Components of an Electric Roaster
The main unit or base unit
This is the bottom part of the electric roaster and the one that you connect to the socket. Inside the unit, there is an electric coil or coils that run the entire circumference of the unit similar to a belt. The main unit is a composite that does not come apart any further.
This unit should never be cleaned in any way apart from simply being wiped down with a wet wrung cloth. Contact with water or any foods will damage the unit and the heating coils underneath by distorting how the thermostat responds to rising and falling heat levels on the surface of the unit.
The insert
The insert is the basin-like pan in which the food is placed directly. The insert is a removable cooking dish that sits directly against the main unit and conducts the heat from the main unit to the food inside it.
This pan is what you can remove and clean. Most if not all types of food can be placed directly in the insert or on a rack that goes into the insert. Cooking directly without this insert will shorten considerably the lifespan of your electric roaster by damaging the main unit, specifically the heating coils.
The rack
The rack is a simple metal contraption with slits that can be used with solid dry foods such as meats that you would prefer to have suspended within the insert.
Dry foods may tend to stick to the insert while cooking which would cause the food to overcook or burn on the surface that is in contact with the insert.
The rack solves this problem by keeping the food away from direct contact with the insert allowing the heat within the oven to impact the food more evenly thus cooking it fully all through.
The lid
This is the top cover of the electric roaster.
Pan Liners or Insert Liners
Insert liners as the name suggests are bags made of nylon resin that can withstand prolonged and high temperatures during the cooking process.
Pan liners can be placed in the insert if you wish to use water in your cooking. Instead of putting water directly into the insert, palace a liner in the insert, and the food then sits in a bath.
Pan liners can also be used to collect residue that will pour from the foods as they lose their moisture.
In either case, by using pan liners instead of the bare insert, you will be adding an extra layer of protection to your insert preventing you from scrubbing off foods dried up against the surface of the insert.
Since the bags are reusable, they can be used three or four times but in most cases, the job of cleaning them out is simply not worth the time and effort and instead, every meal utilizes one liner.
Your insert is likely to last much longer if you are using insert liners and the rack.
Is it possible to cook without the insert in a roaster?
In the ROASTER OVEN BODY, place the REMOVABLE ROASTING PAN. CAUTION: Do not use the removable roasting pan to cook food in the roaster.
Can you bake in a roasting pan?
Uses. The primary use of a roasting pan is to roast foods. However, nothing prevents one from being used as an oversized baking dish to prepare a large cake, casserole or side dish. If your pan did not come with a cover, one can be improvised with aluminum foil.
FAQ
Can you use a Nesco without the insert?
Do you put water between the base and pan with a electric roaster?
Can you put a pan in an electric roaster?