Though it may be difficult to find a household that doesn’t own one, the countertop rotisserie is virtually synonymous with its foremost pitchman.
Even before he became known for his famous Veg-O-Matic food processor, appliance inventor Ron Popeil was trying out an idea that started as simply enough – fitting a motor and heating element into his aquarium-like devices. The Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ has been a sales sensation for the company, thanks in part to its on-trend design as seen through television commercials. The product’s benefits are also why people love it so much—delicious food preparation at home with ease.
The history of the countertop rotisserie is one that has been around for decades. I can still hear my mother-in-law talking about the time she went to Miami Beach and used a Roto-Broil 400. There are now vertical and horizontal spits available for your countertop rotisserie. You can buy one from George Foreman, or get inspiration from many others on Amazon. The beauty of the countertop rotisserie lies not just in its cooking process, but also because it’s an unforgettable experience. The spit-roasting of meats has been one way to make them juicy and tender for centuries.
The simplicity of the design is what makes it so popular. A countertop rotisserie functions much like an outdoor one. The food is gently heated to an optimum temperature in front or over the electric heating element. The spit rotates six times per minute, turning and cooking your favorite recipes with minimal fuss. With the Showtime, you can cook like a pro. The metal reflector behind the heating element reflects heat towards food while a pan catches any excess fat or sauce that might otherwise drip onto countertops.
When food is cooked using the rotisserie cooking method, it’s exposed to much less heat than if you were frying or baking them. The benefits of rotisserie cooking are many and include the gentle rotation that prevents scorching, even browning on all sides as well as bastes meat with juices during slow turns. There is no need for you to worry about over-cooking your meal since this method takes longer than other types but results in much more tender meats.
Countertop rotisseries are the perfect choice if you want to cook any type of meat, from whole chickens and turkeys down to pork rib roasts. The basket attachment allows you to cook food like fish steaks and lobster tails in a way that they don’t typically get cooked at home. In a rotisserie, tough and fatty cuts of meat like ribs or duck are cooked slowly to make them tender. This process also helps reduce excess fat. Indoor grilling has been a much-needed and popular trend for years, but one of its major shortcomings is that it’s impossible to use an indirect heat source. While countertop rotisseries provide many of the advantages that come with indirect grilling, there’s also a special place in our hearts for spit roasting.
Choosing A Countertop Rotisserie: Buying Guide
- • Be sure to find one with heavy-duty motors and enough firepower. They can brown or sear food beautifully!
- • The perfect rotisserie should be able to cook your food at the right temperature and with ease of use. A good option is one that has an adjustable setting, so you can get just how hot or cold it needs to be.
- • Keep in mind that the heavier your turkey, the better it will cook on a rotisserie. A good one for 15-pound birds is about 6 inches in diameter with metal teeth and thick enough to hold its weight so you won’t have any problems cooking up some tasty bird.
- • Look for one with rustproof prongs, which will help keep food secure while also making it easy enough so you can use this tool every day of the week.
- •When shopping for a rotisserie, look out for ones with horizontal turnspits. The juices and fat from food drain off quickly so you won’t get continual basting like this vertical spit would do. The exception here would be a Turkish doner or Middle Eastern shawarma machine, which has vertical rotisseries for cooking ground lamb and other fatty meats – these usually melt off fat as soon as it hits their surface.
- • It’s important to select one with the right baskets. The spit-roasting system will allow you to cook foods like artichokes and spare ribs in their entirety without having them fall off or get burnt at either end.
- • If you’re looking for the perfect way to feed your guests, look no further than one with a round plastic spit holder. You may be able to use both hands while cooking on a rotisserie.
- • Timers are a great way to ensure that your rotisserie chicken is cooked through and ready at the exact time you want.
- • Another must for any good cook is having the ability to monitor their cooking progress. That’s why I always look out for rotisseries with glass fronts.
- • With so many different models of rotisserie available, it is important to find one with an easy-to-clean drip pan. The dripping fat can cause messy stains on your cooking surface and decrease its lifespan if not caught quickly enough.
- • Ensure that your rotisserie is always in top condition; it’s important to choose one with easy-to-disassemble and clean parts. All the cooking components should also be dishwasher-safe for convenient maintenance!
- • Make sure it’s big enough to roast everything you need but not too large. The perfect size will fit on your counter without being cumbersome or taking up all of the space in sight.
Using The Countertop Rotisserie
- • Most countertop rotisseries don’t need to be preheated before you turn them on. When using one, make sure that the manufacturer’s instructions provide information about whether or not this is necessary for your specific model.
- • Line the drip pan with foil so you can clean up easily after cooking.
- • It’s important to truss your poultry before placing it in the rotisserie. This will give you a more compact and attractive shape, and promote even roasting which prevents loose limbs from brushing against the heating element as well.
- • The easiest way to roast a chicken is by putting it on the spit so that there are two spits running through its body from the neck all of the way down into the tail. When roasting two chickens, put them on a spit so that it is perpendicular to their backbones. Position one with the head end up and another upside-down in order for even cooking through both sides of this meaty part.
- • It is important to create an even distribution of food on the spit so that no part will cook faster than another.
- • When you’re carrying the spit, hold it so that its removable gear wheel is slightly elevated to prevent anything from falling off.
- • When you’re loading your rotisserie chicken, make sure that the lid is tightly secured and doesn’t leave any space between pieces, and the food won’t move in the basket.
- • You can use a roasting technique called “covering” to get an even browning on your flat-surface cuts of meat. When you’re ready for just about anything from beef stew or chicken fried rice, brown them up in the oven using the pause button.
- • The first step of cleaning a countertop rotisserie is removing dishwasher-safe parts. These include the front window, drip pan, grill baskets, etc. To clean up any spatterings, soak them in soapy water and then wash them by hand or with a dishwasher. Make sure to only use a clean, damp cloth or sponge on any part that has a non-stick surface. Never rub with an abrasive scrubber.
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