Tips

Savory rotisserie chickens are a staple in so many family meal plans. And with good reason! Chicken is so versatile, you can roll it into meals all week without feeling like you’ve been eating the same food for days. Hot and cold, soup and salad, sandwiches and casseroles, hearty weeknight dinner or light workday lunch, rotisserie chicken has got your back. In a lot of ways, it’s the perfect food.

But you can do one better.

You don’t need an enormous rotisserie oven like the one in the deli of your favorite grocery store. You don’t need a grill or smoker. You don’t even need a specialized contraption that will suck up space in your cabinet when it’s not in use. All you need is your oven and a regular baking dish. Your kitchen is already set up to produce better-than-the-deli home-roasted rotisserie-style chicken in just two hours.

Why DIY?

Oven-roasting your own birds is a serious meal prep upgrade. The DIY route makes this humble main ingredient even more flexible. Tweaking the seasonings lets you change up your dinner plans or add some international flair to the flavor. Baking at home means you get all the delicious pan drippings to roll into homemade stock or whip up some homemade gravy.

You’ll also have complete control over the ingredients. It’s about more than just flavor. Deli-roasted chicken tends to be injected with salt or another bringing agent, which seasons the meat and helps it retain flavor while it’s hanging around in the hot case. That’s good for the taste buds but bad news for the sodium content. According to EatingWell magazine, a store-bought bird can have up to three times as much as one roasted at home.

Don’t worry about your home-roasted bird being bland, though! A few aromatics tossed into the cavity of the chicken will infuse the meat with a flavor that’s delicious and healthy.

Finally, healthy habits that stick are all about small improvements. Cooking at home makes food hands-on and inspires curiosity. It can help you shrink your grocery bill, move away from sugary convenience foods, and reduce packaging waste. Once again: Serious upgrade.

Read on for a simple base recipe for homemade oven-roasted rotisserie chicken and a few foolproof tips to make sure you’re successful every time. Delicious home-roasted chicken is coming to your table!

Tips for Preparing Your Perfect Bird

Rest and truss your chicken for even cooking. Letting a chilly chicken sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes helps it cook more evenly. Tie the legs together with cooking twine and tuck the wings in once it’s in the pan to make a more compact package and keep the heat distribution central.

Season enthusiastically and dress with a little fat. Salt and pepper go a long way, but there’s more to life! A rainbow of global flavors awaits in your spice cabinet. To replicate the savory deli flavor, go for onion, garlic, pepper, and a little thyme. Gently work butter or oil in between the skin and the meat, and sprinkle heavily with your spice mix inside and out.

Stuff it! No, not like a Thanksgiving turkey. An onion and a lemon, quartered, will do you just fine. With aromatics working inside the bird and spices on the outside, every bite of tender meat will steam with flavor.

Rest it after cooking, too. Good things — and juicy chickens — come to those who wait. Letting your roast chicken cool for 15 minutes after cooking allows the juices to absorb back into the meat and spares your fingers from scalding once it’s time to carve.

Homemade Oven Baked Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

Ready to get roasting? Follow these easy steps to delicious homemade rotisserie-style chicken. See below for a bonus cooking variation. Double this recipe to stock up on cooked chicken to add to healthy lunches and dinners for your family.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (approximately 5lbs)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 lemon, quartered, rind on
• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix salt and spices.
2. Prepare the bird after resting by removing giblets, if present, and rinsing it inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and place the breast-side up in your roasting pan.
3. Season liberally, sprinkling some extra salt into the cavity and rubbing the oil or butter under the skin.
4. Stuff onion and lemon pieces into the cavity, tie the legs together with kitchen twine and place in the heated oven.
5. Roast for two hours*, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the inner thigh reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Baste once or twice throughout the roasting process.  If the bird browns too much, tent it with aluminum foil for the rest of the cooking time.
6. Remove from oven, rest for 15 minutes, and discard aromatics from the cavity before carving.
7. * If your chicken is bigger or smaller, adjust the cooking time based on roasting 15 minutes per lb.

Slow-cooker variation:

Nothing beats coming home to a hot meal. You won’t have crispy skin, but the set-it-and-forget-it method is ideal for extra busy days, prepping meat for future meals, or for those trimming calories by discarding the skin. Meat tender to the bone and you don’t even have to be there for it? Kitchen bliss.

While there’s no denying that picking up a rotisserie chicken from the deli on your way home is a shortcut, you’ll get more out of your time and money cooking from scratch. The flavor is out of this world and you can be confident about avoiding additives and excess sodium. A little planning pays big and tasty dividends.

It’s finally time to upgrade your kitchen to better prepare for making one of your family’s favorite meals. While pizzas are fun to prepare, you’ll need a special kitchen item in order to create the pizza that your family deserves.

