I am not Consumer Reports, and there are too many ovens with too many features to evaluate meaningfully in this book. I will say that many appliance makers make terrible decisions that confuse the consumer. I have a friend who has a stove allowing her to choose between “convection bake” or “convection roast,” for instance. I saw another with a selection called “extended bake,” and even the salesman had no idea what it meant. On the other hand, some ovens offer a “proof” setting that keeps the oven at 90°F/30°C to 125°F/52°C, which is a feature I would love for proofing bread and making yogurt.
One important consideration that Donna insisted I address when we bought our range is that it have a self-cleaning function. This is especially important if you’re going to roast, since roasting requires high heat. Hot fat combined with juices from meat or moist fruits and vegetables will cause the fat to splatter, resulting in mists of grease spreading to all surfaces of your oven every time you roast. Furthermore, animal fat smokes at high temperatures, so in order to keep the smoke level low in your kitchen when roasting meat, you need a clean oven. A self-cleaning oven is a must in our house since cleaning by hand is something we don’t want to do weekly. (This convenience does come with a caveat: some cooks have reported electrical issues due to the heavy electrical demands of the self-cleaning function, so the make of your oven and the configuration of your fuse box may be an issue.)
Gas versus electric is another question you need to answer. Some self-cleaning ovens require dual-fuel outputs—that is, gas burners on the stovetop (far, far superior to electric coils) and an electric oven. There’s not a huge difference between gas and electric ovens in terms of roasting—they both get the cooking box hot. But it’s generally acknowledged (usually by bakers) that a gas-fueled oven results in a more humid environment, while an electric oven has a drier but more uniform heat. Dryness has a bigger impact on baked goods, for which humidity is desirable, than on roasted foods, where the difference is not so noticeable. That said, uniformity of temperature is an advantage to the cook roasting the evening’s dinner, so I would (and did) choose an electric oven with gas burners.
Other than those issues, the features of different ovens are a matter of preference and cost.
I’m a big fan of rotisserie roasting. It is the oldest form of roasting we know, probably dating to our earliest days as emergent Homo sapiens and lasting till the advent of ready coal and cast iron in the late eighteenth century—that is, until just moments ago in the grand scheme of things. When I cook meat over an open fire I feel in my heart a connection with all the roasters who came before me—I feel especially human. This may sound melodramatic, but there it is.
Granted, I have the luxury of a big fire pit; it’s harder to feel connected with the cooks of the Middle Ages roasting meats (and themselves) before giant fires when you’ve got a gas Weber and a little battery-operated spit. But still: no matter how the heat is applied, turning meat on a spit is a superlative cooking method. The meat heats evenly and achieves good caramelization all over as fat rendering out of the skin bastes that skin and meat while it turns. I bought an electric rotisserie for fifty dollars because that’s what worked for my situation. Evaluate your needs and search for what’s available (usually the simpler, the better). If you want to use it when camping, for instance, get a battery-powered rotisserie; if you have a specific make of grill you want to use, stick with that company and use their attachments.
The best roasting vessel by far is the cast-iron skillet. You can certainly buy them new, but you can also often find them at yard sales and antique stores. To clean an old cast-iron skillet, put it in the oven when you turn on the self-clean mode; this gets rid of decades of cooked-on fat. After that, just keep it well oiled, known as “seasoning.” The low sides allow circulation around whatever you’re roasting, and you can start or finish the dish on the stovetop. But any skillet will do, provided it doesn’t have a nonstick coating or a plastic handle. If you have pans with handles that will melt in the oven, I recommend you throw them out or regift them to someone you’d prefer to see less of.
For larger items I roast on a baking sheet (put some parchment down first for easy cleanup). Again, the low sides allow for greater circulation. If the item is too large for a skillet and will release a lot of fat, you’d best use a roasting pan, but this is not a necessary vessel to have. Of course I use a roasting pan when forced to cook a humongous turkey; I also roast potatoes in a roasting pan when I’m cooking for a group. But that’s about it. And I don’t use a roasting rack, either. Yes, a rack will keep the meat from sticking to the bottom, but I usually like that (with a roasted chicken, for instance).
As most of the photos in this book show, I roast in circular vessels that I can also put over a flame on the stovetop.