Rotisserie - Is it REALLY needed?

[thomasortega]

After I got the flair, for a few days I was wondering about the rotisserie.

I've been looking online several models, I've even fell in love for a vintage Farberware model I saw on Facebook (and later discovered that Darryl has one somewhere in his father's house and of course I want to find a way to put my hands on it).

Then I annoyed Kevin, just in case he has one forgotten in his appliance collection and wanted to get rid of it.

Then I've found one "as seen on tv" "My Rotisserie" for free on Facebook, never used. I rushed and grabbed it only to discover it's missing the lid and other vital parts, making it impossible to use. Getting rid of that junk in a heartbeat.

Then I saw a video of a Ronco whatever TOL model that saves space, yada, yada, yada and has a basket for french fries or nuggets (Ok, I'll be able to "tumble dry" my nuggets, should I put a dryer sheet together?)

All that said. I had a few days to ponderate. Do I REALLY need a rotisserie?

Roast a whole chicken.. Maybe I've done that twice in my whole life. And considering chicken cost, other ingredients, gas or electricity, time, hassle... Nah, I almost never eat rotisserie chicken. I mean, I eat it, I like it, but it's not something I wake up in the morning saying "OMG, I MUST eat a rotisserie chicken today". I usually eat rotisserie chicken when I go to Costco and it happens the coincidence that I pass in front of it and remember to look at it.

Of course, rotisseries are not exclusively for chicken. But then..... I have TWO convection ovens that I love, they're both awesome and super accurate, they both have meat probe, if that's not enough, I have a weber gas grill and an el cheapo (Hamilton Beach maybe?) modern roaster oven that was bought in a hurry the day I moved in and still didn't have a stove or the KA countertop oven.

Then I realized in my life I had SIX ovens that had the rotisserie. The last one was the Electrolux Icon in Brazil. Guess how many times i used the rotisserie in that oven..... NEVER! That oven had a "perfect turkey" program... WOW, I used that a lot of NEVER too.

Now guys, tell me (or convince me)... Other than a novelty appliance that will definitely be fun to use and a nightmare to clean, does it REALLY make any possible sense to have a rotisserie other than "have fun" once or twice and then forget it in a cabinet? What can be a "huge improvement" on using a rotisserie compared to other methods?

 

[chachp]

Farberware rotisserie

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I had one of those that I carted around for maybe forty years or so.  It was always on the top shelf in the pantry.  In all those years I used it once.  I made a chicken on it.  The chicken was excellent but took a few hours to cook.  It just wasn't all that practical for me.  I then bought the rotisserie attachment for my Jenn Air cooktop and used that once.  Same experience.  Great chicken took a long time to cook.  I had the kabob attachment and I think I used that once too.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I scrapped it all when we moved to this house.  I left the Jenn Air attachments with the house and gave the Farberware to Goodwill.  My vote, don't bother.  I am not one of those people who plans meals at the beginning of the week and then follows it all week.  If I were I might allow the extra two hours or so for something like that too cook.  I am more of a "what do you want for dinner tonight" cook.</span>

 

[combo52]

A real Rotisserie Is Great

The one in our 1975 GE P-7 wall works great, it is fast and produces a beautiful chicken or beef or pork or lamb roast in around an hour.

 

I agree that the farberware and Jean-Air are a waste of time, I used the JA twice and the FW once.

 

John L.

 

[joeekaitis]

And then there’s convection roasting.

 

Essentially, turn the heat (circulating hot air), not the meat.

 

[combo52]

A real Horizontal Rotisserie Is Great

Because it self-bastes the meat as it turns,

 

Convection is good for roasting meat, But the rotisserie is far more even and does not make a mess in the oven like roasting in a pan that pops and splashes all over the oven.

 

Real oven rotisserie cooking is done with top heat from the broiler with the oven door closed with the broiler pan below to catch any drips.

 

When we roasted a 5 pound pork roast in the GE oven a year ago there was only one spot the size of a quarter in the pan below, as it cooked the juices just clung to the roast as it revolved and made for a very juicy moist roast.

 

John L.

