Are you looking for the a roaster oven? This here is your definitive guide to buying the best roaster oven out there.
Cooking with an oven isn’t easy.
Oh, there are people who make it look easy, and the recipes you’ll find online make it sound like baking something is the simplest thing in existence but as anyone who has ever used an oven can tell you, reading about preheating the oven and checking on your food every now and then is much, much different than actually doing it.
What makes it so complicated?
Let’s start with the fact that all ovens are different, and yours might be colder or hotter than the one used to create a recipe. This means that your delicious and delicate soufflé might go up in flames even when following the recipe to a tee just because your oven was hotter than expected.
Then comes the fact that not all ovens are perfectly isolated on all sides, which means that your food will be cooked unevenly.
If uneven temperatures, different cooking times and different temperatures aren’t enough to prove that cooking with an oven isn’t as easy as other people make it seem, there’s also the size of your oven to consider.
You think that was obvious?
You’d be surprised how few recipes mention the size of the chicken, turkey or other ingredients used, so it’s entirely within the realm of possibilities that you gather all of your ingredients, you start cooking and, surprise, surprise, you find out that your delicious creation won’t fit in the oven once cooked.
What can you do to make baking and roasting easy?
Get a best roaster oven, of course!
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Things To Consider To Find The Best Roaster Oven
While most roaster ovens have roughly the same cooking capabilities, give or take certain special features, they’re still different enough that you’ll find differences in the cable length, oven capacity, materials used to create it and more.
Knowing exactly what these characteristics involve and what works best for you is the most important step towards buying a high quality roaster oven.
Here are the things you should keep in mind:
- Temperature Limits
- Size
- Material
- LID
- Extra Uses
The first step is to decide how high or how low you plan to go when it comes to cooking temperatures.
As a general rule, most ovens will go between 150 and 450 degrees but others might go lower or higher.
Know what temperatures you’ll be cooking often and find a roaster oven that can give you that.
Roaster ovens come in different sizes, in order to satisfy as many needs as possible.
If you live in a small house or an apartment and plan on cooking for one or two people, a small roaster oven should do the trick.
If you have plenty of room at home and you plan on cooking for large families, you should consider something larger.
Roaster ovens can be as small as 4 quarts and as large as 30 so make sure to buy one that fits both your kitchen and your needs.
Different brands of roaster ovens use different materials to build their products. Enamel is a common material, but you’ll find ceramic, glass-ceramic and even glass as well, and that’s only in the removable bits.
The cooking well is often made with steel, but you’ll be able to find other materials as well.
The most recommended mix? Enamel on steel, which allows for great conductivity and heat retention, but don’t be afraid of trying out different combinations!
Some roaster ovens come with flat lids, others come with high domed lids that can help your roaster turn into a vaporizer.
Regardless of what kind of lid you choose, you’ll need to make sure it covers the cooking well nicely, even with food in it, so keep in mind what you’re going to cook and see if the provided lids will make it possible.
We mentioned that, with the right lid, your roaster oven could turn into a vaporizer and that’s because roaster ovens come with all kinds of attachments that gives them more uses, such as buffet inserts, grill inserts and more.
Related article: Top 5 Best Countertop Convection Ovens.
Best Roaster Oven Reviews
Now that you know what to look for when looking for your first roaster oven, you’re ready to go out and buy one!
Is scouting between dozens of roaster ovens at the store not your cup of tea?
No worries, we’ve reviewed the best 5 roaster ovens in the market!
Let’s get started:
via Amazon.com
This 22-quart roaster oven might look simple but we assure you it’s capable of covering your every cooking need.
Equipped with a self-basting lid that allows you to cook with more efficiency, a roasting rack that gives you the chance to bake as well as roast, rotisserie attachments and a removable roasting pan that makes cleaning a piece of cake, this roaster oven is the best for those looking for a mix of quality and value.
This is the most affordable article in this list, which makes it perfect for those who want to try roaster ovens but aren’t willing to break the bank just yet.
This roaster oven is rather large, which can be a good and a bad thing. The good part? You’ll be able to cook chickens or even turkeys in this oven. The bard part? You’ll need a lot of free space to store this oven.
Pros
- Spacious
- Affordable
- Comes with different inserts, which makes it quite versatile
- Easy to clean
Cons
- It gets really hot on the outside
- Takes up a lot of room
via Amazon.com
Smaller than the previous entry, the Rival RO180 is a good idea for those who’re looking for an affordable roaster oven that doesn’t take up a lot of space in the kitchen.
Don’t be mistaken. This is a large roaster oven, just not as large as others in this list.
The temperature of this model can go from 150 to 450 degrees, which makes it a wonderful choice for those looking to use this oven over and over again, in a variety of ways.