If you are trying to impress guests with the ultimate pizza pie, it’s time for you to upgrade to a pizza stone or pizza pan. We’re comparing the benefits of pizza stone vs pan in order to give you a good idea of the best products on the market.

In addition to comparing the benefits of pizza baking stone vs pan, we’re going to dive into features and drawbacks that set apart each of these kitchen items.

Pizza Stone Vs the Pizza Pan (For Those Who Are in a Rush)

If you don’t have time to read the entire article, this section gives you an idea of which option is best for your needs.

Ultimately, the main reason why people choose the pizza stone is that the ceramic looks beautiful in the kitchen. Another benefit of the pizza stone is it’s easy to clean off because of the non-stick coating. The downside of using a pizza stone is you have to be careful to preheat the oven with the stone inside.

On the other hand, people usually choose a pizza pan because it’s lightweight and easy to store. Another main reason people choose the pizza pan over the pizza stone is that they enjoy a crispy crust. However, the main downside of cooking with the pizza pan is that some pans are easily damaged by metal utensils.

Pizza Stone Benefits

While there are several different options for pizza stones on the market, we’ll be looking closely at the model made by Heritage Products. This black pizza stone comes in a flat, circular shape that allows plenty of room for making and baking the perfect pizza pie.

This purposeful kitchen item is easy to clean, your pizzas will turn out better, and it is more affordable than ordering pizza on a regular basis.

Features:

This pizza stone is lightweight and durable, weighing just over three pounds.

Compared to other pizza stones on the market, Heritage Products’ stone heats in half the time.

The surface of this model of pizza stone has a fantastic non-stick coating that will keep pizza ingredients from sticking.

In addition to a phenomenal pizza stone, Heritage Products sends a wheel cutter to help you cut the perfect slice.

Benefits:

Heritage Products’ pizza stone heats quickly in the oven, so you won’t have to wait a long time during the preheating process.

The non-stick coating helps with cooking, and it makes pizza stone care easier. The best way to clean a pizza stone is to apply a little soap and water.

This stone is made of natural materials and ceramic. It looks great, and it’s better for your health than using inferior metal pans.

Drawbacks:

The main drawback to using a pizza stone that is made of ceramic is that it has a tendency to crack. However, this only happens when the pizza stone isn’t used correctly. If the pizza stone is dropped on a hard surface, it will crack.

Pizza stone temperature is crucial: don’t place a cold stone into a hot oven. The stone should be in the oven before it starts preheating. Heritage Products offers a warranty to protect against cracks.

Final Thought:

If you want to impress your friends and family with your culinary creations, this pizza stone is the way to go. This black ceramic pizza stone looks great in your kitchen, and it will help you make the perfect pizza every time.

Heritage Products’ pizza stone is easy to clean after you’re finished slicing the pizza. It also comes with a bonus wheel slicer to help you finish getting the pizza ready for your guests. The manufacturers guarantee their stone won’t smoke or crack, so this item is worth your consideration.

Pizza Pan Benefits

Overview:

The pizza pan we’ll be looking at is made by T-fal. This brilliant kitchen item has perforated air holes to yield a crispier crust for pizzas.

Features:

This pan will heat up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit in your oven. Although it is safe to put it in the dishwasher, the manufacturers recommend washing it by hand.

Benefits:

The special micro-dome technology that causes the shape of this particular pan is beneficial because your pizza will cook in less time.

The holes are evenly distributed along with the pan, so your entire crust will heat at the same temperature. The result is a nice crispy texture.

Drawbacks:

Although the coating of this pizza pan is designed to last, you will damage it if you use metal utensils. This means you have to move food off the pan in order to cut it.

Final Thought:

This pizza pan is easy to use, and it doesn’t require any special considerations in order to keep it from cracking inside your oven. It weighs less than the other option, so it will be a little easier maneuvering around your kitchen. If your family likes a crispy crust, this product is the best pan for cooking pizza.

Types of Pizza Pans

When you’re looking for a good cook pizza pan, it’s important to weigh all of the options. If you aren’t a fan of crispy crusts, you should stay away from the perforated pan discussed above, for there are better pizza pans to suit your taste.

Take a look at this flat pizza pan from Doughmakers. This pan is made of heavy aluminum, so it will be more resistant to using metal utensils, and it’s more affordable to replace this pan. Doughmakers’ pizza pan has a patented pebble pattern and non-stick coating, so your pizza will be easy to remove.

Another type of pizza pan that you should consider is a cast iron pan, such as this one made by Lodge. This pan has large loop handles, and the manufacturers have preseasoned it.

