Showtime Rotisserie

I am sure you have seen the infomercials on TV for the Ronco Showtime Rotisseries. I have to say they really work! I got the smaller compact model and so far love it. When you go to the grocery store they sell rotisserie chickens for around $7.00. Now I can cook my own rotisserie chicken for around $4.00. It only takes a little over an hour to fully cook the chicken. The rotisserie also has a basket that goes in it to cook things like chicken wings, steaks, or even vegetables. I am really looking forward to trying some rotisserie wings!

Here is a photo of the model I got. I also put some tin foil in the back behind the heating element to make clean up even easier.

The first step after washing the chicken is to season it any way you like. I like to you lemon pepper seasoning. I sometimes also cut a lemon in half and put it in the cavity. A very important step is to tie the bird up. If you don’t do this the wings will come out and start hitting the heating element. The Showtime Rotisserie comes with elastic ties that are easy to use. You can also use twine. Here is one chicken ties up.

Then all you have to do is insert the rods into the chicken. It is very simple. It even comes with a stand to hold it up.

Then just put it in and turn the rotisserie on!

It really comes out great. Very juicy and cooked all the way though.

Ziploc Air Removal Pump

I have been looking around to find a vacuum sealer to help freeze left over foods. I was at Kroger and came across a little hand pump that pulls the air out of special Ziploc bags. It was only $3.99 so I decided to give it a try. It is kinda a neat system. There is a special valve on the Ziploc bags that allows air to be pulled out but does not let it back in. The bags themselves are $2.99 and come in a couple different sizes. Here are the three items that I purchased…

The top one is the pump and the bottom two are the extra bags. One problem I see with this system so far is that you can not do liquid type foods like soups. The liquid would just be pulled out of the bag with the air. One thing I really like is that you can put the bags in the microwave to heat the food back up again. Here is a better photo of what the bags and pump look like…

The first food I tried to seal was a couple of large meatballs. I even added a lot of juice in the bag. It seems to have pulled out all of the air. Here is what it looked like after using the pump…

For such a low price I think this will help reduce freezer burn. I guess only time will tell. Has anyone else used this or similar products?