Now I'm mad at myself for not listening to the voice in my head that told me to make the purchase! Do you think I could bake bread in it?

I love to slow roast the Sticky Chicken recipe in mine - 5 hours at 250 for a rotisserie style chicken - delicious! I think I'll do some chicken wings in teriyaki sauce tomorrow instead of heating up the larger oven.

Teresa

Cynic, Thanks for your feedback; it helps me put the Nesco in perspective. Way back when I got my first Nesco, I considered it a "slow cooker" and I completely overlooked the full potential of the appliance. Thanks to you and other Nesco supporters, I'm jumping on the Nesco bandwagon.

Congrats on the great eBay win! I'm sure youwill get lots of use from it - that looks like a really handy size for smaller meals.

Alexa

Cathy, Thanks for bringing my attention to this again.

Cynic, I'm an "oven" cook, so the Nesco seems like a perfect fit for me. I appreciate your explaination of what it can do, and will be heading back to my local thrift store!

Uh-oh, another thing I didn't know I needed but now maybe I do.

What size chicken will fit in a 6-quart Nesco? I know what a 6-quart volume looks like, but I am thinking about shape and especially height.

If anyone is serious - there is a seller on ebay who has 5 qt NEW roasters for $30.72 (I think) and free shipping. Seems cheap enough if you want to give it a shot. They are white.

Alexa

Disclaimer - I do not have a 5qt nor do I know the seller, just passing the info along

Great score!

I've never known anyone with an electric roaster.

Please tell me how the Nesco would differ from using a toaster oven for roasting chicken or ribs. If the difference is discernible, ie, more succulent, then I may have to invest as I've recently converted to a TO with good results for broiled salmon, roasted cornish hens and chicken with bbq sauce. I'm really interested in an appliance that can duplicate the moistness of rotisserie chicken or easily produce tender ribs without using my large oven or outdoor grill. Eventually, I'd also like to get a ceramic smoker, but that's another topic and has to wait until I'm feeling more flush. So, Nesco or not?

One thing that drew me to this older (but unused) 4 qt was a good number of negative comments from various sources that indicated the newer small units weren't made as well.

My book says a 3.5 to 4.5 lb. chicken for the 6-qt. Nesco.

Teresa

Good point Cathy - that is true for so many appliances that are "new" - like the newer crockpots, KA mixers, etc.

Alexa

Hey Cathy, I also have my ponytail (somewhere)....

congrats on the ebay score.

ML (another Cathy)

Thank you, Teresa. The really big roasters need a much bigger one then.
Cathy, I did see one negative comment (about a 5-quart, I think) comparing the old ones to the made-in-China new ones. Overall, though people seem to like the new 6-quarts.
Any opinions from CF'ers? Annie, is your 6-qt. new?

Oooo Cathy, I really like that one! Aside from the color, I really like that it's square. I think for it's size that's a good shape. My corn eyes spy corn in one of the pics and that sounds like a perfect use for it, to steam corn on the cob. I'm kind of fixated on corn today since we'll be going over to my friends stand later. They usually have the first real Jersey corn for 4th of July. Good score.

Kathy, I hope that one is still at the thrift store.

I hope so too coconut-nj! Your comment about steaming the corn prompts me to say I much prefer it roasted. You're absolutely right about the shape being perfect for corn.

Oh caliloo you had to go and post that! Now I'm thinking about a 5 quart. But I just don't need it. I really don't. I do like the rectangular shape better than the oval, but the oval fits the turkey breast just perfectly. But really, I don't need another one. I don't. I really don't. It'd be silly to buy another one.... (sigh)

Oh and I haven't cooked whole chickens in there but I haven't had a turkey breast yet that didn't fit my 6 quart beautifully. And I always buy the biggest I can get. 6#, 7# or more. I can't imagine a chicken not fitting in there.

Mustangs & claire_de_luna, I too am often an oven cook. When I first got my Nesco I got hung up on it being a one-trick pony. After all, my mother used her roaster for the holidays only, to cook an oven buster turkey (tender as can be!) but watching Virginia Olson from Nesco do things with them on QVC, I started trying different things. Then it hit me, why *not* bake bread in it? Why *not* bake potatoes in it? Why *not* use it to keep a bunch of brats hot, reheat or whatever. Breaking out of the mindset and the self-imposed limitations is often the hardest part!

Enjoy your roasters and post back updates on them, please. Dang, it's 1:47 AM and now I want some ribs! It's not too far to a 24 hour grocery store....