Cast iron is tricky to use if you’re not familiar with how it works because you have to take special precautions to avoid using soap on the pan. However, your pizza will have a unique flavor that’s similar to using a pizza oven. As long as you take precautions when caring for this pan, it will last longer than most others on this list.

Making the Decision

Since your goal is to make the best pizza for your family, it’s up to you to decide which item will better suit their needs. If your family has enough patience to wait for the oven to preheat with the stone inside, the pizza stone might be a better option for your household.

However, if you don’t have a lot of space for storing kitchen items, the pizza pan is lighter and easier to put away in cabinet space.

In terms of the finished product, the pizza pan will yield a crispier crust. It may be worth asking your family which crust they prefer.

Quesadillas have always been a great improvised meal or snack option. Got a few tortillas lying around, and maybe a half-full bag of shredded cheese? You can whip up some quesadillas in the microwave in about two minutes.

But quesadillas can be a full meal you can be proud to serve to your family or company. And the best thing is that it doesn’t take all that much effort as your barebones microwave quesadillas.

Sure, you’re going to need a few extra ingredients and some prep time, and you’ll be cooking your quesadilla on the stovetop rather than nuking it. But these quesadillas will blow just about any others you’ve had away.

Quesadilla Ingredients

One of the great things about quesadillas is that they’re so customizable. For that reason, this recipe will periodically discuss some of your options outside of what is being recommended here.

If you’re making this for the first time, stick with the recipe. But if you have different preferences or you’re looking to experiment, feel free to take some of the other suggestions.

Protein Choices

This recipe is going to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They give the quesadillas a hearty, meaty taste but just about every non-vegetarian will eat them.

If you prefer a bit more flavor, substitute chicken thighs.

And really, you don’t have to stick with chicken at all. Turkey can be a fine substitute. Beef, whether ground beef or strips of steak, works just as well.

If you or someone you’re serving for is vegetarian or vegan, portabella mushrooms can be substituted to make quesadillas that are just as rich and flavorful as most meat-based options.

For now, though, we’ll stick with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Taco Seasoning

If you’re not all that experienced with using spices, feel free to buy a packet of taco seasoning to use with this recipe.

However, if you like to play around with different spice profiles, you can very easily make your own mix to use with these quesadillas. Here’s a taco seasoning mix that works very well with these quesadillas:

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoons cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Ingredient List

Here’s what you’ll need to prepare these quesadillas:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 10 flour tortillas
• 2 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer for quesadillas)
• 1 white onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, either from a packet or homemade
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 5 tablespoons of butter

OPTIONAL

Salsa for topping:

• 1 pound tomatoes
• 1 cup white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparing the Quesadillas

To begin, you’ll want to chop up all the ingredients which need chopping or dicing.

For the chicken, trim any fat you’d like to remove. Take the green and red peppers and the white onion designated for the quesadillas and cut them into slices or strips.

We’ll cover making the salsa separately for those who want to add it – for now, you can set those ingredients aside.

Step 1

Take a pan or skillet and heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat. Note that we’re using vegetable oil because of its smoke point. Using it over olive oil allows for a higher cooking temperature without the oil burning.

Once the skillet is heated, place the chicken breasts in and season them with the taco seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the chicken until it’s done, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and dice it up into cubes.

Step 2

Add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil to the now-empty skillet, keeping high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook until the vegetables soften and the onions begin to become translucent about three to four minutes.

Remove the cooked veggies from the skillet and set them aside.

Step 3

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Place 1/2 tablespoon of butter into the skillet. Now, lay one tortilla into the skillet.

Build your quesadilla by placing cheese, chicken, and vegetables on top of the tortilla, then laying a second tortilla on top of the first, with the cheese, chicken, and veggies forming the filling. Portion your ingredients to make 5 quesadillas.

When the bottom tortilla has become golden in color, carefully turn the quesadilla over, and add another half tablespoon of butter.

Once the other side of the quesadilla is golden brown, this quesadilla is done.

It’s usually a good idea to heat the oven to 220 degrees. You can place finished quesadillas in the oven while you complete the entire batch.

These quesadillas are ready to serve. But if you’d like to incorporate salsa as a topper, here are the instructions for that.

Making the Salsa

If you want your salsa to be smooth and textureless, the recipe is incredibly easy.

Simply put all the ingredients listed except for the cilantro into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Then, add the cilantro and pulse the blender to dice the cilantro, and serve.

If you want a salsa with a bit more texture, here are those instructions:

Finely dice the garlic and the chipotle pepper. You want to turn these into as close to a paste as you can. If you have a mortar and pestle or molcajete, feel free to use those.

Finely chop the onion. The pieces should be about 1/8th inch square.

