Well, I have an 18 quart and I have the 6 quart. It's the most regularly used appliance in my house next to those used for roasting and brewing coffee.

I use the 18 quart for stock because I have cattle and chickens and make a lot of stock from the bones and can it. I put the bones of either in the big roaster, add my vegetables (onion, celery, carrot) and seasonings (bay leaf, salt, pepper), and roast the whole thing at 400 or 450 for a couple of hours, then add water to cover the bones and let it simmer all day, sometimes all night. The longer you cook, of course, the more flavorful the stock is.

I also use the 18 quart to make things like scalloped potatoes, baked beans, sloppy joes for family parties and I use it to roast turkey or ham when my oven is busy at said parties. That happens a lot.

I use the 6 quart in place of the crock pot a lot of the time. There is a learning curve, I've found that the "slow cook" setting on the Nesco is still too hot for my liking, so I turn it down further. That's the beauty of it, it can be adjusted for temperature instead of the mostly high/low crockpot type settings.

I don't sear a roast in mine, the heat is on the sides and so it's not great for that, but I just plop it in with no liquid and roast it, then add whatever else I want and turn the heat down for a slow roast.

The advantages of different sizes depends on the volume of cooking/product. I use the big one and I use the 6 quart but I don't really need anything smaller or larger, those do what I want them to. I can also put either on the back porch in the summer time to avoid any heat in my kitchen, as I do not have air conditioning, and I can bake in them in lieu of turning on an oven. I've baked brownies and banana bread, and used the small one as a bain marie for cheesecakes although you have to cover the tops to avoid condensation dripping onto the tops from the lid.

I do know that others have the fan in theirs and love it, but I've never used one with that option, so I can't help you there.

I love my roasters, the 6 quart gets a regular workout and the 18 quart is a lifesaver for big gatherings, I highly recommend them.

Annie

Thank you Annie. We're getting a half beef in a few weeks. I'm asking for all the bones for stock, and didn't relish using my 10 quart stockpot over and over. I also plan to render the fat. Have you tried rendering fat in yours?

Right now I'm leaning towards the 18 quart oven, at least for this year.

Are the outsides hot enough to burn? That would make a difference on where I could place it.

I've put my 6 qt. on top of the dryer in my laundry room to free up counterspace in the kitchen. Also, my laundry room is not cooled but with the windows open (and the door to the kitchen shut) this makes as good a place to cook with the roaster as a back porch - which I don't have.

I think it's time to do a BBQ pulled pork roast or a cola roasted ham!
Teresa

My big roaster is great for big events. I'd like to get a small one. I don't like crockpots for much. Different sizes would be advantageous for different things I would guess. My problem is dragging out the big roaster for making just a meatloaf or pie, I might as well use the oven. But keeping things warm at a BBQ, there's nothing better.

When I'm at a campground, I do sear with with but it's not easy so I wouldn't suggest it. I usually have a good sized pan with me so I sear in the pan, then pop it into the roaster. Mine doesn't have the extra racks like some of them have either so I'm further limited, but mine is an old old unit. Still works great though. The extra rack would be a nice feature I think. I doubt I'd have use for the buffet accessory that some have. For me, a smaller one would be more useful more often but the big one still has it's place.

The biggest advantage I can see is the full temperature control instead of Hi Lo Off only. I can't imagine buying a stove with just those settings. I have a crockpot but it's so difficult to clean and not enough temperature control, I never use it.

Liz, I have not tried rendering fat in it.....yet. However we have pigs at the farm and barring unforeseen circumstances, I'm going to ask for about 10 pounds of the fat, so I can render lard.

That just might happen in the Nesco, I think it would be good for that.

As for placement, mine gets set on my ceramic tile countertop, on the wooden picnic table, on Amanda's formica counters, and there have been no issues. I do try not to set it directly under my overhead cabinets as the steam could compromise the finish on the cabinets, there is only about a 2 inch clearance between the top of the roaster and the bottom of the cabinet there.

Annie

Thanks, all!

Annie, you probably already know this, but I'll mention it just in case. The leaf lard is top notch, and worth separating out from the other lard before rendering.

A roster oven's thermostat works mostly with the cover closed. If you have to open the cover frequently, the thermostat may not function correctly.

You may need to open the cover more regularly if your are rendering fat.

dcarch

dcarch, Do you think the cooker would overheat with the lid lifted more often? That would be more of a concern here than loosing heat.

I don't think so. If I was the engineer who designed the cooker, I would make sure that the cooker would not overheat with the cover open and burn someone's house down.

But I am sure the temperature control will not be as indicated on the dial if the cooker is open all the time, just like you oven, you don't want to open and close the door all the time.

dcarch