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Pros: Incredible versatility; sturdiness; size; beauty
Cons: Doesn?t fit easily in the dishwasher; not as easy to clean as non-stick
Rating: 5 out of 5
Also referred to as: Precise Heat
First published 3/10/2005
Also published on Epinions.com
There are three pieces to the Maxam surgical stainless steel multi-baker/roaster (KTROAST3): a flat oval lid with two handles, a tall-sided oval roaster with two handles, and rack with folding handles.
The rack: The rack is flat and strong, and easily supports the weight of either turkey or roast. Its fold-up handles lie snugly up along the ends of the oval roaster, and they?re shaped such that it?s easy to grab hold of them using potholders and lift the rack (and its contents) out of the pan. This eliminates the need for a separate lifter and makes extraction of your turkey or roast much easier.
The roasting pan: The roasting pan is quite large and spacious. It?s a bit heavy, but that?s unavoidable with a decent roasting pan! It can be used in the oven or on the top of the stove. Like the Maxam griddle I reviewed, it responds to changes in heat quite quickly, and often doesn?t require as high a heat setting as you might otherwise use, particularly when the item to be cooked is in direct contact with the pan.
My favorite feature of the pan itself is its high sides. The problem we?ve always had with a regular roasting pan is that it?s possible for a wing or neck of a turkey to end up hanging just far enough out over the edge that grease drips onto the stove bottom (particularly if the turkey slides around at all when you?re moving the pan in and out of the oven). However, with this pan?s high sides, the turkey will stay safely inside. Also, since the rack is designed to fit fairly snugly inside, it won?t slide around all over the place.
The lid: My other favorite feature is that the lid can serve as a separate pan or even a gorgeous serving tray! It?s spacious and reasonably high-sided, and quite beautiful as well. We?ve baked stuffed mushrooms in it, and used it like a skillet on the top of the stove.
The lid and rack fit easily into the dishwasher and come clean quite well. There?s usually a little water-spotting as is typical with steel in a dishwasher, but nothing objectionable. The roasting pan itself doesn?t really fit in our dishwasher, but for the most part it comes quite clean by hand. It might not be as insanely easy to clean as a non-stick surface with scratchguard, but it?s close, and you can use metal implements on its sturdy surface pretty much to your heart?s content.
Bonus suggestion: Thanks to the high sides, there?s no reason you can?t use the pan you just roasted your turkey in to make stock as well, making certain you don?t waste a single bit of those nice brown bits on the bottom. Just remove the turkey and carve, pour out the drippings to make gravy with, then put the carcass back into the roasting pan, cover with water, add a few spare vegetables, and simmer on top of the stove while you eat dinner or clean up.
The Maxam KTROAST3 is definitely the best roasting pan I?ve used so far. I thought I?d be the most impressed with the gorgeous stainless steel, but instead it?s the unusual shape I particularly love and the versatile design. When you buy the KTROAST3 you aren?t just getting a roasting pan with rack?you?re also getting a skillet and a soup pot!
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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