Roughly chop the tomatoes. Your tomato pieces should be at least double the size of the onion.

Roughly chop the cilantro.

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir them up. This salsa has a bit more crunch and texture to it and can be spooned onto the quesadillas.

Whether you make the quesadillas with or without the salsa, they’ll provide a hearty and delicious meal that will soon become a favorite in your household.

If you are thinking of safety and time as essential elements in your kitchen, it would be best to choose the equipment that meets your needs and preferences. Please don’t freak out; we understand it is hard to know which one is great when comparing an electric range coil vs a smooth top.

By the end of this article, you should already have a decision on what suits your needs. The electric range coil appears as a spiral of flattened metal with an embedded electric wire that conducts electricity to heat the coil.

The smooth top has coil burners sitting underneath the glass and ceramic top surface. The wires inside the metal heat the coils, which in turn heats the glass surface. Maintenance, pricing, and technology differentiate them.

Smooth top range benefits and reservations

Sometimes called ceramic cooktops or glass cooktops are the latest. These appliances are more convenient and efficient and offer faster heating, more cooking power, and a sleek, low-profile design. They are excellent in easy cleaning, and high-tech safety features, and require simple installation. They feature heat indicators that show when the stovetop is hot. Induction cooktops don’t heat until a pan has been placed.

Glass top stove vs coil efficiency

Coil burners conduct heat more efficiently than glass top stoves. The glass top stove tends to cool down faster as glass covers the coils while the exposed metal on the coil burners retains heat. The glass top stove also promotes even cooking because they are level while coil burners have some tilted elements.

Glass top stoves will automatically adjust the burner size to the pan size offering additional energy savings.

Types of Electric Stovetops

Choosing the best cooktop depends on your cooking habits and the needs of your lifestyle. There are three types of electric stovetops to select from, including coil cooktops, induction cooktops, and smooth cooktops.

Coil cooktops

As it sounds, coils sit on the top of the cooktop surface or in a recessed cavity. They are more vulnerable to spills. They are very affordable and durable, so you don’t have to worry about damaging them.

Smooth cooktops

They feature radiant elements, like coils, installed beneath a smooth and easy-to-clean glass surface. These cooktops heat evenly and quickly. These will blend perfectly and seamlessly into your kitchen.

Induction cooktops

They operate on electricity but utilize electromagnetic energy and offer superior temperature control. These cooktops produce heat when compatible cookware touches the surface. The technology installed helps the burners reach high temps in half the time other cooktops take.

Coil top range benefits and reservations

These electric ranges are affordable for tight budgets and easy to repair. These have a standard feature known as sensi-temp technology that keeps the pan from getting hotter. They have a choice of replacing the heating elements and drip pans if issues arise. They conduct heat efficiently.

Coil Electric Stovetop

They come in different inches so you have a variety to choose from. You have so many brands and colors to select from. The surface can either be a coil or a smooth surface. They have several features such as:

• Hot surface indicator lights
• Bridge elements
• Dual/ triple elements
• ADA compliant
• They have a timer and are smart compatible

Coil Types Cooktops

Levels of heat are controlled by dials causing a variety of resistance. After that, temperatures will rise and fall accordingly but with a significant time lag.

Coil Type Ceramic-Glass Cooktops

Coils connect to the cooktop’s underside, formed from a particular type of tempered, semi-crystalline glass. They are much thinner than old coils. These are formed into a zigzag-shaped wire ribbon made from nichrome material.

Electric Coil Cooktops

Cookware sits directly on the coil. The material beneath does not oxidize, preventing the coil from burning out or breaking. Sometimes they can work loose from connectors.

Factors to Consider When Purchasing Cooktops

1. The number of cooking zones and cooktop size.
2. Elements depend on how often you cook or how large your family is.
3. Your budget and aesthetics depend on the theme and color scheme of your kitchen.
4. Kitchen design and amount of space available.
5. Whether the cooktop is equipped with downdraft exhaust.
6. Availability of hot-surface indicator lights to alert when a cooktop is hot to touch, hence providing safety.
7. If you want to use the cooktop, for a baker you may choose one with a simmer element. This allows consistent heat flow for melting ingredients like butter or chocolate.

Differences Between Cooktops and Ranges

Benefits of Cooktops

Benefits of Ranges

The cooktop range ultimately depends on your preference, kitchen design, and budget. Coil tops are popular and are still in use; however, some choose to upgrade to a smooth top range. Several ranges have distinguishing features that make them unique.

Understanding the differences between them can help you make better choices for your family. Long-wearing and durable ones should be the way to go instead of replacing them once in a while. Better handling, maintenance, daily use, and cleaning are ways to take care of them.