Yep....you can bake it in a dish.

Just make sure you can get the dish out again when it's hot.

Thanks linda and plllog!

LOL pilllog! Learned that! Was even thinking in the future of getting those special gloves....they might work better than 2 big potholders.

The meatloaf tastes good........but I think I ground the meat too fine for this. I've gotten in the habit of grinding chuck roasts myself, so we're eating from 1 cow at a time, and not 100. Anyhow........I ground this last batch fine and it was a little too fine for meatloaf. And when I would bake it in the big stove/oven, I would use a rectangular casserole dish. As soon as it was done baking, I would elevate one side of the dish and scoop out all that fat, before it would get reabsorbed. But I totally filled this 1 and 1/2 quart - tall sided, square dish and couldn't do that. I'm sure I'll learn the tricks of cooking with this thing. I'm really glad I got the small one and the large one.

When I make meat loaf in an, say, 8 by 8 pan...I make the meat into a loaf shape and put it in the middle of the pan....the fat drains to the edges and I can get the loaf out of the pan with a spatula and leave the grease behind.
Another thing I learned is that more bread crumbs in the mix allows for more absorbtion of the fat and makes a really yummy meat loaf.....even it it is a heart attack in the pan! LOL!

And when making meat loaf for a gang....say 5 pounds at a time, bake it in sort of a sling, of heavy duty foil, then I can lift one end, drain the grease and easily get that meatloaf out of the pan> When I make meatloaf for say 100, I bake it cool it, slice it and refrigerate it over night and reheat. Cooling before slicing makes for nice even slices which are easy to serve.

Glad to hear it worked, even if it needs some tweaking. I hadn't thought of it, but I bet you're right that those thin oven gloves with the fingers would be easier for pulling things out of the roaster. I've always used mitts, but haven't used one as small as yours. I was thinking that this type of silicone turkey lifter might help (being very careful not to tilt), until I saw the price!

You can start with leaner beef. Sirloin, for instance, is fairly lean. There are some cheaper cuts that are as well. The other thing that chilling does for you, besides the ease of slicing, is that it makes it easy to remove the fat that has melted out. But it's not fun. I prefer the leaner meat. But, anyway, now that you know the too fine for meatloaf grind, you know what's good for fine textured meatballs, right? That's a win!

Well, I'm too late for this party, but I'm glad your meatloaf turned out well. I've baked meatloaf, potatoes, even brownies in the Nesco, just set the pan on the rack and bake away!

Annie

Thanks plllog and annie. Now I'm looking for a glass loaf dish that will fit the 6 qt one.....but it might be a challenge. One obsession just leads to another. hahaha

You don't need a loaf pan to bake a meat loaf....just shape it into a loaf and put it in a pyrex pie dish. your fat will drain and it will be easy to remove from the pan