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Turkey Roaster---Yay or Nay?

missyrcrews

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
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Location
West Bath, me
Resorts Owned
Cold Spring Resort, Acadia Village Resort, Samoset Resort, Attitash Mountain Village Resort
I am a person who enjoys cooking when I timeshare. I can make do without an oven....but I really miss it. Target has an electric turkey roaster on clearance for under $15. What can I make in it besides turkey? Can I cook a roast? Could I bake in it? The manual says yes. However.....wondering if any of you have tried such a thing! I don't need it for home, but I do frequent several timeshares that only have microwaves and cook tops (Eastern Slope Inn and Samoset, for instance) so I think I'd use it when timesharing. Would love to hear your thoughts!
 
If it's what I think it is, that would be a rather large item to drag along on a trip. We have one from Sunbeam but only use it the one time of year so we have the regular oven for other things.
But, I suppose that you could use it for the same things a normal oven would be used for. We just never have.
 
I have one and have used it twice in 7 years. It is stored in it's original box out in the garage. I thought it cooked too hot the first time I used it for a ham. This Thanksgiving I used it to roast sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving - it was perfect for that job. My 1980's vintage kitchen has a single oven which is fine except when I have a crowd for the holidays, than I have to get creative, hence the roaster. The roaster is huge. I wouldn't want to lug it around to be honest.
 
You do what you gotta do - - when our power went out one morning I made coffee on my propane bbq grill.

Coffee is really important (to me) to start the day. If I didn't have a bbq grill, I would have made a bonfire. (ha ha).
 
If it really could be used for other foods, maybe like a crockpot, I say yes. You can pack other kitchen items inside to best use the space.
 
I question that a roaster like that will brown and crisp up the skin.
 
I have not used one of those "countertop roasters." But I question its efficacy. Like air fryers, this is a countertop version of a kitchen tool most people already have. And like air fryers, I'm willing to bet that it doesn't do as good a job as the one that is already your kitchen.

Would it be better than nothing? Perhaps. There's also the chance that there would be entirely too much temperature swing and you end up with black skin on a raw bird.

There are countertop convection ovens which are just as good as the big wall oven. They're double-walled and insulated. They're used constantly in commercial kitchens for precise baking applications, such as souffles. (The big oven isn't as precise because of the volume of air it must keep hot.)

Sadly, nobody is going to find one of these on clearance for $15. But at least it's the sort of appliance which can replace a bunch of consumer-grade "almost works like the real thing" appliances -- air fryers, toaster ovens and similar. I'd rather have one thing which works very well, over half a dozen things which don't.

If you want to find one to compare, just search for "countertop double-walled convection." There are probably 50 different models available these days.
 
Check the reviews on Amazon — that will give you a nice cross section of opinions. For $15 not much of a gamble, and start with some inexpensive things like potatoes or Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits (called wampum biscuits in our house because you whomp them on the edge of the counter to open) before you cook expensive meat.
 
Wampum....Faith, that is a hoot!!! I can just see you whomping those biscuit tins on the counter top, and getting a huge pop from the can!! :)

I think I've decided against it. I really don't need to drag something else along...though I would like to have the ability to bake. There is a microwave/convection oven at Samoset, but I'm not a fan of using it as anything but a microwave. Granted, it's likely not as high end as what ScoopKona was referencing. Ah, well. I shall focus my energy on coming up with a week's worth of stove top meals. It's not going to dampen my enthusiasm for the week away!
 
Sounds like you've decided to pass, but thought I'd share my experience. I have a fairly inexpensive one I bought too. Use it when making a large meal for guests and my regular oven is full. Generally I cook side dishes like scalloped potatoes or similar things that have some ability to hold if they are done too soon. One downside is that you loose lots of the heat every time you remove the lid so you don’t want to cook something that requires lots of checking. I can't decide how accurate th3 temp setting is. I wouldn't use it for serious baking but it would probably be ok for something like a pot roast where it can cook covered for a longer time.

My is mother in law always used hers for her turkey and it seemed to work ok.
 
Wampum....Faith, that is a hoot!!! I can just see you whomping those biscuit tins on the counter top, and getting a huge pop from the can!! :)

I think I've decided against it. I really don't need to drag something else along...though I would like to have the ability to bake. There is a microwave/convection oven at Samoset, but I'm not a fan of using it as anything but a microwave. Granted, it's likely not as high end as what ScoopKona was referencing. Ah, well. I shall focus my energy on coming up with a week's worth of stove top meals. It's not going to dampen my enthusiasm for the week away!
One idea -- I have one of those large toaster ovens (Breville) . I realize they are a lot more $$ than the turkey roaster but you could easily transport the toaster oven and it is large enough to fit a 9 x 13 pan. It cooks very nicely and evenly.
 
Agreed - when at South Mountain we tend not to get a room with an oven and I do miss it too. Oven cooking to me is so much easier! Throw a frozen chicken pie or lasagne into the oven and done! Have no input on the turkey roaster, never tried one. But, at Pollard and Smuggs you can get a crock pot and we have used them often to get away from the skillet! Also agree with you on the convection oven/micro combo. Honestly, I have no idea how to use it, so I don't. Tried once (crescent rolls - another Wampum) and smoked out the place when I burnt them.


BJRSanDiego - one morning I awoke to no power, took the Keruig out to the driveway and plugged into the AC outlet in the pickup!
 