Abundantblessings -

I, too, cook often for just one person in my toaster oven. In fact, I seldom turn on the large range oven except for baking in pans that won't fit the toaster oven.

My Nesco is a 6 qt. size that I use for cooking pot roasts, roast chicken, beef stew, chicken wings, and chicken pieces for example. This plug in appliance uses less energy than turning on the big oven and doesn't heat up the house as much during the hot NC summers. Sometimes I set the Nesco on the dryer in my laundry room which is not heated or cooled. Other folks put the Nesco on a porch outside during the summer.

The biggest use of a large Nesco is to cook the holiday bird, ham, or roast when serving lots of people. This frees up the oven for all the various side dishes. But a smaller 5-qt. or 6-qt. would be helpful for everyday cooking for one, two, or a small family.

Hope this helps!
Teresa

CC, my 6 quart is new, I got it right after Christmas (I took back the crockpot that was the gift and got a Nesco instead because I already have a crockpot). It works great, I love it. It has the non-stick cookwell and cleans up like a breeze, but my big Nesco has the enameled cookwell and it cleans up easily too.

I just made baked beans in the Nesco yesterday, and I've baked muffins and brownies in it when my oven quit working and I needed something for a charity bake sale.

I do whole chickens in the 6 quart regularly, I just put the chicken on the rack, stuff it with fresh herbs from the herb garden and roast it. The skin is nice and the chicken is moist and juicy and it's just so darned easy, about 5 minutes of prep.

And, I have to tell you, the Nesco makes the best baked potatoes I've ever made, the skin is crunchy but not hard. It works really well for me if I'm cooking for myself to put a baked potato and a piece of chicken or turkey on the rack and just let them cook. I've done fish in there too, in a small pan, but the potato takes longer so I add the fish later, and Sue's Roadhouse Ribs come out nicely, and all without turning on the oven.

It's more economical too, to take a potato and a piece of fish in the Nesco instead of turning on the gas oven. And no, I do not like microwaved baked potatoes, sorry.

As cynic mentioned, it's an all purpose oven which can also be turned into a stockpot, a slow cooker, a lot of things.

Yes, I love the new Nesco. Mine is stainless finish with a glass lid and the non-stick cookwell and I got it for about $40 from Amazon with free shipping.

Cynic, the no-knead bread is interesting, I'm going to have to think about that. It's been in the 90s several days here, very unusual in Michigan, and I sure don't want to turn on the oven!

Annie

If you want to try the No Knead breads, it seems it would be very easy to rise the bread on a piece of parchment paper and plop paper and all into the preheated Nesco oven when time to bake. Does this sound right?

Teresa

Thanks, Annie. Good to know that you're happy with a new one.
I was pretty much ready to buy it until I thought about my electric bill. I recently had a very long phone call with my electric supplier about why my bill is so high. I don't think it would be more economical for me. Maybe your electric power is cheaper than ours, relative to gas. I was thinking I would use it for long slow cooking, maybe five hours for a pork shoulder, especially outdoors, to keep heat out of the kitchen in summer. The big one *really* uses a lot of power. The 6-qt. says 750 watts. So figure 750 watts for 5 hours, maybe two or three times a month. That would make a noticeable difference in my electric bill. My gas bill, on the other hand, was about $10 a month before we changed to gas heat last year. Of course I can't put the gas stove outside!

Teresa_nc7, thanks for the response.

I think it's great to have the convenience w/o generating heat, but guess I'm still unsure if a roasted chicken is better in the Nesco vs the toaster oven. Any one do a side by side comparison or has additional advice?

We have the 18qt Nesco Roaster and I use it for whole hams or turkeys several times a year, not just for Holidays. My husband doesn't like lunch meat, so I will bake a ham or turkey, slice it up and freeze it in small packages. In the summer, I use it out in our attached garage so we keep the house cool.
Donna

cc, Elery (who used to be an electrician and now works for the local power company) did the math. he says it costs about 6 cents per hour to run the Nesco and about 14 cents per hour to run the oven at 350F, more for higher temps. About 8 cents an hour for a single burner on the stove and I'm lucky to have natural gas, propane is MUCH more expensive.

So, besides not heating up the house, it's cheaper to use the Nesco, even cheaper than an hour on the stove top. Of course, depending on power costs, your milage will vary.

Now, if I have a bunch of things to go in the oven, it's more economical, I can do 4 dozen dinner rolls at once, couldn't do that in the Nesco, not even the big one.

