I'm looking for the Roast-Air-Convection lid for the Nesco 18-quart roaster. Does anyone know of an outlet for this item they could let me know about? Thanks. Nancy

Update: bryansda: yup, indeed, I grabbed that roaster and FAST! For $25.00. But not before I plugged it in and tested it at the thrift store to be sure it worked! Arkansas girl: Yup, there is an initial burn off required and I did it according to owner manual specs today out on the patio. It did emit some electrical fumes (barely), which I was instructed to expect, but no smoke ensued. Sushipup and all others: I made a boneless pork loin roast with assorted vegetables...onions, carrots, Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, and a couple apples as my test run. I rubbed garlic on the roast, and coated it in some flavor of Montreal seasoning I had on hand. Put all meat and vegies on oiled rack (I used peanut oil which has a higher smoke temperature, to be safe). I placed this inside oiled cookwell, and started to let her rip at 400F w/ convection fan on. Because it smelled SO very delicious SO quickly, I got worried at 30 minutes into the scene, thus decided to decrease temp to 350, stop the fan a while, then started it again....basically played with it to see what IT could do, and how I should be responding to this new appliance. I took out the meat at temp 155F, to tent and rest, knowing it would continue to increase in temp. Some of the vegies were still a bit hard, but there developed a nice sticky, well cooked (but not burned) bits on the bottom. I found some Port wine, added a splash with another splash of water, (stirred with a wooden spoon so as not to scratch!) and kept the vegies alone in there at 350F with convection for another 20 or so minutes til the rutabaga was tender enough. The apples were squishy, so I'll add them later next time, or take them out early...as I think they added to the yummy tart yet sweet drippings. Can I say it was just divine with no gravy, just the drippings (of which there was only a bit since pork is so lean now). I can't wait for sandwiches of the leftover pork! (Never over cook pork anymore...get it to 155F, and tent it with foil for a half hour or so...it will continue to cook and be fine, juicy and tender). So first round was a thrill!!! Me happy! Thanksgiving turkey of about 13 pounds is next!

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

Hi Annie, I too would get browned skin without it but boy does the fan crisp it up quick and picture perfect. So many people seem more concerned with looks over taste it seems. I use it to crisp up most anything. Ribs, roasts, even chops. If I want it good and brown (which occasionally I do) then turn on the fan and let it go. Keep in mind it will evaporate a lot of the juices. So I often cook it first, suck the juices out that I want to keep and then turn on the fan for a while. You likely would not use the fan during the whole cooking process. Other things to use it for? I use mine to make burgers and convection makes them look like they're off a grill and helps the taste IMO. Baking certain things.It's a convection oven then. Much is subjective. Personally for things like brownies I think it's fine, maybe better without? I never think to try it when I make biscuits or rolls in there but should try. Not sure if the convection would work like some claim to make things rise higher. You probably would minimize or eliminate the need to rotate pans if you put in layers and side by side pans in a larger unit. One of the problems with a roaster oven is the occasional issue of the edges of the food or pans next to the side of the unit will cook faster or overcook, and the fan would minimize to eliminate that issue. Virginia Olson of Nesco used to recommend a sacrifice noodle be placed against the cookwell to absorb and even it out when you make lasagna in the cookwell. I never did it and never had a problem but then, I like a bit of the crunchy noodles in lasagna and pasta anyway so if it happened, it wouldn't bother me. Before I bought the Roast-Air adapter kit I used to just cock the lid to let out some of the excess moisture. Things brown more in dry heat. Electric roasters, slow cookers and pressure cookers for example are more moist heat environments while a conventional oven is a dry heat environment. That's why things will stay more moist in a roaster than a conventional oven. Here's a link to a convection roaster manual that might give some other ideas. People make a big mistake by assuming. Roasters are a different appliance and they operate a little differently. There's a bit of a learning curve to maximize the benefit. It's not difficult to learn and learning is also tasty. I often tell people that although it's an oven and for the most part think of it as an oven, but sometimes you need to think of it as a slow cooker the way a slow cooker oughta be. Maggie2094, that's a good looking (and may I say NON FLABBY) bird! :) You bring up a good point I often forget. They're lightweight and easy to move around. My mother's was heavier but then it had an insulated lid and I think had insulation around the sides too but that was an OLD roaster.