This article is dedicated to all carnivores out there, and before you ask what’s up with this statement, yes indeed, today you’ll learn about the best rotisserie oven money can buy. By definition, rotisserie ovens are dedicated to meat-eaters, so if you don’t eat meat and still reading this, be careful as this article contains some heavy language.
All jokes aside, cooking meat at home and savoring the “fresh kill” with a bottle of beer or a glass of wine is one of our given rights, and that’s why rotisserie ovens were invented. Unlike a regular oven, if you cook your meat using a rotisserie oven, you’ll end up with the best texture, the right amount of juice, a full flavor and, after all’s said and done, an amazing experience.
Whether you’re looking for the perfect steak or chicken, the advantages of using a rotisserie oven are endless, but today’s article will break down the basics, so keep on reading. By the way, don’t forget to read our complete guide about the best indoor grills while you’re at it.
Before we go into the “meat” (pun intended) of the article, here are the advantages of using a rotisserie oven instead of “normie-tier” gear like electric grills: first, a rotisserie oven heats up almost instantly, hence it saves time, and time is money, right?
Then, there’s the health issue, i.e. cooking by rotisserie aka convection doesn’t require adding unhealthy fats to your food. But, most importantly, rotisserie ovens produce better tasting food and assure the perfect flavor, especially if you’re a meat-eater, but the same goes for rice and veggies. Finally, some rotisserie ovens come with different accessories that make them incredibly versatile, yet sometimes you’ll have to buy them separately.
The more accessories you get, the better, which means you’ll be able to cook more types of meats/veggies/what have you. Think along the lines of roasting racks, oven gloves, carving platforms, removable drip pans, skewers, baskets or even cookbooks that include recipes.
PS: also check out our article about the best portable grills, you never know when you’ll need one.
How to Choose the Best Rotisserie Oven
Compared to conventional ovens that use a grill set up, rotisserie ovens rely on convection heat to cook meat. Generally speaking, rotisserie ovens are used to cook chicken, but truth be told, you can “nuke” a variety of foods with these bad boys, including veggies and other meats like turkey, lamb and so on and so forth.
There are 3 main types of rotisserie ovens for home use, plus commercial versions, but that’s another story. So, there’s the horizontal rotisserie, the vertical rotisserie and the rotisserie toaster oven. The horizontal model is the most common/popular variety and comes in different shapes, sized and prices.
Horizontal rotisseries are excellent for cooking meat perfectly, as you can roast it while retaining all the flavor/juices inside. The vertical rotisseries differ by design and the direction of the spit, but other than that, they work similarly to the horizontal version. As the spit is fitted vertically, there are some benefits, the most important one being that you won’t have to balance the meat so to speak, as it’s the case with horizontal rotisseries. A vertical spit also helps with saving space in the kitchen, so keep that in mind for further reference, especially if you don’t have a ton of space available.
Finally, we have the rotisserie toaster oven, which can be used both as a rotisserie to roast your particular choice of meat, as well as a toaster oven, i.e. a countertop appliance. This gives it versatility, as in you’ll be able to bake cookies, make pizza, make toast or whatever you like. There’s a downside to rotisserie toaster ovens: many gourmet chefs claim that this variety doesn’t cook as good as vertical or horizontal rotisseries, as it’s not specifically designed to roast meat on a spit.
Here are the main factors to consider when shopping for the best rotisserie oven:
First, there’s the cost issue; however, most rotisserie ovens retail between the $100-$200, so this should present no significant problem for most people. Higher-end/bigger models may cost more than $200, but generally speaking, the cost differences are not really huge. The main thing to look after is the features you really need, not the cost of the oven itself.
Durability comes into play, as paying $200 give or take on a product with a short life span is not cool and may be a liability to many people. It would be advisable to go for a reputable brand and also look for a model with good reviews, plus the longest warranty available.
Size, ease of use, temperature settings and the number of spits is also important, especially the latter, as more spits allow you to cook more than one dish at a time. With all these in mind, let’s see about the best rotisserie oven right after a short commercial break.
Best Rotisserie Ovens
Cuisinart TOB-200N
The Best Rotisserie Toaster Oven Overall
We’ll start today’s line-up with a rotisserie convection toaster oven in stainless steel, which comes with 0.8 cubic inch capacity. If you think that’s not much, well, it’s enough for 6 slices of bread or a 12’’ pizza. On top of that, you’ll get 12 cooking functions, including convection and rotisserie, our specialty, a heat sensor that maintains the temperature in the oven to keep things right, and digital controls.
Speaking of rotisserie, you can roast up a five-pound duck or a four-pound chicken with ease; however, if you want to know the exact dimensions of the interior, here they come: 12 3/4 wide, 11 3/4 depth, 8 3/4 height. The cooking functions include broil, bake, roast, bagel, toast, keep warm, leftovers and pizza, and truth be told, considering the asking price, the Cuisinart TOB-200N hits the sweet spot when it comes to efficient choices for beginners in the rotisserie-convection realm.