I ought to have him do the math again, he did that in January, and energy prices fluctuate, plus the "energy delivery costs" keep going up and up.

Annie

2009 average electricity cost in PA was 9.5¢/kwh, slightly below nationwide average of 9.83¢. Why your bill is so high is impossible to know or even speculate on since we don't know what you consider high, how much it is, what you're running for lights and appliances and other factors. If your kwh consumption is that high, I don't believe you'll notice a Nesco running. FWIW I run about 80¢-$1+/thm for gas and 12¢-18¢/kwh for electricity.

I can say this, I can't honestly say I really notice the Nesco use on my electric bill. My last 3 electric bills were $25-$27 and that even included a few days with the a/c running. My natural gas bill is running nearly the same! Granted, with both are fees that will make low usage more expensive per kwh or therm but still, the only things I use on gas are 2 pilot lights and heating water.

I haven't used the Nesco for a few months so it was in on the "winter" use which would include furnace fan, Christmas lights, increased lighting due to shorter days, etc. Plus my electric bill gets zapped with street light, cable and other costs because the city and county don't want to directly raise taxes so they sneak them in on utility bills and the like.

You might be misled to use a 750w guideline to determine cost since the "heater" isn't running all the time. Or is that an average? It could be it's an average with a 1500w element. It's like a hair dryer that uses 1500w or more, but it's not running for days on end. The Nesco turns on and off, like an electric oven (since that's what it is). So ambient temperature will make a slight bit of difference, how often you take the top off will make a difference and there's other variables. Probably your best bet is to get a meter (like a Kill-a-watt or similar) and see what the usage is over a few hours period of time, then calculate the cost based on your electric costs.

Comparing gas to electric isn't easy. Gas users like to claim it's so much cheaper but isn't always. If I had your gas and electric bills total cost & kwh/thm use I could help you calculate your costs that month. You have to factor in all the taxes and the like too so it's the total cost.

As far as comparing a Nesco to a toaster oven, I have no idea what you consider "better". I can't imagine a toaster oven coming close to the Nesco from the experience I have with toaster ovens! I've never found one that heats evenly, they can't even make toast worth a darn from what I've seen and used. You couldn't cook a whole turkey breast or chicken in one so it'd be in pieces. From my experience, if I were to try in one of the toasters I've had, I'd have to constantly be rearranging the pieces in there to try to get it even. At that rate I'd put it in a frying pan. With the Nesco, you put it in and pretty much leave it go until it's done. I put a thermometer in it and set it to 150° and I know the turkey breast is basically done. By the time I get to it, turn off the switch and get the utensils ready, pull it out and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, it's up to 160°, moist and hot and ready to eat. One caveat, I might flip on the "Roast-Air" fan for 15-20 minutes to crisp it up a bit on occasion but I don't do that much since I don't really eat the skin anymore. And actually there's a lot of times I'll run both Nescos rather than start the oven, just because I like the way the food comes out.

The no-knead really has me curious. I've thought it could be possible to just plop it in there on parchment but actually just coating the cookwell with oil or shortening and flip it in there should work fine too. Once I get some things straightened out around here I really want to give it a try. I see no reason why it wouldn't work well. Granted, the Nesco doesn't do 500° but then again many of the recipes I've seen say 425° is plenty too. What's to lose? A little flour and water and a few cents worth of electricity, and a little time I guess. I'm really curious about it.

BTW, I'm not out to twist peoples' arms to get them to buy a roaster. I am trying to bust some myths that are out there though so people can make up their minds. They're not some complicated machine that requires massive education and experience to operate as it was suggested once. They're not expensive, actually they're cheaper than most slow cookers and do so much more. But they're not for everyone. My dad, until the day he died, refused to have an automatic washer in his house. He had the old wringer Maytag and there was no convincing him otherwise. Someone told him they "walk across the floor" and wasn't about to listen to facts so there's times I know it's not worth beating a dead horse!

Cynic, One question My last 3 electric bills were $25-$27 a day?? Mine averages $225 @ month and that's down from $300 since I replaced my central AC.

Thanks for your insight, I'm eager to use my old and new Nesco with all these new (new to me) ideas from all of you. Like baked potatoes, although I'm pretty happy with my crispy and salted skinned potatoes. I'm with you Annie i.e. NO microwave and no foil!

I don't have a roaster, so this is just a theory.

A lot of the cooking inside a roaster is by infrared radiation from the hot surfaces. I think a stainless cookwell will give you better end results because the refective stainless steel can even out and randomize infrared radiation better.

