I remember when Nesco intro'd the convection fan 6 qt on QVC...it's been at least twenty years ago. At the time, you could retro your Nesco by buying just a Roast Air lid. Don't know how long it was around but don't think that it's an option now, for the 6 qt. I see a lot of 6 qt Nescos around at rummage sales. I own three, just picked up a barely used one for $3 for my neighbor. Have yet to see one with the convection feature at a rummage sale. Either they work great & no one wants to part with it OR there just aren't that many of them around. The lids on all of them, even the two ancient ones that I own, are 'flimsy'...but they get the job done. (interestingly, the lids on the ancient Nescos are less substantial than on the later generation models.) Mostly, I don't see the need for any type of insulated top-the top reflects most of the heat back into the cooker...however, I have, on occasion, used a thick folded terry type towel on the cover, being careful that it doesn't touch the cookwell--that part gets Hot. Usually, when I do it, it's when the ham or whatever is just a bit too large for the cooker & the lid won't fit. So I tent with foil, pop the lid on best it will sit & then add the blanket on top. Dcarch--the beauty of the Nesco, in keeping your kitchen cooler in the summer--is its portability. When I lived in OK, both Nescos, the 6 & 18 qt, got toted outdoors onto the porch in the summer. The other bonus is that they heat up quickly so you tend to have them generating heat for less time than you do with a stationary oven.

A Nesco (as any electric roaster) makes heat so naturally it will give off heat. It will also add humidity to the air, as will a slow cooker. People who say they use a slow cooker because it "doesn't heat up the room" don't have it turned on or are fooling themselves. A light bulb gives off heat. A hair dryer gives off heat. So do all cooking appliances, even a microwave to a point. So yes, if you leave a hair dryer going for hours will it heat up a room? Sure. Will a Nesco? (Or a toaster, or an electric frypan or a space heater?) Of course it will. However, since it's probably smaller than your ovens, it likely would heat up less then a conventional oven. A 10-14# turkey should work fine in a 12 quart but if you want to put some potatoes around it or something you might want to get the 18 qt, or if you have occasional use for something larger, you might want to go with the 18 qt. Size-wise they're not much different. A guideline is 1#+ per quart size so a 12 qt would handle a 12# but they will take a little more. I've put 7.5# turkey breast in my 6 quart and it's fine. I believe the max recommended is 14# on a 12 qt. and 22# on a 18 qt. Many people put the roaster outside on a patio, porch or whatever for various reasons. Some don't like cooking odors, some don't want the heat and/or humidity, some want the extra room. For browned items, you need dry heat and electric roasters generally retain moisture, which is why things are so tender, juicy and tasty. If you must have browned skin on a turkey, the best way is to use the Roast-Air fan. Alternatives: Use a browning agent. (I never have) Cock the lid and let moisture out, but you'll lose heat. Frequently drain the juices out of the cookwell. Or, when you're pretty much done, pull all juices, pat the turkey dry and crank up the heat. What I do when I really want something browned, is to cook it normally without the fan and then the last 15 min or so, pull the juices and turn on the fan. I don't eat the skin anymore so it's not an issue with me anymore. The difference between a slow cooker and a roaster is an electric roaster is a portable oven with the cooking container. You can do everything you can do in a slow cooker and more and essentially you can do *most* everything you can do in a conventional oven but more. I have the nonstick and the conventional cookwells for both of my Nescos and the porcelain only gets used when I need the second one. Cleaning? I don't use abrasives. I soak it and the stuff comes off quite easily. Occasionally I need to use one of the plastic scrubbers. I would never use steel wool, SOS, and *definitely* not Scratchbrite pads. I'd be hesitant to use oven cleaner on a cooking surface. I wouldn't use cleanser although baking soda would probably be fine an Barkeeper's Friend is supposedly not abrasive. I'd still hesitate to use it *in* the cookwell though. Dawn Power Dissolver probably would work and the (relatively) new Dawn Power Clean dish detergent has been highly recommended by friends. If you have seasoned your cookwell and soak it a bit, you probably won't have trouble. I don't. Also, clean as you go instead of letting it crust up will help too. Frankly there's so much moisture in there you shouldn't have much trouble cleaning it right away or soak it right away. If you're getting a black crust you're probably letting the heat dry it out and bake it on there. That's a big mistake. Keep in mind that if you season your cookwells properly you won't have many cleanup issues. In that respect it's similar to cast iron. My porcelain cookwell for my 6 quart is damaged from using it for a humidifier on dry winter day. The minerals and stuff from the water clung to that thing and I made the mistake of using cleaning pads I shouldn't have used. So when I use that one now I line it with foil most of the time. As for uses, I've gone into detail in other threads, but suffice to say anything I'd put in a slow cooker or the oven I'll put in the electric roaster, including breads, baking potatoes, casseroles, soups, chili, stew, etc. As I said before, you won't get a good crusty meatloaf in it unless you use the fan. Occasionally I want that thick crust on meatloaf so it goes in the oven and of course it'll be dried out. (And no, I *still* won't bury it in 2 inches of ketchup! HA!)

Do you have an oven and a cook top? Will you be making rolls and pies that day? Will you be having a side of scalloped oysetrs that need to be baked? Will you ba having a baked sweet potato dish? Do you have a microwave? I would make the rolls the day or more before...freeze and heat at the last minute. Bake the turkey...or breasts in the oven, have the sweet potatoes all boiled and the topping on and ready to bake...Make the mashed potatoes while the turkey is cooking and re heat in the microwave....make the pies in the morning before the turkey is in the oven. When the turkey is cooked and while it's resting cook your sweet potatoes and pan of stuffing and veggie casserole if having one.....when the potatoes and veggies are done, remove from the oven and cover with foil and towels to keep warm, re heat the rolls, carve the turkey, make the gravy while the turkey is resting....and use the roaster to keep the gravy hot. I cooked holiday meals for lots of years with one oven, 4 burners and no microwave. Stuffing in a crock pot is a mushy nasty mess....never gets a crisp top. Lots of sides don't need to be kept hot...salads relish tray, cranberry relish, olives and pickles. Linda C

cotswolds, I have a 6 quart Nesco, an 18 quart, and access to two more 18 quart versions that belong to my daughters. (Well, one is a GE and one is something else, but they all work fine). We use them all at family functions, mostly to keep food warm. I do use my small one for roasting chicken, baking potatoes, cooking pork for pulled pork, lots of things. The big one might get a ham or turkey if my double ovens are full, but mostly they keep things warm. Au gratin potatoes, sloppy joes, macaroni and cheese, ziti with tomato sauce, meatballs, soup, chili, taco filling, baked beans, pulled pork, chai tea, hot chocolate, mulled cider, all get kept warm in the Nesco without drying out noticeably. I've also used my Nesco as an oven when my old oven quit, baking brownies, muffins and pineapple upside down cake in there, placing the baking pans on the rack. Mine also heats from the side and it's more than 5 years old by.....a lot of years, LOL. None of the roasters I've seen from any of the makers have inserts that require water, and all are electric. I don't care for chafing dishes for larger amounts, they don't seem to stay warm all the way to the edges and I've burned my foot TWICE by trying to remove pans of hot water from chafing dishes. So, for small amounts they work fine, but for big ones, I'll take the Nesco. Annie