The point being, you’ll get two for the price of one: a conventional oven and a rotisserie, which means tons of versatility, and also relatively high cooking capacity compared to other offers on the market. The convection fan works great with roasting and baking, and the user-friendly features will make your life easier in the kitchen.
Speaking of user friendly, you’ll get temperature, time, and selected toast shade, plus cool settings like “Preheat” and “Ready.”
- Includes convection fan and rotisserie, nonstick interior, BPA free materials, concise user manual with recipes
- Comes with baking/drip pan, cooking rack, 2 skewers and rotisserie spit included
- Easy to use/maintain, has automated features, diverse functions
- Lacks interior light, but that’s hardly a deal breaker
Oster Roaster Oven with Self-Basting Lid
Second-place Electric Roaster Oven
Next in line we have the Oaster Roaster, the best name ever to be found on an oven. Just like the previous rotisserie oven, this one comes with an excellent price performance ratio, and even if it plays on the “small side of things”, being basically a mini oven, it has enough power (1400 watts) to reach 120-150 Celsius inside.
Also, considering the fact that the Oaster Roaster costs less than seventy bucks, and yet can accommodate a 26 pounds turkey, it’s an absolute deal for the money asked. What’s very special about the Oaster Roaster is the self-basting lid thing, which works by continually recirculating moisture.
This mini oven is also hugely versatile, as it’s perfectly capable of not only roasting, but slow cooking and baking; everything is incredibly simple to use and foolproof, and if you’re looking for an affordable mini oven to make your holiday special, not to mention helping you save time and energy, the Oster Roaster comes highly recommended.
Here’s one special mention for our readers: despite its small dimensions and incredibly affordable price, once you cook a turkey using the Oster Roaster, you’ll never go back to oven cooking again, and you can take that to the bank! The self-basting feature is scary good, as it delivers moist and cooked to perfection turkeys in two-three hours tops.
- Compact, affordable, and it can definitely cook a turkey to perfection
- Frees up oven space, keeps everything moist and nice, lightweight and portable
- Stainless steel design, very easy to use and to clean, quite versatile
- Beware: the cover handle gets crazy hot!
Black+Decker WCR-076 Rotisserie Toaster Oven
The Best Chicken Rotisserie Oven
Our next contender is the Black+Decker WCR-076 rotisserie toaster oven, another affordable kitchen appliance with convection heating, rotisserie and 5 different functions, including broil, bake, keep warm and toast.
So far, so good, but what’s so special about the Black+Decker WCR-076, right? Well, to begin with, this rotisserie toaster oven is compact yet powerful, delivering 1500 watts of sheer power, plus it has enough space to cook a 12 inches pizza.
Convection is a nice thing to have, and that means you can cook heavy meals relatively quickly; moreover, you’ll definitely love the LCD panel display, with pre-set programs for popular dishes, i.e. the oven will do all the job for you. All you have to do is to put your desired meal inside the oven, and it will automatically set the temperature and time.
Another special thing about the Black+Decker WCR-076 is the dedicated toast timer with Stay-On feature, and we must also mention that it comes with a bake pan, a removable rack and 2 toasting trays included in the retail package.
- Simple to use, easy to clean, lots of pre-programmable settings for beginners
- Time efficient dedicated toaster, very versatile, suitable for boiling, baking, warming, toasting AND rotisserie
- Convection cooking for evenly cooked meals, high cooking capacity, 1500 watts of power
- You can’t fit a 9×13″ pan inside
COSORI CO130-AO Convection Roaster with Rotisserie & Dehydrator
The Best Air Fryer Oven With Rotisserie
Time for a more expensive piece of gear; enter COSORI CO130-AO, a hugely versatile 12 in 1 air fryer toaster oven combo convection roaster with rotisserie and dehydrator. Are you impressed yet? To make it really simple, this ~$200 kitchen appliance is the last thing you’ll ever buy, or so we’re told.
All jokes aside, this Cosori fella also comes with a respectable 30-liter capacity and an original recipe book with 100 entries, which further pushes the notion of “the last thing you’ll ever buy” for your kitchen. The point is this: for not-so-much-money after all, you’ll get a huge range of functions, including 12 different preset modes, ease of use and a ton of accessories.
More precisely, the Cosori acts like an oven, toaster, air fryer, rotisserie, dehydrator and more, and the available presets include bagel, toast, air fry, roast, bake, broil, cookies, pizza, ferment, dehydrate, rotisserie and keep warm. The retail package includes an original cookbook, a food tray, a crumb tray, a wire rack, a fry basket and rotisserie attachments such as a shaft/fork and a turning handle.
Design wise, this is a rather large rotisserie oven, standing at 11.5’’ tall, 13’’ deep and 20’’ wide, and weighing more than 20 pounds. However, build quality is solid, and maintenance is really just keeping it clean with a damp cloth or sponge. In terms of value for money, the Cosori toaster oven plays with the best out there, as it has a wide range of functions and presets, heats quickly and it’s ideal for making quick launched/diners for a small family.