Food will be kept hot longer inside a stainless steel roaster because the heat from the food is reflected back to the food. That's why a thermos bottle has reflective inside surfaces.

dcarch

Wow, cynic, I'm impressed. Here my electric bill is about $90 a month, year round, because I run a pool pump filter all summer and the furnace fan all winter, plus I have a big freezer in the garage.

My gas bill last month was $77.00 and that's for my gas dryer, my gas stove and my gas hot water heater. The furnace has been turned off since May. My heating bills run around $300 per month in the winter and my thermostat never goes about 55F. I don't have air conditioning.

As for street lights, I don't have any. The city doesn't put the charge on our bill, they just said they didn't have the money to pay for it and turned them all off! So, I have a light in the front that comes on when it's dark and goes out when it becomes light and pay the electric bill for that myself.

I didn't even think that was high, my stepmother's electric will was $155.00 last month. She doesn't have air conditioning either, and her stove, hot water heater and furnace are all propane. Her gas bill alone last year was $3,600.00, she's on a $300 monthly year round "budget" plan.

Annie

$300 a month for 55 degrees indoors! Holy Hannah! That's about what I paid for oil to stay a lot warmer. (That was before the recent higher oil prices; we switched to gas heat last fall.) I know Michigan is colder than Pennsylvania, but not that much colder. Our house isn't at all well-insulated, and it has big leaky windows.
And your stepmother's propane bill! I think even the famously expensive electric heat would be cheaper.

Back to the roaster. Although I can't figure it exactly because the heating element would not be on constantly, if it would be on most of the time, three times a month would still add up to less than my average kilowatt-hour usage per day. So, say I used it a bit more often, it would be like adding an extra day of total usage each month. Not too bad, but not insignificant.

cc, the state tacks on a whole lot of taxes, delivery charges, fees that I don't even know what the heck they are.

The bonus in the wintertime is that if I turn on the oven AND the dryer, which is just off the kitchen, I can heat the kitchen up to about 60F without turning the furnace up, so I get "double duty" from the gas charge. (grin)

Annie

Annie

I know that tactic, Annie. In fact, many years ago I used to do it with the oven open, until I found out that it wrecks the thermostat.

We heat and cook with propane, so the savings we get using our Nesco is greater then for those using electricity or gas. Our elec. bill is fairly low in the winter, but sky high when we run the AC. I use a lot of appliances out in the garage to avoid heating the house. The Nesco, my dehydrator and the rotisserie all put out a lot of heat. In the winter, I put them in my laundry room to keep from cluttering up my kitchen counter, but the heat helps keep the adjoining kitchen warm.

OK, I went back this morning to make my own score! Here's mine...

Apparently, mine is also never used, and I'm ''burning it off'' as I sit here, so I can use it later on this afternoon. Since my thrift store has everything under the sun, I also scored three little loaf pans that fit into it perfectly, and a handle-less glass plan. I'm getting ready to cook...Now to figure out what should be first! Thanks Kathy for sharing your score. It's crazy how these things work, isn't it?

It looks huge in the picture. You had the benefit of seeing it before purchasing it so I'm sure it is conveniently sized. I know yours was cheaper than mine since I paid to bunch for S&H.

I haven't gotten mine yet so I'll be on the look out for your feedback.

Last night I cooked a whole (small) chicken in mine for the broth and the meat to make a casserole. I like that I can set it at a low simmer, which is very hard to do on my gas range burners. And I promise you, the porcelain cooking well is easier to clean than my stainless stock pot!

Love that color, CdeL!

Teresa

Thanks Teresa! I can do a low simmer on my gas range, but when the fans are blowing in my kitchen because I need them, I have to watch that the flame doesn't blow out. This will be very helpful.

Well, I burned the thing ''off'' so the smell is gone. I washed everything and am about to bake a ''loaf'' of something...probably the Lemon Quick Bread on the Nesco recipe site. (I'm intrigued by the oven aspect so I'm going there first!) I'll let you know it turns out.

Cathy, have you decided what you're going to make first? I do like the size of it as far as an electric appliance goes; it seems small enough to be useful, yet big enough for two. I don't really know how to make small quantities of anything, so I'm looking forward to see if I can adapt!

I saw a recipe for ham loaf in this month's Cooks Illustrated and I have leftover spiral cut ham. I think I will give it a try as me first experiment. I've never had ham loaf so it will be a double experiment.

I've never had a ham loaf either, so I'll be curious to see how you like it. My Lemon Loaf is baking now...12 minutes to go! My house is starting to smell good and I'm hopeful.

