Nesco4816-12, Roaster Oven with Porcelain Cookwell, Red, 6 quart, 750 watts

This thing will cook . since we only need for two it's great so easy to use but keep an eye on it

Ok. So a lot of you didn't like it. I DO NOT use mine as an actual roaster. I turn the rack upside down and I bought a specific size and shape of corning ware dish to sit on top of the rack. Don't get one too tall or the lid won't close good.I use it like an actual oven. My old one lasted me over 23 years. It still works awesome, but the rack has started rusting, finally. The pictures show old one, then new one, inside of old one, inside of new one and how I really use it. I bake chicken and rice, pork chops, salisbury steak, etc. It really keeps my small kitchen cooler than using my propane stove/oven. Never had a problem with it. It was given to us as a wedding gift over 23 years ago and use it at least once a week ever since we got it. I can not live without it. If you use it as I do, it will last you a very long time, guaranteed.

I've used and gifted this Nesco and the large one for 20+ yrs. The temperature control, easy cleaning and replaceable ceramic lined cooking well make the Nesco cookers a must have in every kitchen.I love that the cookwell is not heavy like the crockpot slow cookers. Easy on your back!It's versatile. Perfect for entertaining and doesn't take up alot of room on your buffet. (They look nice too!) Many times I've prepared food in my Nesco and transported it all to parties and luncheons and served warm. These are great year round. I use the Nesco year round. They're great in summer when you don't want to use your oven and heat up your house. Keeps our A/C bill down!It cooks as well as my gas range oven. I prepare roasts,, casseroles, side dishes (Mac n Cheese, Potatoes dishes etc); all are cooked thoroughly.I bought a new one only because my kitchen decor changed. I've bought them for college students. They love them. I gifted my daughter both the large and the 6 qt in 2000. She's still using them. The price is great because they last for decades.

I like this Nesco 4816-14 Roaster (6 quart). I like to slow cook foods over many hours but I also like to make them flavorful which also makes them quite aromatic. A slow cooker in our house overwhelms me with strong aromas for hours and hours. It smells good for about the first 20 minutes but then I crave relief! I wanted to move the process to our separate unheated garage but a standard slow cooker didn't have enough power to maintain a 250º temperature when it was cold outside. So, I took a chance on this roaster. Sure enough, the instructions indicated that it is capable of doing just what I wanted to do by specifically mentioning in the instruction booklet that it is suitable for use in a garage. I've only used it twice so far but it worked great. One day had temps in the 20's but the Nesco roaster maintained a 250º temp in our closed garage. Now, I can go crazy with onions and spices and let it cook away for hours with total disregard for any persistent strong aromas. To me, the food tastes better when I haven't been forced to smell it all day or night.Nesco claims it has that "circle of heat." I presume they are the only ones? I don't know. But, it certainly seems like a great idea that will keep me loyal to the Nesco brand. It means that the heating elements aren't on the bottom so as to cause burning of the food. Nesco says their heating elements encircle the cooking area from the side so there's less chance of burning.The cookwell is black porcelain. It cleans easily if you soak it and this one perfectly sits diagonally submerged in our standard sized kitchen sink. Nesco warns that, as porcelain cookware is known to do, it will discolor a bit where liquids and such touch the material. Even on the first use, the cookwell developed a cloudy "ring" at the liquid level and there were immediately some cloudy spots where drips of liquid had contacted the cookwell. They say it's only cosmetic. I guess that is so. It still cleaned up easily after soaking. I have to admit, I've got some black porcelain roaster pans for my gas oven that have also discolored in the same way. They've been fine for years so I'm not worried about the Nesco cookwell.I would purchase an upgraded model, however, if it was offered in stainless steel with a stainless steel cookwell. I like stainless. If I'm in a hurry, I don't have to wait for a soak. Stainless steel lets me immediately go to work with scrapers and a stainless steel scrubbing pad and get the job done quickly. You can't use anything but plastic scrubbers on porcelain, so, porcelain requires that soak time.There is a stainless steel roaster with a stainless steel cookwell in the Nesco product line but it is 18 quarts. That's too much for many of the small meals and roasts that I prepare. A bigger roaster requires a lot more broth and other ingredients to accomodate the larger size of the roaster no matter what quantity of food you may wish to cook. I do more "moist" cooking with liquids over a long period of time than purely "roasting" with dry heat.This Nesco 4816-14 Roaster (6 quart) uses about 600 watts. That means my electric garage door opener won't blow a fuse while the roaster is operating. Nice.(I keep repeating the model number because Amazon and blogs that plagiarize these reviews will sometimes jumble reviews for one product into another product's reviews. I'm trying to help keep this review identifiable.)