- Fast cooking, quiet, great air fry function, feature rich, versatile
- Lighted and rather large interior, sturdy and solidly built, amazing value for money
- The rotisserie and dehydrator functions are game changers for any household, can make yogurt via ferment function
- Kind of large and heavy compared to others
Cuisinart CVR-1000 Vertical Countertop Rotisserie
The Best Countertop Convection Oven With Rotisserie
Our next pick is a classic vertical countertop rotisserie from Cuisinart, a premium kitchen appliance with touchpad controls and a beautiful brushed stainless-steel finish. The CVR-1000 has an 8-pound food capacity, 5 preset temp settings, LCD readout and a removable chrome insert for even heating.
Moreover, there’s interior lighting, dishwasher safe parts for easy cleaning, and the retail package contains a myriad of accessories, stuff like an 8-piece skewer set, roasting rack, poultry tower, multi-purpose basket, and drip tray. Needless to say, due to its premium build quality and exclusive design, the Cuisinart (pun intended) would make for a lovely addition to your kitchen.
We forgot to mention that the interior of the oven is non-sticky, which makes it a breeze to clean, and considering the slick design, this oven offers huge capacity at 8 pounds. The pre-programmed temp setting is a joy to use for novice cooks, and you’ll also get a recipe book with the oven. All in all, if you’re within your preset budget, you can’t go wrong with the CVR-1000, provided you’re looking for a “pure” rotisserie oven.
- Premium design, solid build quality, looks great, cooks juicy, brown and delicious chicken
- 8 pound capacity, easy to use, interior light, easy cleaning, durable and versatile
- Offers pre-programmed temp settings, special chrome insert, amazing blend of performance and aesthetics
- A tad expensive for our taste
Nutrichef PKRT97 Multi-Function Rotisserie Oven
The Best Turkey Roaster Oven
Here comes another multi-function rotisserie oven, this time from Nutrichef, at a very affordable price. For something like $100, give or take, you’ll get a lot of “oven” for the money: this baby comes with a ton of accessories and it is going to fit a wide variety of “kitchen needs” so to speak.
Basically, this is a glorified vertical rotisserie oven, but it comes with a lot of accessories included in the retail box, so you will be capable to use it in any imaginable scenario. For example, you’ll get a kebab skewer, a baking pan and grill racks. Each of these accessories can be used to prepare different food types, which makes the Nutrichef highly versatile, as it plays the role of a classic rotisserie, a regular oven or grill, if one so inclined.
Power is also more than enough, at 1500 watts, and the oven can reach temperatures of 464 degrees Fahrenheit. Capacity is decent, at 24 quarts, but keep in mind this is a relatively large rotisserie oven, with a height of nineteen inches and a width of 13,5 inches, i.e. you should make some extra room for this bad boy.
- Well built, highly versatile, sturdy, huge capacity, very affordable, good value for money
- Can do a lot more than rotisserie with flying colors, comes with a ton of extra accessories, countertop-safe
- Clear and large glass display, stain resistant, easy to clean, 1500 watts of power, easy to use
- Requires a lot of “real estate” on the counter
Ronco ST5000PLGEN Showtime Rotisserie
Great Home Rotisserie Oven
It’s showtime with Ronco, our last but not least pick for today’s show. Seriously now, this is the best choice for our “green” customers, and by that we mean this is an eco-friendly rotisserie oven which is built to save energy and the planet and all that.
Other than being eco-friendly, the Ronco can help you prepare all kinds of delicious dishes, not only chicken, and has non-stick surfaces, which make it easy to clean. The pan will go directly into the dishwasher machine, as well as the removable glass door. And yes, that really counts if you’re going to use it intensively: no more scrubbing for hours, and since cleanup is a breeze, you’ll be definitely be encouraged to experiment with new foods.
Other than that, the Ronco does a great job as a rotisserie, as it comes with a timer which lets you cook the meat to juicy perfection, and you can also choose between normal rotation, no-heat rotation and pause/sear. Also, this baby is just 13 inches tall, so it’s easy to store and to “deploy” on a short notice.
- Perfect chicken every time, comes with ties and rotisserie rack
- Non-stick surfaces, easy to clean, dishwasher safe, easy to use
- Compact, affordable, great value for money
- Some quality issues reported by users
Conclusion
We’re pretty sure you’ve made it this far, so we’ll end up with a piece of advice: once you’ve experienced a properly cooked rotisserie bird, and by that we mean marinated and all that, you’ll never go back to regular ovens and you’ll never be the same person again. Seriously now, rotisserie ovens are incredibly convenient and easy to use, while the end result is nothing short of flabbergasting for your papillary taste buds. Regardless of the model you’ll end up choosing, you won’t regret it, as each and every one of them is tested and will provide you with delicious meals time and time again.
Moreover, cooking meat in a rotisserie oven is very healthy, aside from being incredibly tasty, so yeah, it would be a great idea to invest in the best rotisserie oven you can afford. Good luck, have fun, choose wisely.