 

[bradfordwhite]

If you're set on it, get an affordable dedicated appliance you can set outside when you use it. That way all the heat, humidity, weird smells and mess just floats away.

And yes, an air fry/convection oven is awesome. I also use that only outside for the same reasons.

 

[combo52]

I have a Sunbeam Vertical Rotisserie

And it is not great, it does not self baste as it operates, and then you have extra appliances taking up space, the rotisserie parts for the GE oven easily fit in a kitchen drawer with lots of other stuff, believe it or not I am into simple living.

 

John L.

 

[whitewhiskers]

Rotisserie is a novelty

I got a rotisserie accessory with my first Weber gas genesis grill. Over the years I've cooked chickens, turkeys, and beef roasts. Truth be told, the results were EXCELLENT! But it's a lot of work, especially with the larger meats. The birds and roasts have to be evenly balanced on the spit, otherwise the motor strains.

One of the advantages of using a rotisserie on an outdoor grill is you can postpone the cleanup. Just leave all the mess outside and deal with it another day. I just don't do rotisserie any more because it's easier to just roast meat the conventional way in an indoor oven.

If you want the most excellent Thanksgiving turkey, cook it on an outdoor rotisserie. Do it once. Only you can decide if it's something you want to do on a regular basis with other meats.

 

[elginkid]

We use the rotisserie somewhat frequently in the ‘63 Americana, but if it were another dedicated freestanding appliance I don’t think we would.

 

[twintubdexter]

Please don't call me crazy...

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #339966;"> Many years ago I gave my parents one of those Farberware open hearth rotisseries as a Christmas gift. It did an OK job but was a power-hungry appliance. Several years later it eventually ended up at my house. Rather than donate it to a thrift shop I decided to "modify" it. I put a few briquets in the bottom ( outside the house of course and after removing the electric element) and sprinkled a little charcoal lighter fluid around. It actually worked quite well and nothing melted. I just added a few briquettes as needed. It cooked a little faster than using it with electricity and the turkey looked much more appetizing. I did this a few times and then trashed the entire thing when the new house came with a built-in barbecue and a back-mounted rotisserie burner. I'm sure Mr. Farber would have had a fit.</span>

 

[cadman]

When the weather starts to turn cold, there's nothing like rotisserie chicken from the Roto-Broil 400. These are horizontal rotisseries that were marketed under several different brand names in the 50's and 60's. The bird itself is quite inexpensive and cleanup is easy as the drippings collect in a pan below. Bonus is the aroma that fills the house while the bird cooks.

Leftovers are never a problem as you can shred the meat for chicken salad later in the week.

More info here: https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?52357_7

 

[rp2813]

I love rotisserie chicken but as was mentioned above, the biggest PITA in prepping one is trussing and balancing on the spit.  I think today's chickens are bred to have larger breasts and as a result balancing is difficult.  Fortunately, the vintage GE rotisserie/broiler I found several years ago on craigslist has a beefy motor and can deal with a bird that's not perfectly balanced.

 

I had our family's original 1955 Roto-Broil Custom 400 for many years.  It did a great job, on chicken, lamb and pork, but clean-up was dreadful.  The GE, which is several years newer with all stainless steel interior, has a gap between the top of the glass front door and the top of the housing, and this seems to reduce spattering to a minimum.  Clean-up is a breeze compared to the Roto-Broil and the motor's RPM is faster, more like a big time professional rotisserie, which may also contribute to less spattering.  It will also handle a larger bird, up to 14 lb.  I sold the less capable Roto-Broil when we moved a few years ago.

 

Fast forward to the present, and the ridiculously complicated and ill-designed Gaggenau built-in oven in my kitchen.  It has rotisserie capability, but it's an optional accessory.  I'm sure it would cost me well over ten times what I paid for the GE, if it's even still available.  Much as I'd like the convenience, I can't justify the expense for the number of times I choose to use a rotisserie, although I'd likely use it more often since it would be much easier than hauling the GE up from the basement -- and the Gaggenau self-cleans!

 

Bottom line:  if space is an issue and your oven offers a rotisserie option, that is the most sensible way to go.  If you don't get excited by proteins cooked on a rotisserie, then yeah, don't bother with one.

