Have you ever wondered how your favorite restaurant gets to give you the perfect, melt-in-your-mouth kind of meat that you can never copy at home no matter how hard you try? You fry, boil, steam, grill, but your meats always turn out either too hard or too soft.
The answer to this problem?
Rotisserie oven!
Yes, rotisserie ovens are now available for home use so everyone can get to enjoy their spit-style chicken, pork, beef, turkey and lamb meals.
In this article, I am giving you a quick guide on finding the best rotisserie oven for your needs. I know it can be hard to choose with a range of choices, so, come and join me as I try to make it easier for you!
Reviews of Top 4 Rotisserie Ovens in the Market
| Product Name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Beach 31104 (Editor's Choice) | Average price range | Check Price |
| Elite Cuisine ERO-2008SC | Lowest price range | Check Price |
| Ronco ST5500SSGEN | Highest price range | Check Price |
| Black & Decker TO4314SSD | Average price range | Check Price |
1. Hamilton Beach 31104 Countertop Oven with Convection and Rotisserie — Best for up to a Family of Three
- This oven is best for individuals to a family of three. This small oven can pack power that can evenly cook up to a 5 lb. chicken/pork/beef/lamb/turkey meat.
- Aside from its rotisserie feature, this oven can also hold two casserole, cake or pizza pans at a time.
- This oven can cook evenly because of its convection setting. This means, the heat does not only come from the bottom, but on all sides of the oven.
- It can provide value for money being on the average price range, and with so many features to boot.
- Remember, this works best only for up to a family of three. If you cook too often, and want to use thicker pans and heavier meats, the oven won’t work for these types of jobs.
- Since it is small in size, this oven can overheat quickly. This is why there are size and weight limitations for food that you want to put in.
- This oven should only be used for small batches. Never have too many batches of spit-cooking and baking all in one day. The oven may not be able to handle it, as it is built only for short bursts of heating.
Price (compared to other products on the list): Average price range
2. Elite Cuisine ERO-2008SC Maxi-Matic 6-Slice Toaster Oven with Rotisserie and Grill/Griddle Top and Convection — Best for the Outdoors
- This is one of the few ovens on the low-price range that can do a lot of things: for rotisserie, broil, bake, toast, keep warm, oven-top grill, griddle and steamer.
- At 20 pounds, it’s a compact piece of oven that can handle up to one casserole, pizza, or cake pan at a time.
- Among its features, it is actually best for grilling. It is best for the outdoors not only because of its strength in its grilling feature; but also because of its compact weight that makes it very easy to transport.
- It is easy to clean, which makes it perfect for single households, and those with very busy schedules. It can be as easy as plugging out the cooking pan, then wiping off the insides of the oven.
- This oven, while it has eight different features, is best for grilling. It isn’t the most recommended for all the other features, even for rotisserie cooking. This should have been called a “griller” than a “rotisserie oven.”
- It can only do 60-minute increments so you have to keep an eye on your cooking. Once 60 minutes hit, you have to manually reset the timer.
- It can be difficult to use as a rotisserie because it cannot cook the meat evenly; unless, you never miss the 60-minute mark as you do spit-cooking.
- It can be flimsy when placed on a kitchen countertop; so make sure to place cloth supports on the base of the oven.
Price (compared to other products on the list): Lowest price range
3. Ronco ST5500SSGEN Series Stainless Steel Rotisserie Oven — Best for Small Home Gatherings
- This is a restaurant-quality rotisserie oven built for the home. It can handle two full meats at a time, a feature that can be difficult to find in rotisserie ovens for the home.
- At 19 pounds, it packs a lot of power in its small size. It can handle up to 15 lbs. of meat each piece, so up to 30 lbs. of meat in one spit-cooking.
- It can cook efficiently due to its Ronco-trademarked specialized heating set-up which does not only emit heat from all sides of the oven interiors; but also, it gets to circulate the heat effectively within the meats as well. Its cooking precision is the best part of this oven; thus, you are able to have rotisserie restaurant-quality once through with spit-cooking.
- This oven comes with a glass door that opens microwave-style. This has proven to be quite impractical especially when it can be flimsy in time, especially when you cook a lot.
- Ronco’s customer service is not the best compared with the other companies stated in this article, which makes it difficult for you when you want to make complaints and/or replacements. Be prepared to fork out for some services and parts should parts malfunction.
- This oven is difficult to clean. Since everything is non-stick, cleaning cannot be as easy as wiping off greases with paper towels. You have to purchase a cleaning set specially made for rotisserie ovens.
Price (compared to other products on the list): Highest price range
4. Black & Decker TO4314SSD Rotisserie Convection Countertop Toaster Oven — Best for Experienced Cooks
- This oven is compact but powerful in its own way: it can bake, broil, toast, keep warm, and do rotisserie cooking.
- There are also many options to choose from, including temperature and time sets; and cooking options based on which type of food you’re cooking, and which side of the pan you want to turn on the heat.
- For a small rotisserie oven, it is surprising to find many interesting features; thus, this is best fit for more experienced cooks who know exactly what they want.
- Its rotisserie, bake and broil rack and pans are easily detachable; thus, the oven is very easy to set up and clean.
- The tray at the very bottom of the oven interiors is also detachable, which makes it way easier to clean crumbs and food debris falling off the racks and pans.
