Ronco ST4000WHGEN Showtime Standard Rotisserie and Barbeque Oven Review

Overall 4.25 of 5 (by 4 users)

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kid-kansas
Clearwater, KS

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I Converted my family with this!

the family chef, impressed with this product, a kitchen gadget geek, married, into stuff that's easy to use, a person who enjoys quality

Pros

Even Cooking, Food tastes Great, Easy Cleanup, Less Grease

Cons

Outside will get very hot

JAN

2008

I found my Showtime Rotisserie at Walmart in the clearance isle and decided it was time to buy me one. I had been looking for a while but didn't want to shell out the $100 for one, Walmart had it knocked down to $59 so I grabbed it. I have been using it for about 6 months now and I love it.

My First Experience

No sooner than I had it out of the box I was setting it all up to fix a Boneless Leg of Lamb that I picked up when I bought the Showtime. After reading the very simple instructions I placed the Lamb on the spit, oiled the little cradle where it spins on and set the timer according to the enclosed booklet. I then injected some garlic in the roast and slid the cradle into the slot.

Now my family is rather picky when it comes to meats but I love lamb so they were gonna try it anyway. I could eat the whole thing anyway if I wanted too but I was hoping it turned out to where they liked it. Being curious I kept getting up to check on the Lamb as it spun and cooked. After only about 30 minutes it was getting a nice brown sear on the outside and the house smelled mouth watering.

I used the warming tray I got with the Showtime and put green beans and carrots in there with honey poured on top of the carrots. By the time 45 minutes had passed the aroma was getting to me so bad I was anxious to have it on my plate.

Once the timer went off it was time to see just how good this little invention was gonna make my Lamb Roast taste. The smell was intoxicating and the outside was a nice deep brown crust that looked fabulous. I took it off the spit and let it rest for about 10 minutes while I finished the rest of the meal on the stove.

After carving it and finding it just as I set it for (Medium) I told everyone to come and get it. As I said they were not Lamb lovers like myself, so I never told them it was in fact lamb and not beef! They loved it and when it was all over with the four of us had devoured a 5lb. Leg of Lamb. Just as all the commercials I had ever seen on the Showtime, the meat was perfect and juicy. I did tell them after they finished eating that it was Lamb and they were surprised. They said they had never ate lamb because they heard it tasted nasty, I however have converted them!

Chicken on the Showtime

The first time I tried chicken on the Showtime I placed 2 3lb young hens on the spit and injected them with Garlic Creole Butter Marinade. Set the timer and went to do other things as they cooked. When done the chickens had a nice browned surface and the meat was just perfect and juicy. When I cook a whole chicken in the oven it only gets a brown crust on the top and the bottom is all greasy and yucky. But on the Showtime it turns at just the right speed to give the whole chicken a beautiful brown crust on the skin.

Cleanup

The bottom grease tray is easily dumped and with a little elbow grease and a good washing is clean and ready to use again. The Spit rod system cleans up with a little elbow grease as well and ready to use again. The interior can be wiped down with a soapy rag and cleans up very nice.

I always dump the grease pan immediately after it finishes cooking and place it and the spit rods in hot soapy water. I learned that from my Mom and it makes cleanup much easier.

Maintenance

As the manual says you may get a squeak from where the spit rod sets in the cradle and to solve this you only need to wipe a small amount of cooking oil in the cradle to eliminate it. A soapy rag is all I use to wipe down the interior and exterior of the Showtime. Then I go back over it with a clean rag to rinse it back off.

To help prevent too much from sticking I will lightly coat the grease catching pan with cooking spray before each use.

Bottom Line

I only regret I didn't buy this sooner as it has amazed me at how well it does the job of cooking everything I have thrown at it. From Beef and Chicken, to Lamb, Venison and Pork, I have had great results. The instruction booklet is a great asset and comes in very handy to fix the best tasting meat you could cook. Always done the way you set it for and always juicy and delicious.

The warming tray comes in very handy for veggies and even heating up biscuits and rolls. I have a rotisserie rod on my gas grill and use that a lot but when I don't have the time to keep an eye on it the Showtime is an ample replacement for cooking outside. This is one of the best indoor rotisserie appliances I have ever used and I Love it. I plan on getting the rib and fish rack for it soon and cannot wait to give them a try on my Showtime.

Warning

DO NOT place this directly under a cabinet or close to the edge where a child can reach it. The outside case gets very hot and could cause severe burns if touched. To be safe make sure you have adequate clearance on all sides and the top of the Showtime Rotisserie.

Ronco ST4000WHGEN Showtime Standard Rotisserie and... is recommended by kid-kansas

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Comments about kid-kansas’s Review

kid-kansas wrote on Jan 2, 2008 at 11:58PM

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In response to TheBard's comment from Jan 2, 2008 at 12:17PM:

thanks Vincent, Snow...no problem...lol I once fired up Weber grill on the front porch when I lived in Baltimore, not to cook but to get the snow off the metal roof!!! worked like a charm...lol But since it was hot I threw some chicken on it anyway ;) Ron

TheBard wrote on Jan 2, 2008 at 12:17PM

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I am an avowed griller (Weber please), but I suffer in the winter not being able to get to my grill; right now it is under several inches of snow. So...I might just give this a try! Thanks for making my mouth water; like you I love lamb; my wife can't stand it, which is alright, more for me! Vincent