Oh. I think I'm in love. I just pulled out my Lemon Loaf, and it's beautifully golden brown, and had moist (delicious looking) crumbs attached to the toothpick. I had no idea about this small appliance...Really!

Cathy, think of yourself as a good influence...I'm happy to have an oven ''option''!

Oh no Mustangs, that's per month, not per day! And yes proportionately in that picture it does look big, but it really isn't. Size-wise, I'd compare it to that of a shoebox in length and width. Higher of course, especially with the lid, but not a lot.

I'm not sure I agree that stainless will hold heat any longer. My stainless "thermos" bottle is of no use in the wintertime. Apparently it conducts the cold right in so coffee is undrinkable within a short period of time. I paid a lot for that too and am really disappointed. I use the el-cheapo glass-lined plastic bottle when I want my coffee hot! (which is always)

Happy cooking, everyone.

My roaster just arrived, it's so cute. The only downside is that it the box and recipe book reeks from cigarette smoke.

I'm eager to join CdL with the experimentation. I'm curing it now and will cook a ham loaf tonight--I've never had ham loaf but I need to use up the leftover spiral ham.

Cathy,
Hang the recipe book up on a line outside for a few days - opened to different pages at times. That might help with the smoke smell. (At least I could wash my fabric when gifted with a big box from another forum friend that also reeked.)

Teresa

Thanks Teresa. It's been pouring for a week so I might try the charcoal trick until the rain stops.

Reading all these messages and the small Nesco has prompted me to dig mine out and put it on my counter so I will actually USE it! Thanks Everyone for the nudge!
Eileen

claire I LOVE your roaster. Love, love, love the color. I can never find the deals you all seem to find. I've never seen a roaster at any thrift stores around here and seldom see any good appliances period. Maybe that's a good thing...LOL.

cynic, as an aside to the roaster discussion, I use a big green unbreakable Stanley Thermos. It's not pretty, but I got mine because all th farmers and construction workers I know used them.

Mine will keep a pot of hot chocolate steaming hot for several hours while the kids go tobogganing, so we're talking outside in a Michigan winter and usually stuck right into the snow.

I used them a lot for camping, I could make coffee at breakfast, put it into the Stanley and it would still be drinkable at supper. Oh, and I've put ice water in it or iced tea when spending a few hours out in the hay field and it keeps ice in the liquid for a couple of hours too.

I can definitely recommend them, although my oldest one is over 20 years old, so I'm hoping they haven't "improved" them.

Annie

I made tacos this evening. The Nesco works well for that, but I'm not entirely sure about their recipes yet...even though the Lemon Loaf I baked was great.

Eileen, are you cooking in yours? What have you made?

Bryansda, That's nice! The color is growing on me...or I should really say I don't hate it as much as I did when I first saw it. This is the first one I've seen in the thrift store for sale, so I don't think people give up their Nescos very easily. (I could be wrong about that, but it seems like people use them heavily, unless it turns out to be gift for someone who doesn't cook much.)

Annie, I still use my big Stanley thermos too.

Cathy, How did you ham loaf turn out?

I'll relate one dish that doesn't do well in the Nesco - dumplings, as in chicken & dumplings. The broth needs to be simmering to cook the dumplings, 10 minutes with lid off, 10 minutes with lid on is my recipe. Broth in the Nesco doesn't get up to simmering or a light boil, only hot and steaming. So I cook the bird in the Nesco one day, chill the broth to remove the fat and make the dumplings the next day, cooking them in my Le Creuset until done then stirring in the deboned chicken meat until heated through.

just my experience, YMMV ~ Teresa

I've used mine twice in the last week..once for Cornish Game Hens and the other was for Pulled pork, using a butt shoulder picnic pork. Both were out of this world for flavor and tenderness. I always use my 18 qt. for our T'Day turkey and the small Nesco is just the same...everything has turned out so tender. We live in the Phoenix area, and it's smoking hot here in the summer. The Nesco is know allowing me to cook real meals because it's impossible to put on the oven in this heat. I'm so glad I started to read this thread!
Eileen

CdL, the ham loaf gets an A for looks, C for moistness and taste. I did make some minor changes necessitated by ingredients on hand versus what the recipe called for. I've never had a ham loaf before so I don't have a point of reference as far as taste; what tasted bland to me may have been delightful to someone else.

But, the exercise was in using the Nesco as a roaster so I'm saying it did well. I look forward to using many of these great sounding recipes that have been shared.