it may serve to raise the temperature inside the cavity.  As the bird rested after roasting, I set the GE for "Broil" and left the potatoes in to finish.  I'll slice them up thinner next time.

 

One would think that in this situation the roasting process with the GE would take longer, but it didn't.  Part of that may be due to the size of the bird.  The one pictured was a little under four pounds.  I usually look for birds that weigh five to 5 1/2 pounds.  Dave's son-in-law works at Whole Foods and brought us a couple of chickens when they were on sale, and they all tend to be in the four-pounds-or-less range.

 

Then there's the heating element itself.  The GE's sealed Calrod has a sort of dark red glow, whereas the Roto-Broil's open coiled nichrome elements are a bright orange.  Again, somehow the GE gets the bird done in the same amount of time with what seems to be a less intense heat source.  The Roto-Broil tends to heat the drippings in the tray so much that they pop and spatter all over the place.

 

Also, the GE's spit rotates at a higher RPM than that of the Roto-Broil.  I don't know if that contributes to less spattering or not, but if the bird is slightly out of balance, it doesn't get hung up for long in one spot as happens with the Roto-Broil.

 

I still like the Roto-Broil, if only for nostalgic reasons.  When I hear it running it brings me back to my childhood when one of my favorite meals was being prepared.  It's also more versatile since it has three temperature settings and the top surface can be used like a hotplate, and it has a timer bell -- although you have to be nearby to hear it.   Still, the GE wins out for looks (restaurant quality), ease of use, and cleaning.  I think most guests would think it was a fairly new machine as opposed to perhaps pushing 50 years old.

 

I have a boneless leg of lamb I'm going to try next.  I adapted the cooking instructions from my "Mr. & Mrs. Roto-Broil Cookbook" for the chicken and will do the same for the lamb.

 

 

 

 

[twintubdexter]

hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Ralph, I don't want you to think that I'm accusing you of "trickery," but that oven looks too clean to have cooked that bird. Is that a wax chicken or one fresh off the spit from Costco?

All kidding aside, I can understand your wanting to repair that GE rotisserie. Those things have such a nice, clean design.

 

[rp2813]

Joe, I know!  I was as amazed as you are.  The photo looks entirely staged, and that's why I'm so in love with this GE -- almost no clean-up required. 

 

I always cover the drip tray with foil, which usually eliminates the need for cleaning that component as well.

 

[norgeway]

BEAUTIFUL!

Im glad you got it fixed..

 

[circlew]

Glad to hear you got it working, Ralph. The food looks tasty; sorry I can't make it over in time for dinner.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I am very happy for you. I think the difference is the feature that GE advertised with this new design: the door with openings at top and bottom that allow cooler air to circulate around the bird allowing it to cook more by radiant heat than be surrounded by hot oven air and roasted. Did you nuke the potatoes a few minutes to finish them?

My experience with using the Farberware Open Hearth Rotisserie Broiler has shown that the cooler air around the food does reduce spattering. During the holidays, the Farberware rep used to do a bird on the rotisserie in the store and there were no spatters on the tablecloth under the appliance and she used a cloth one so that it would have been impossible to clean up during the demo.

I was disappointed when GE introduced this appliance because it could not be used for baking like that behemoth it replaced which was huge, thermally inefficient for baking and a monster to clean, but this has proved to be a well-designed, efficient appliance. I am happy that you found it cheap, were able to fix it and are happy with it.

A chicken on Friday night! How traditional! Enjoy!

 

[perc-o-prince]

Ralph- that looks mah-vel-ous! And the potatoes probably caught a few drips of chicken goodness too, yeah?

With clean-up being nearly non-existent, I'd be tempted to get one if I saw it. My main problem with the others is the work involved cleaning them afterwards. They make me want to go with Joe's store-bought option!

Chuck

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Wow Ralph! I just LOVE it! What year do you think it's from, like 1963 or so? Love those pastel buttons.

 

[rp2813]

Louie, I'm not sure of the vintage.  Paul G. has a similar machine and he has pegged his at around 1960.  I think GE may have produced these for a few years without many changes. 

 

Mine is catalog number 10R21.  An on line search produced a couple of other 10R21 models, and one 20R21.  The 20R21 looked pretty much the same as mine.

 

Maybe if owner's literature on these can be found, a copyright or printing date could help determine the vintage.

 

[twintubdexter]

I would assume that even with that vented door this GE rotisserie cycles on and off since there's a thermostat. I've seen some of these that just have a high/med/low switch. Although they do a very decent job, those Farberware Open Hearth units use a lot of electricity. I bought one when they were new as a gift for my parents. We lived in a house with limited electrical service, glass fuses and no 220. You couldn't plug the fry pan and the toaster in at the same time. We used the Farberware the first day and it performed beautifully while my nervous dad kept running outside to see how fast the meter was spinning and then back inside feeling the power cord to see if it was hot. Many years later I ended up with that thing and decided to improvise. I put a few charcoal briquettes in the bottom to cover the drip hole, used lighter fluid to get them going and cooked a small turkey outside, adding a few more briquettes as they burned. I lined the thing with foil so clean up was not too bad. The turkey had sort of a campfire-cooked look when it was done...tasty.

 

[rp2813]

Joe, there is no thermostat.  The element is always red.  That knob is just a timer/on-off switch. 

 

[twintubdexter]

Oh fine...now the eyes are going too. I don't think charcoal briquettes will work that well in yours.

 

[turquoisedude]

Stunning!  Congratulations on getting the rotisserie back up and running again.  I've never seen one of this particular GE model up close before - enjoy it!

 

[mikael3]

I wish I could do a comparison between the old rotisseries, but it's quite a list--Roto-broil, Broil-Quik, GE Rotisserie Oven (the older model), GE Rotisserie Broiler (the new model), Nesco Rotisserie Oven, Sunbeam Carousel, Farberware Open Hearth... and plenty of others, but those are the names I'm most familiar with.

I love the look of the Raymond Loewy-designed Broil-Quik, but I have no idea how well or poorly it works.

Does anyone have a favorite?

 

[rp2813]

A lot of the Roto-Broils, Kenmores, etc. from the '50s have a similar look to them and I think there may have only been a couple of manufacturers putting the various requested badges on them with at most some different treatments to the control panels.

 

I've read that the Sunbeam tends to dry out the bird because it's vertical instead of horizontal.  I've never been impressed with a Farberware Open Hearth, and thought it was cheap of them not to provide an on/off switch.

 

GE appears to be GE, and that's it.  I haven't seen anything else out there that looks like it with a different badge, and that includes the older type with the slanted control panel and lifting lid.

 

As the pictures I posted above can attest, the GE beats my old Roto-Broil hands-down for clean-up and it does an equally good job of roasting, but I only have the Roto-Broil as a standard for comparison.

 

[xcardinal]

i just bought the vintage rotissere broiler at an estate sale..is theyre always an opening at top of door or am i missing a part at top of the door..thanks