BJRSanDiego - one morning I awoke to no power, took the Keruig out to the driveway and plugged into the AC outlet in the pickup!
Ha ha. A person after my own heart. Last year I acquired a battery-powered 3 KW generator. I recently used it to make coffee when the power (once again) went out. It is surprising how much of a power hog an electric coffee maker is.
 
Perhaps @ScoopKona can give us advice on how he would cook a turkey on a BBQ grill with aluminum foil. I know that it would not be a particularly good way to cook a turkey, but I would like his advice of what he would do if he had to.
 
Perhaps @ScoopKona can give us advice on how he would cook a turkey on a BBQ grill with aluminum foil. I know that it would not be a particularly good way to cook a turkey, but I would like his advice of what he would do if he had to.

A smoker isn't a bad way to go. I've done this before. (I've cooked thousands of turkeys -- everything from deep frying to rotisserie.)

The problem with all turkeys, every single one of them, is that the white meat starts to dry out at 145f. And the dark meat needs a few hours at 165f to render collagen into gelatin. Any solution which has one bird and one cooking method is a compromise. Usually a bad compromise.

So, first thing I'd do is google "Know Whey diagonal split turkey." They do a fine job explaining the problem and an oven-roasting solution. Then I'd modify that for the grill.

Step one is injection marinading the night before. (I like paprika garlic butter. But what you inject is entirely up to you). Works the same as brining, just much faster. Give it overnight in the fridge for all the marinade to distribute. Then you're ready to cook. Much of the marinade will leak out and solidify overnight. I smear that all over the skin prior to cooking.

I would most definitely do indirect heat, or even better, offset smoking. No meat directly over coals -- flare ups will ruin your day. Turkey can take a great deal of smoke, too. Cook the dark meat first. When the dark meat reaches 165f, I'd wrap the legs with foil (or better still, covered in a dry roasting pan). Let the dark meat continue cooking and add the breast. By the time the interior of the breast hits 145f (and you have to hold it there for 10 minutes to kill off any nasties), everything is perfectly cooked.

Put the dark meat (carefully) on a platter. Add your stuffing in the cavity created by the legs and then place the breast on top. Voila! Norman Rockwell turkey -- moist breast, non-greasy thighs. Doesn't look like a turkey which has been cooked in two stages. Best of all, you've made stuffing which isn't going to get everyone sick -- because this is the thing that people get wrong most often.

A good meat thermometer (the leave-in kind) is key to getting this right. You don't want to be lifting the lid often -- cook the legs until 165, remove the thermometer, wrap, add the breast, put the thermometer into the deepest part of the breast, and go for your 145f goal.
 
A smoker isn't a bad way to go. I've done this before. (I've cooked thousands of turkeys -- everything from deep frying to rotisserie.)

The problem with all turkeys, every single one of them, is that the white meat starts to dry out at 145f. And the dark meat needs a few hours at 165f to render collagen into gelatin. Any solution which has one bird and one cooking method is a compromise. Usually a bad compromise.

So, first thing I'd do is google "Know Whey diagonal split turkey." They do a fine job explaining the problem and an oven-roasting solution. Then I'd modify that for the grill.

Step one is injection marinading the night before. (I like paprika garlic butter. But what you inject is entirely up to you). Works the same as brining, just much faster. Give it overnight in the fridge for all the marinade to distribute. Then you're ready to cook. Much of the marinade will leak out and solidify overnight. I smear that all over the skin prior to cooking.

I would most definitely do indirect heat, or even better, offset smoking. No meat directly over coals -- flare ups will ruin your day. Turkey can take a great deal of smoke, too. Cook the dark meat first. When the dark meat reaches 165f, I'd wrap the legs with foil (or better still, covered in a dry roasting pan). Let the dark meat continue cooking and add the breast. By the time the interior of the breast hits 145f (and you have to hold it there for 10 minutes to kill off any nasties), everything is perfectly cooked.

Put the dark meat (carefully) on a platter. Add your stuffing in the cavity created by the legs and then place the breast on top. Voila! Norman Rockwell turkey -- moist breast, non-greasy thighs. Doesn't look like a turkey which has been cooked in two stages. Best of all, you've made stuffing which isn't going to get everyone sick -- because this is the thing that people get wrong most often.

A good meat thermometer (the leave-in kind) is key to getting this right. You don't want to be lifting the lid often -- cook the legs until 165, remove the thermometer, wrap, add the breast, put the thermometer into the deepest part of the breast, and go for your 145f goal.
Thanks for the advice. It seems to me that it would be easier to use the gas grills at a timeshare and only bring a roll or some sheets of aluminum foil, rather than drag along an electric roaster.

Thanks again.
 
Thanks for the advice. It seems to me that it would be easier to use the gas grills at a timeshare and only bring a roll or some sheets of aluminum foil, rather than drag along an electric roaster.

Thanks again.

Gas grill, turn one side of the burners on. And cook on the other side. Elevating the bird (roasting pan with a rack) will put the bird in the best position to actually cook.

The real trick is on that "Know Whey" website. Cooking the bird in two parts is an absolute game changer. Other chefs have been doing this for years. But without a decent explanation of why.
 
The key to cooking all meats is temperature. I insert a probe into the deepest part of the breast and cook it until reaches 150 degrees. I then let it rest for a 1/2 hour during which time it will come up to around 165 degrees. The turkey comes out incredibly juicey. Maybe the slightest tinge of pink in the most interior meat. Most people overcook turkey - that why so many hate it.

Bacteria dies immediately at 165 degrees and in about 90 seconds at 150 degrees, so I feel that is covered.
 
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