- This oven can be daunting for beginners who might get overwhelmed with the number of options available. Many beginners opt automatic options; however, with this oven, you have to manually set up all cooking and baking options before you begin using the oven. And this, you have to do for every single batch that you make.
- With all the features this oven has, you can only place up to 5 lbs. of meat for rotisserie cooking. It would have been better if this oven, built for more experienced cooks, has more to offer with regards to space.
- The product does not come with a proper easy-to-understand manual for users to follow through with all the options available. When you’re left with an oven that can be difficult to use, and with no way for you to be well-informed, it can be frustrating.
Price (compared to other products on the list): Average price range
What is a Rotisserie Oven? – Buyer’s Guide
Defined by Merriam-Webster, a rotisserie, or rotisserie oven, is “an appliance fitted with a spit on which food is rotated before or over a source of heat.” The word originates from France, from the word rostir meaning “to roast.”
The rotisserie oven has been used since the invention of fire, where groups circled over a fire as the meat catch is roasted on a wooden pit. In time, this spit-cooking invention was brought to homes.
From manual roasting pits where people had to turn the rod over and over for hours; the rotisserie oven as you know now is controlled by electricity, with the temperature and time options just under the tips of your fingers.
Here is a video on how spit-fire (rotisserie) cooking is used in the woods, for survival:
Manual spit-fire: How rotisserie cooking was back in the medieval times
Manual spit-fire: How rotisserie cooking was back in the medieval times
And here is a video on how rotisserie cooking is today:
How is Rotisserie Oven Used?
A rotisserie oven is not as simple as putting in your pork, beef, chicken, turkey or lamb meat in a spit.
First off, you have to prepare your meat for cooking specifically on a rotisserie oven. There are many ways to prepare your meats before putting into a spit, and you can check out the step-by-step preparation guide, courtesy of McCormick.
Once you have your meat, and for this example we’re using a chicken, you have to do the following to prepare for the meat to be cooked in your rotisserie oven:
Once your chicken meat is set on a spit, you can start preparing for the rotisserie oven set-up.
You then have to hook the spit on the supports that are attached to the cooking basket.
Put the cooking basket inside the oven, and mount properly.
Set the timer and temperature on the oven. Check on the oven’s manual for suggestions on time and temperature settings for every kind of meat you use.
Wait for your chicken to cook and this takes at least 30 minutes. Watch the magic of your meat being turned around in the oven.
You can either use a toothpick to pick through the meat, to make sure it’s already cooked. Otherwise, if you want to be more specific, you can use a kitchen thermometer. Usually you can be safe with the meat at 170°F – 175°F.
Your meat is now ready for serving!
You can also see in action how a meat is cooked in a rotisserie oven in this video:
Parts of a Rotisserie Oven
A rotisserie oven is made of the following: a pan drive, removable reflector shield, tine, door, non-stick drip pan, spit, handle, cooking basket, and timer. All these parts are considered when choosing the best rotisserie oven as you will see below.
What to Look for in a Rotisserie Oven?
So now that you’ve got an introduction of what a rotisserie oven is and how it is used, let us get down to business and have a look on some of the ranges available in the market today. I’ll also share how each performs with its pros, cons, and what it’s best used for.
FAQ
So, Which is the Best Rotisserie Oven?
To choose the best rotisserie oven highly depends on your needs and wants, as each oven has its own advantages and limitations. The key is to make sure you know what result you want to get from owning a rotisserie oven:
- Is this to try rotisserie cooking for the first time?
- To use the oven for the outdoors?
- To cook for your family? Or
- To try advance recipes?
Then you can decide from there.
To answer this question, I will take it from my verdicts above:
- Best for up to a Family of Three: Hamilton Beach 31104 Countertop Oven with Convection and Rotisserie
- Best for the Outdoors: Elite Cuisine ERO-2008SC Maxi-Matic 6-Slice Toaster Oven with Rotisserie and Grill/Griddle Top and Convection
- Best for Small Home Gatherings: Ronco ST5500SSGEN Series Stainless Steel Rotisserie Oven
- Best for Experienced Cooks: Black & Decker TO4314SSD Rotisserie Convection Countertop Toaster Oven
Do you have a rotisserie oven, or had one before? What are your experiences with this type of oven? What would you recommend for potential buyers to consider before making a purchase? Or, are you considering to buy a rotisserie oven? If so, do you have questions? Please feel free to share your thoughts below as I would love to be of assistance to you!
Contents
- 1 Reviews of Top 4 Rotisserie Ovens in the Market
- 2 1. Hamilton Beach 31104 Countertop Oven with Convection and Rotisserie — Best for up to a Family of Three
- 3 2. Elite Cuisine ERO-2008SC Maxi-Matic 6-Slice Toaster Oven with Rotisserie and Grill/Griddle Top and Convection — Best for the Outdoors
- 4 3. Ronco ST5500SSGEN Series Stainless Steel Rotisserie Oven — Best for Small Home Gatherings
- 5 4. Black & Decker TO4314SSD Rotisserie Convection Countertop Toaster Oven — Best for Experienced Cooks
- 6 What is a Rotisserie Oven? – Buyer’s Guide
- 7 How is Rotisserie Oven Used?
- 8 Parts of a Rotisserie Oven
- 9 What to Look for in a Rotisserie Oven?
- 10 So, Which is the Best Rotisserie Oven?
