Poll: Do I NEED a Nesco Roaster?

8 years ago

I am hosting DH's life celebration (it's an open house weekend-long party) in August. Yes, I know I'm crazy...

I am always conscious of food safety for gatherings like this. So I have a large gas grill for the BBQ chicken, hot dogs, etc. I have a two burner gas camp stove and a crock pot, but it's old and I don't want to depend on it.

I am going to do a lot of make ahead casserole-requires baking in the oven type dishes (relatively cheap and easy). I have a portable convection oven - an older model of this one:

It's hard to get 2 9x13 pans in there and make sure they both evenly heat without rotating, etc.

I know a lot of you have Nesco roasters. The 18 quart on amazon is well within my budget, but do I really NEED another appliance to find storage room for and may not use often enough to justify it? It's just me now, so I rarely cook large amounts of food anymore. But it would be handy for making a big batch of freezer meals for me. And I know it would be indispensable at the party. I have plenty of electricity on the deck, and a roll-around stainless table which will work fine for a serving cart.

I vacillate back and forth, forth and back. Please help me say Yea or Nay - I need your vote!

Thanks!!

Featured Answer

annie1992

8 years ago

I'm the polar opposite of Grainlady. I don't particularly care for kitchen gadgets (although Elery does) and seldom use them, opting for basic knives, pots, etc. I LOVE my Nesco, though. I have the 6 quart and the 18 quart and I use both of them regularly. I don't have a toaster oven, a counter top convection oven, etc., although Elery does have a countertop rotisserie oven. Of course he does. (grin)

The 6 quart does a wonderful roast chicken, and I use it in place of a crockpot. I can cook outside in it when it's hot and the kitchen is steamy, which was an issue in my old house, although for the first time ever I'm living in a house with air conditioning, so it might not be an issue this year. I've cooked in the garage, I did lamb on the back porch so I could avoid the smell, and I've dragged it to my daughters' houses when they were short on space. I use it for additional cooking/oven space on holidays, although now I have double ovens, so I might not have to do that either.

The big one I use to simmer large batches of stock for canning or freezing, to make the baked beans or au gratin potatoes for family parties (we have a lot of those, we like to get together, what can I say), I've used it to bake brownies when my oven was on the fritz and I can take it with me and just plug it in and not take up kitchen space when we're at one of the girls' houses. We took it with us when we did Christmas with Elery's family too, so we didn't mess up the oven/stove assignments at his son's house.

So I'd say yes you need one, although I would encourage you to borrow one for this particular gathering and see how you like it. You very well might decide that you need one after all.

Annie

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Comments (7)

grainlady_ks
8 years ago
I'm a HUGE kitchen gadget person, but a roaster has never been on my "must have" list. The few times I needed one I got one on loan from our church kitchen (with a donation to the kitchen fund - which is what a lot of church members do for parties/family reunions), and roasting ovens can be rented from our True Value Hardware store. If you have lived without one up until now, I'd opt to rent/borrow the number and size you think you need.
grandmamary_ga
8 years ago
I too am a huge gadget person. I do have the 18 quart nesco roaster, and the 6 and the 4 quart and one that does convection cooking. I have used them all at one time or another. I store them in the basement. If you don't need that many appliances for cooking don't buy one, borrow from someone who has one or in my case at least 4. where do you live? You can borrow mine. lol

Mary
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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.
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I use both a small Nesco and a 25+ year old Rival crock pot in my cooking. Although I have not tested the temp in either, I think the differences may arise from the shape and size of the two appliances. A crock pot is usually deeper and maybe be more round than a Nesco oven. And I think the crock pot has the heat source from the bottom and the Nesco has a the heating elements of the sides for their "Circle of Heat." IMO, the Nesco is the better choice for roasting, baking, and long cooking than a crock pot. I have made the 5 hour @ 250 degrees Sticky Chicken recipe in the Nesco that I originally baked in my large oven and it actually took a little less than 5 hours. I use the crock pot now for recipes that are more liquid - soup, stew, spaghetti sauce, pepper steak, etc. I confidently go off to work and let the crock pot cook away for 8 hours. Because I think the Nesco is a hotter appliance, I have not gone off and left it unattended - although maybe I could do so, but just not for 8 hours. The only (edible) flop that I have had with the Nesco was trying to make chicken and dumplings (the thin slider version). The broth didn't reach a low boil to cook the dumplings the way I like them. But I still could eat the results. And, I know the crock pot won't cook the dumplings right for me either, so chicken and dumplings will always be made on the stove top. Teresa
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I live in Wisconsin where the Nesco is a tradition. I believe it is made here or at least it was, who knows anymore, but it is a great device and I use it all the time. Just realize that it is not all things for everyone and you will be happy with your purchase. I first saw the Nesco in use at a friends house where Mom would cook with it a lot particularly game. So it has a lot of nostalgia for me. I make their chili recipe for the 6 qt a lot adapted a bit to my own tastes and people seem to enjoy it. It's great when it's too hot to use the oven. I own several 6 qt models and a 18 qt size which I use to cook for large family gatherings and for turkey. You'll want to experiment with it before you use it for an important family gathering or you may be disappointed. There is a technique for getting a turkey to brown correctly and if you don't do it right the turkey won't brown and may have a steamed taste. Still good but maybe not what you were looking for. On sale I have seen the 6 qt size selling for $25, buy one and support American industry and get a bargain to boot!
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amck2
8 years ago
I bought one about 8 yrs. ago for holiday cooking overflow. I use it to roast the sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and that's about all. Otherwise, it lives in the attic. It's too large to keep in a handier space.

I guess it depends on how & what you cook often. Through fall/winter/spring I use my big LC pots for soups, stews, chowders, etc. That's my "big pot" kind of cooking so the Nesco doesn't get dragged down & put on the counter for things like that. I know people like them for turkeys and meat, but I just haven't bothered to fiddle with time and settings on the Nesco to do those. In winter, they go in the oven. In summer, they're grilled.

I'm happy to have it, but it is not something I'd consider a must-have. If I had to downsize, mine would go.
malna
Original Author
8 years ago
Many thanks for talking me out of it! I will ask around - surely SOMEBODY has one I could borrow for a day. :-)
morz8 - Washington Coast
8 years ago
I think that's a good idea - the borrowing. I would loan you mine.

I have just one (large) oven in this kitchen and bought the roaster, mostly with entertaining in mind. The last time this year that I've used it was not even really this year, it was the day before New Years when I did a wonderful ham in it....a fresh ham that needed 8 hours at 275F :) The ham could not have my only oven for the entire day.

When I need it, I need it. It has a spot where it lives comfortably in a laundry room cupboard all but a very few times per year.
plllog
8 years ago
Borrowing is a fine idea, but you may decide later you need one of your own. :)

Poll: Do I NEED a Nesco Roaster?

annie1992

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grainlady_ks

grandmamary_ga

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amck2

malna
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morz8 - Washington Coast

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Poll: Do I NEED a Nesco Roaster?

annie1992

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grandmamary_ga

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morz8 - Washington Coast

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