What's better than a GE rotisserie?

[paulg]

TWO GE rotisseries!
And why would I have two?
The first one I found years ago, unused, at an estate sale.
Skeptical, I put it to use and loved it. It really works well.
However, along the way I went to make a copy of the owner's manual for someone and the manual evaporated. To this day I haven't found it.
And so at a recent estate sale I found another, with all accessories and with the instruction manual. I really only wanted the manual, but for five bucks I was buying the whole thing.
There was a third I purchased years ago. It was a total disaster but I parted it out. Thank goodness I did. Even though the latest unit had little use, the gearbox was seized. This was also true for my first unit. With a little clean and lube the first unit's gearbox came back to life. This unit however did work but was extremely noisy. These units are NOT quiet when operating however the screeching from the latest unit was unbearable. I replaced the gearbox with my spare and all is well.
So why would I want two? Well, I've always wanted to use the rotisserie for a dinner party but felt it didn't hold enough food to warrant trying. Now that I have two, I think I can pull it off.
So now I am scouring for fun rotisserie meals that may work for a party of.... maybe eight.
I'm sure I'm not the only one out there rotisserieing. If you have any good recipes or other ideas, I'd like to hear them.

 

[johnrk]

Cleaning

How are these to clean? I made the mistake, years ago when they first came out, of buying one of those Ronco things that were basically impossible to clean. In roach heaven as we have here in Texas, that machine ended up in the garbage.

I purchased NOS one of those Farberware 'Open Hearth' rotisseries. It gave off massive amounts of heat and spattering meant that a wide area around the machine was necessary. And not worth the trouble.

I purchased, about a decade ago, one of those vertical Sunbeam rotisseries. It was nice, but also not easy to try to clean.

Most toaster ovens in this size are tough to clean. How is this with cleaning the baked-on grease, etc., that's natural with this technique? They certainly are beautiful.

 

[rp2813]

PAUL!

Whenever you get around to it, I'd love to have a copy of the owner's manual, or at least know what the weight limit on these units is.

 

John, these are a cinch to clean.  After seeing one of these GEs in action, I started the hunt to replace my old Roto-Broil, which isn't at all cleaning-friendly.  I finally found one on CL and, like Paul experienced, I had to free up the gears.  I was amazed at how little spattering occurred during operation (spinning a chicken) and at how easy it was to clean the small bit there was.  Because these use a radiant tube for heating, even the top of the cavity is cleanable.  Not so with the Roto-Broil, which distributed spatters on every interior surface.

 

If you're in the market for a rotisserie, hold out unit you find a GE like this.  You'll be very pleased with its performance and the ability to keep it from ever becoming a roach hotel.

 

[paulg]

Maybe you were the one...

I was copying the manual for someone on this site. I put the manual on the copier and when I went back to finish the job, the manual was gone. No copies. Maybe the copier was hungry and ate it.
I'll make a copy ASAP.
In regards to cleaning, these are a cinch. They do not spatter much at all. A wet rag is all you need. For stubborn stains on the metal cavity I use BON-AMI on a wet rag. The units come out clean as a whistle. The spit parts I put in the dishwasher less the spit rod. I expected them to discolor but they have not so far.

I haven't heard any good reports on the "open hearth" type rotisseries. My Mother-in-Law had one and hated it. I see a lot of them at estate sales and keep walking.
I also obtained a new-in-box 1960's vintage vertical-type rotisserie. I found that the chicken turned out dry. The juices flowed to the bottom of the machine by gravity. Others reported here good results with that machine. I donated mine to charity after a few uses.
Very little drip comes out of this GE machine. I suspect juices are remaining in the chicken.

Oddly the two GE machines are slightly different. They bear the same model number but my original unit has a mirror-like shiny cavity whereas the recent unit has a less-shiny matte finish. No matter...[this post was last edited: 12/6/2017-15:09]

 

[rp2813]

Many thanks, Paul!

 

I wonder if maybe the matte finish is a result of overzealous use of harsh cleaners.  I can't imagine why that would be necessary, though.  Mine has the more reflective finish, and as you stated, with just a damp rag or some mild kitchen cleaner spray, it sparkles.

 

I had a screeching/chattering issue with mine too after I had freed up the gearbox.  It turned out to be the outer brass-looking piece on the gearbox that spins rapidly.   I squirted a little WD-40 into the gap around the circumference and the noise disappeared.

 

[petek]

I've had a few different types over the years but we're not rotiss people and so they were never used and sent back to thrifts for recycling.. Next to the red West Bend electric Wok, the Farberware open rotisserie is the most common thrift store sighting. Cleaning a toaster oven is bad enough for me. and my poor Panasonic Flash Xpress is looking pretty bad inside,, but it works great..