This week I picked up a new toy at Ace Hardware. It is an 18qt Nesco Roaster Oven. I’ve been eyeing this for a while now. It will do just about everything including slow cooking, baking cakes & bread, and roasting a 20lb turkey. It has an adjustable dial from 200 to 450, removable enamel (or non-stick if you prefer) cooking pan and doesn’t take up nearly as much room as I thought it would. At $60 with free shipping to the store (our local store was out of them), I couldn’t pass it up.
I can see 18qts of tomato juice slow cooking down into sauce outside on the back porch this summer. I am also envisioning baking bread in August without heating up the kitchen. There will probably be a couple of roasted thyme chickens this summer too.
It is currently on the back porch curing. I’ve never had to do this with any appliance before but for some reason the Nesco requires it. Basically you remove the lid and pan, plug it in and turn it on high for an hour or two. It is outside because this process can create smoke and a nasty smell. The manual assures me this is normal and necessary. I wondered if using an extension cord (heavy duty) from the kitchen to the porch would be a problem but it has been outside for about 30 minutes and while the plug is a little warm it doesn’t seem to be hot enough to be of any concern.