This roaster oven comes with a buffet insert, which allows you to keep your food warm for a long time. This is a great add-on, particularly for those who cook for families or for small events.
This roaster oven comes with a plastic lid to facilitate storage and the removable cooking area is both non-stick and dishwasher safe.
This model does get quite hot when cooking, even the plastic bits, so you should be careful when operating it.
Though smaller than the previous entry, it’s still quite large so you should keep this in mind when looking to buy this.
Pros
- Various temperatures
- Non-stick and dishwasher safe
- Sturdily built to facilitate storage
- Affordable
Cons
- Gets quite hot. Can burn if not treated properly
- Takes up a lot of space
- Enamel bits don’t seem to last for long
via Amazon.com
This is a large and sturdy roaster oven that’s armed with a removable rack, that makes it easy to clean and gives you the ability to cook at a full 22-quart capacity.
The enamel roaster is non-stick and very easy to clean. Not only that, but the enamel heats up quickly and evenly, which coupled with the flat lid means food is cooked quickly and evenly.
The downside of a flat lid is that it limits the size of the things you can cook in it, which means the 22-quart capacity isn’t really so.
This roaster oven has handles that let you move the oven around. This is a wonderful characteristic because this roaster oven gets hot, which means you’re going to use them over and over again.
The temperature control is excellent, not only in range (goes up to 450 degrees) but also in speed, so you’ll be saving a whole lot of time when cooking.
This is a very large roaster oven but here’ where the flat lid becomes an asset, as you can store this roaster oven in a cabinet and place things on top of it as well as inside so, technically, this unit doesn’t take up as much space as others, even if it’s quite large.
Pros
- Affordable
- Great temperature controls
- Spacious
- Removable grill
- Easy to ash
- Flat lid makes storage easier
Cons
- Flat lid reduces its capacity.
- Gets quite hot!
- Not particularly versatile, so it might not see a lot of use
via Amazon.com
If you care about function as much as performance, we’re confident you’re going to love this striking roaster oven.
While most other roaster ovens are available in white or even steel, this oven is completely black, which is both a bold choice and a great way of keeping it clean for a long time.
Not only is this roaster the perfect choice for those with modern and minimalist kitchens but it’s also a fantastic oven as far as performance goes.
This roaster oven comes with a high quality self-basting lid that’s built in such a way that it ensures a proper seal, reducing cooking time and keeping your food deliciously moist.
The liner included in this oven is removable in order to facilitate cleaning but it’s not non-stick so you might struggle with cleaning it so you’ll have to either oil up the liner or use paper liners.
This roaster oven gets hot, and we mean really hot, both inside and out. It’s so hot, in fact, that the thermostat doesn’t seem to reflect the temperatures accordingly because, chances are, the first time you use this you’ll end up with overcooked food.
Yes, this might reduce the cooking time in a lot of products but keep in mind that it also carries the risk of drying or even burning your food so, by all means, try with smaller, less important meals before using this roaster oven to cook something crucial for the Holidays.
Pros
- Looks fantastic
- Cooks fast
- Large capacity
- Wide variety of temperatures
Cons
- Gets too hot, both inside and out
- There’s a learning curved involve, since this oven gets hotter than others
- No-nonstick, nor dishwasher safe
via Amazon.com
Nesco’s motto is “every day” and this roaster oven delivers.
This is the smallest article in our list and thus, one you should consider if cooking for large gatherings isn’t your thing.
Its small size not only makes it easy to store and transport but it allows you to cook at a small scale, which means you’ll be using this roaster oven over and over again, to the point that you might not even need to store it at all.
Lightweight and non-stick, this oven is easy to clean both inside and out, which is a pro, particularly if you decide to keep it on the counter 24/7.
This roaster oven doubles as a baker oven as well and, as such, has a fantastic temperature control. Not only that but it also comes with a curved dome, which acts like a self-basting lid, and it also comes with removable roasting and baking racks, making it a very versatile machine.
Indeed, you’ll find yourself using this fantastic little roasting oven every day and the low price is truly the cherry on top.
Pros
- Affordable
- Very versatile
- Easy to store
- Perfect for small families or single individuals.
- Automatic temperature control
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Too small for large meals
- The cord isn’t removable and it’s quite short
- Crock lining
What's The Best Roaster Oven?
From the above reviews, we choose Oster CKSTRS23-SB 22-Quart Roaster Oven as the best roaster oven in the market today because:
- The price is affordable.
- It's easy to use, clean and cooks a lot faster than other ovens.
Now that you know not only what to look for in a roaster oven but also what are the top 5 best roaster ovens in the market today you’re ready to go out and purchase one!
Thank you very much for reading. Don’t forget to leave a comment letting us know what roaster oven you got and your experiences with it.