Heads up cooking mommas! Cook quicker, healthier food with less effort!

Busy moms appreciate kitchen appliances that make life easier. Look at how many households depend on the microwave, for instance. Well, there’s another great kitchen appliance that I didn’t realize I couldn’t live without until I got one, and that’s the rotisserie. I recently had the opportunity to review the Ronco Showtime 5500 Stainless Steel Rotisserie and it now ranks right up there with the microwave on my list of most important small kitchen appliances. My recommendation? If the Ronco Showtime 5500 isn’t on your Christmas list this year, it should be! In fact, we’ve added it to our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide this year. If you want to see why, keep reading!

Ronco Showtime 5500 Stainless Rotisserie Overview

If you’re interested in cooking healthier meals that are just naturally more delicious, then a rotisserie is going to be a product that you’ll appreciate. The Ronco Showtime 5500 Stainless Rotisserie comes with everything you’ll need to get started – the rotisserie spit, nonstick drip tray, carving platform, multipurpose basket, oven gloves, food ties and an instructional DVD. Out of the box, I had this baby ready to go in less than 5 minutes. The part that took me the longest to figure out was where the heat plate was supposed to go. Yes, it comes with an instruction booklet and a DVD for a reason. So I finally broke down and opened that instruction manual and you know what? That’s not the only thing that they teach you in there! They also teach you how to tie a chicken and provide several recipes that I plan to try, but the first thing I wanted to do was make rotisserie chicken. That’s what I did.

The chicken? Well, there was an incident. In fact, I was on the phone with Tara from Semmes Savers while I was trying to learn how to tie my very first chicken and I’m pretty sure she got a few good laughs that night! Okay, so I am not exactly a pro at tying a chicken. Who knew? I am, however, very committed to learning to do it quicker and better now that I have this Ronco rotisserie!

I had actually planned to show you all how to tie a chicken. I had the camera out and ready to record my experience. It seemed like a good idea, but after the first three minutes of me staring at the chicken and the diagram in the Ronco manual, then playing with the food tie for another minute or two, I figured you’d all probably fall asleep waiting for me to figure it out. The good news? I did figure it out. I fought with that chicken for a good long time though. My son wasn’t real sure what I was doing or how he could possibly be involved, so I put the phone on speaker and let him talk to Tara while I wrestled the chicken. When I finally got that food tie around the legs and it didn’t slip off, I practically hopped up and down with joy!

See my pretty chicken in the rotisserie?

And here’s what it looked like after about an hour on the rotisserie – mmm!

But why stop at chicken? I also cooked a pork loin on my Ronco rotisserie and it turned out fabulous! The thing I love most about this rotisserie is that it really locks in the flavor. I barely seasoned the items that I’ve cooked with it and they turn out to be the most flavorful things that I’ve ever made! And why not? They are literally being basted constantly in their own juices. The result? Absolute deliciousness – and the whole family loved it!

Loving the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie Accessories!

The multi-purpose basket that comes with the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie is awesome also. In about 30 seconds, you can transform that spit into a basket that can easily cook steak, kabobs, fish, chicken breasts and more to perfection. Want a quick and healthy meal? Toss a few chicken breasts in the basket. Let them cook for about 15 minutes, then toss in some fresh veggies like squash, zuchinni, halved or quartered potatoes or whatever you’re longing for that night. It’s a one basket wonder and makes dinner so simple!

The gloves are a must have, as they allow you to safely and easily work with your machine. When that little timer dings and your stomach has been twisting in anticipation, you certainly don’t want to wait for the machine to cool down to get your dinner plated! That’s why these gloves come in so handy! Yes, they are big and bulky looking, but they are really a lot easier to use than they look. And talk about a heat barrier! These gloves are nothing short of amazing.

I also have to compliment Ronco on creating a truly non-stick drip tray. Of the six times that I’ve used this machine so far, I haven’t once had an issue cleaning it or the drip tray – and some of the drippings look burnt onto it. I admit, I was a little skeptical about that at first, but when I set the tray in the sink and began running water over it, the drippings started to wash right off without me even touching them! I thought that was fabulous that I didn’t have to scrub and scrub, so I had to mention it.

The instrument panel for the Ronco Showtime 5500 Stainless Rotisserie is simple to use. It is based on a timer system, so you can set the timer (about 15 minutes per pound) and choose your setting. You can select no heat, roast or sear. I generally choose the roast option, but I also really like the no heat option because it allows you to continue rotating the meat (and the juices within) while you finish preparing any last minute sides.

Overall, I have to say that this has been one of my favorite reviews because I love praise and my family definitely praised what I made them with this rotisserie!

Interested in learning more about Ronco and the fabulous products they offer?

Ronco has a complete line of amazing kitchen products, and although I can’t speak for them all, the Ronco Showtime 5500 Stainless Rotisserie is pretty impressive. One of these days, I’d like to try their Six Star Knife Set or their Electric Food Dehydrator. Be sure to visit the Ronco website to learn more about the company and check out all of the other great products that they have to offer. You can also follow Ronco on Facebook for some tasty recipes and updates on new products and accessories or you can take a moment to Tweet Ronco on Twitter.

Did I mention I’ll be giving one of these away in our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway? Oh yeah! You’ll have a chance to win this baby!