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

Love this thread, it was so fun to read! DS thought the MIL’s house was BEAUTIFUL, “Especially the creepy lady in the corner because It’s so unique.” Years ago I started slowly (and obsessively) replacing anything that couldn’t go in the dishwasher with items that can. Smaller cookie sheets, glass/stainless measuring cups, silicone tools, etc. It took years of careful purchases and I kept a list and watched for sales because some of those items were pricey. The only thing I use on a daily basis that doesn’t go in my dishwasher now are sharp knives. Anyway, I just knew hand washing dishes would always be my weakness, but I’m great about loading the dishwasher every time I use something. So, pots and pans that do well in the dishwasher are my friends. My second weakness is unloading the dishwasher. That job became my kids’ first ever daily kitchen chore! Starting in preschool they did it together before school while I made breakfast. Now they switch off days. We make a great team! At Christmas my mom offered to wash crystal goblets and asked where my drying rack was. I do own one, but it collapses and was way at the back of the sink. After rummaging around to pull it out, and rinsing it off because it had dish soap on it, I gave it to her. She asked where a towel was to lay under it. That’s when I remembered that earlier that day I opened the towel drawer to find that half the towels had been used once and thrown back in the drawer with the clean ones by my kids. In annoyance I dumped them all in the wash, along with the ones in the bin in the laundry room, and I forgot to put them in the dryer. I told my mom it was fine to use the rack without a towel. It was NOT fine with my mom. She bought me 2 dish draining mats for Valentine’s Day, which is really only a gift holiday for romantic relationships. Whenever people are coming over and it’s messy I tell them they should feel complimented because I’m treating them like one of the family.

The super cheap paper plates are compostable as well as the nicer ones marked "compostable". In general, you do it like camping, in dishpans on the counter (after scraping and papertoweling really well if needed). The difference is that you get to rinse to your heart's content. Put an inverted milk crate or similar in the tub as a wash-through table so you don't have to keep things so low (this will save your back if washing in a laundry sink as well).

like carolb, everything goes in order of cooking times. Oven on to pre-heat, potatoes, beet, head of garlic, ...all hard roots get a 20 min head start, then radish, carrot rounds, parsnip, Brussels, sweet potato, 20 minutes later, broccoli, cauliflower, squash....beans, and things like asparagus just need 10 minutes usually...delicata squash cooks must faster than most others. Just an example of various roots and veg I might use. Baby potatoes I leave whole, slightly larger I cut in half, cut side down to crisp, Bigger I quarter. Prepping the harder veg/roots first gets then in the oven and out of the way to prep the next. I use parchment. As I'm prepping I toss in a bowl with a bit of olive oil. If I had asparagus or beans in this pic, they would be last with the delicata and the baby rainbow carrots... Sheet pan dinners are usually all on one tray spread out single layer with a quick cooking protein or two, also added in order of cooking time. Busy family weeknight meal all on one tray, easy clean-up....often served tray-to-the-table, help yourself style. Google image 'sheet pan dinners' and you will find hundreds of pics and recipes. link, HERE