[RememberHowToSmile]

I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with roasters (good or bad). I was visiting a friend last week and she had a plug in one that we tried (she had never used it before. We made a lemon pepper chicken that turned out well. I was thinking about buying one but wanted to know some other people’s preferences. More specifically is it better to buy a plug in one or just an oven roaster pan? If you have a plug in one what is a good brand to buy.

Thanks for the help!

[Tealeaf]

Well, I don't have a roaster myself. I get by with a cast iron dutch oven. Works well either on top of the stove or in the oven, and cost less than 25$ iirc. I guess having a plug in model might be nice if you see yourself using it frequently; avoid having to heat up the whole oven. But if you're only going to use it once in a while, I dunno, it seems like a pretty big item to deal with the rest of the time.

I will admit that I am something of a cast iron freak, so my views might well be influenced by this.

[sirak]

I have a George Foreman Roaster and it has been wonderful. In the summer time I cook in it more often as it does not heat up the entire house. I find it easy to clean. This roaster has a removable pan that you can wash in the sink. You wipe down the rest of the inside if there is any caramelized bits of meat on it when you are done. Clean up is very easy.
I have made roast, chicken, meatloaf and even brownies in it.
I have taken it with us in the camper when we have been on the road as the little oven in the camper is so unpredictable.
My Mom got it as a freebie when she bought her Foreman grill.
I have considered buying a large one as we often host holiday dinners and frequently have get together with a camping group of twenty people or so. You can put an entire turkey in one or even a rather large batch of spaghetti.
It depends on what you want to use it for.
I am a "cast iron" maiden myself and have a small collection of pieces from grandparents and orphans from the flea market. Many people find cast iron hard to deal with as it has to be seasoned and can't be thrown in the dishwasher. Leaving a cast iron pan to sit in the sink is pretty much forbidden at my house as it messes with the finish and might start rusting.
Most Dutch ovens can be used as a roaster. Stainless steel is choice for many people (but really expensive). Aluminum-stainless combo is a cheaper option. Both of the roasters I have were my Grandmothers-one is dark blue granite enamelware and is so large that the lid does not fit in the oven. The other is aluminum and also from my Grandmother's set of cookware.. The new price for it was a shock- Ebay sometimes has them used for over half that price. I use the 15 inch for cooking chicken, roast and even chili.

Just be sure when you do make a choice you have the space for it and that you will use it. I love the little Foreman- but then I am a kitchen type person who loves kitchen "junk".

[RememberHowToSmile]

Thanks for the advice.

What do you cook in your cast iron? Could I cook a chicken in the same way that I would use a roaster pan? I have a large, deep cast iron pan with a lid that my Mom gave me but never knew what to cook in it. I has a small one that I use stove top to cook in but haven’t been able to figure out the big one.