 

 

 

[bradfordwhite]

Could try an air fryer oven with rotisserie option. Would cook a lot faster and would taste better.

 

[sudsmaster]

I have had a rotisserie covered grill on the outer patio here for at least 15 years. It's great for chicken, and in fact I have a 14 lb turkey I'm planning on doing up this thursday. It's an all stainless rig called "The Classic", that I got at Costco. I've seen it since with other brand names, but essentially the same thing. It has a side burner that I've never used. Fortunately there's a hinged cover over it so mostly I use that area to set down stuff waiting to be grilled.

The grill runs off a five gallon propane tank. For a turkey that big, I'll probably have to remove the grill grids underneat so it doen't scrape the drip pan I put underneath.

Doing chickens on it is a cinch. The turkey will require more care/attention, though. But then turkeys generally do. Usually I find I have to tie the legs together (some turkeys like that), and often I'll fix the wings so they stick out away from the breast area.

I've found McCormick's Rotisserie spice mix works pretty well.

For grilling steaks and chicken parts, I use a 12x12 cast iron griddle with raised bars. Works quite well, also.

 

[combo52]

Inferred Outdoor Gas Rotisserie

Hi Rich, that type of set-up cooks really well, have you ever considered converting your grill to natural gas, with Propane you are paying 4-8 times as much to operate and propane is less convenient and more dangerous as well.

 

I have converted several Propane Grills to NG it is easy and then you can use a quick disconnect gas hose kit that is available from Lowes etc.

 

John L.

 

[2packs4sure]

Faberware Open Rotisserie

Those Farberware Open Hearth Rotisseries are slow, power hungry, and will heat a large room up.
Beautifully made piece of equipment and cooks a chicken well but not worth the trouble or practical.
That's why they're so easy to find in mint condition.

 

[sudsmaster]

Propane -> Natural Gas

John L,

Yes, I've thought of doing the conversion. In fact I even have the kit to do it. The big holdup for me right now is extending the house gas to that location. I haven't quite decided how I want to do that. Plus, natural gas prices here in California are probably a higher than they are in the rest of the USA average price per therm: $1.302, for Sept 2021. Price per therm on my bill for 9/21: $1.88139. Plus here the rates go up as one goes from a "lifeline" usage, or Tier 1, to Tier 2 usage, to which a rotisserie well might push the bill into.

It's difficult to estimate what my next gas bill will be, however, according to the BLS website, the October 2021 average cost of piped natural gas came out to $2.166/therm. And since PG&E is trying to sock it to rate payers for their mistakes leading to the disastrous Dixie, Campfire, and Paradise fires over the past few years, who knows how much higher future NG rates will be for residents.

https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/averageenergyprices_sanfrancisco.htm

 

[combo52]

Propane Costs

Hi Rich, what are you paying for a 20# cylinder of propane, if you figure $22 for a refilled tank you are still paying over $5 a therm, the cost of NG would never get close.

 

If you have propane delivered it is about twice as much, or if you ever make a special trip in the car the cost is much higher.

 

Jon L.

 

[thomasortega]

@combo52

Not always possible and depending on usage, the installation cost doesn't make sense.

Here I have a 3-burner Weber propane grill and an Amazon Basics patio heater, also propane.

Yes, it's definitely way more costly to run both of them but...

1) It's a rental unit. My landlord even authorizes me to make the upgrade but if I want to do that, it has to come out of my pocket.

2) The heater is rarely used. It's California. If I have guests for dinner, then I turn it on because it's windy and somewhat chilly. The heater allows me to enjoy my balcony much longer every year and the balcony is one of the most pleasant areas here to sit and relax surrounded by manicured plants and fountain. The heater is usually set to minimum, unless it's really cold.

3) the grill is used somewhat frequently, average once a week, but usually for steaks, sometimes hamburgers...for 2.

I use average 4 regular propane bottles per year, so my cost is average $80.

To have a contractor running the NG pipes from the meter to the balcony, it would cost probably more than $2k, considering the materials, labor, project, insurance, permits and gas company inspections and definitely I don't plan to live here for 20 years.