Westinghouse roaster vs Turkey HELP!

[mikeklondon]

Roasters UK

Anyone ever seen a roaster like this in the UK?? I often cook mine on a BBQ takes about 4 hours for a 12 lb Bird

 

[tomturbomatic]

Iowegian, Why is cooking a turkey in a roaster oven something only to be done under duress? It's been standard operating procedure for many for generations.

 

[paulg]

Westy roaster question

Do you put liquid in the pan bottom of the Westinghouse roaster? Example: Broth, onions etc.
Westy's instruction book says not to add water... but I'm not adding WATER....
Thanks for any info!

 

[tomturbomatic]

You can put a mirepoix around the bird, but there is not room to put it in the traditional place underneath as we have discussed. We did not stuff the bird so we filled the cavity with the onions & celery & carrots. Do not add water or you will have a steamed bird instead of a roasted one.

 

[paulg]

Wonderful results

Here's what we did:
The 20 lb turkey fit in the roaster as if the roaster was made to fit.
This was a stuffed turkey
350 degrees for 3 hours exactly.
Basted every half hour with butter and a little bit of chicken broth.
It was, hands down, the best and juiciest turkey ever.
We forgot to oil the skin so it didn't brown but nobody cared. It was moist, juicy and flavorful. Of course we used a Corning hot-tray to keep it warm afterward.
This is the second time using the roaster for Thanksgiving and the largest bird. The results were so good I really don't think we'll go back to the typical oven method too soon.
Thanks y'all for the tips. Thanks to St. Betty of Furness for watching over us.

 

[launderess]

Small Ovens/Roasters

Have allot to recommend for baking and roasting.

In a standard oven one is heating up quite allot of empty space. Small ovens like vintage Westbend "Ovenettes" and Westinghouse's roasters however elminate much of the small space (and dead/heated air) which IMHO makes for great results. With the roasters you also have the benefit of heating coils that go around the sides as well.

 

[retro-man]

Both of my grandmothers had these westinghouse roasters along with a two burner electric plug in. The reason for this was that there main cooking stove was a wood burning stove. In the winter these were great but never in the summer. So these were put into use in the summer months. Many a meal I remember being made on and in those units. In the summer if all the family was out at the farms they both had wood stoves outside in the backyard with a 6 foot smoke stack on them. This way they could cook outside use the oven and top for boiling and frying and enjoy the company that was there.
Jon

 

[58limited]

Iowegian

My preferred turkey size is 20 lbs. I've cooked them in both the oven and the roaster. The reason people use roasters, and have used them for decades, is to free up the oven for other things like pies, broccoli cheese casseroles, dressing, etc. I usually do pies and casseroles the day in advance but the dressing and casseroles have to be re-heated which can take over 1/2 hour. Most people like to time their holiday meal to come together all at once: make gravy  while the turkey rests for a few minutes while also cooking dinner rolls and moving the casseroles and dressing to the table right out of the oven, etc. Cooking turkeys, hams, and roasts in a roaster is easy and people in the know do it all the time, no duress needed. As with anything else, if you actually know how to use or do something, it is easy and can make life easier.

 

[paulg]

Agreed on all counts; it was easier.

We had 25 people for dinner. With the roaster on its stand off to the side cooking the turkey and our Jenn-Air double oven holding the side dishes, the evening went very well. The range was completely free for gravy work and such.
With the turkey in the roaster, it was waist-high thus making basting and checking really really easy. It may not sound like much, but it makes yanking a turkey pan out of a conventional wall oven seem somewhat clumsy.
I must agree, roasters (like any other appliance) had me perplexed some years ago. However once I got to know it, I determined its attributes (many) and now I wouldn't be without one.