So anyways last night a coupla of the bartenders (who are also great cooks)
at my local groggery did a "test run" of cooking a 23 lb. turkey with an
infrared cooker...

The result was lovely, nice crisp skin and tender and juicy meat...they'll
be doing a turkey again for T - day.

I was not even aware that there was such a thing, I think I last read about
infrared cooking in a c. 1945 _National Geographic_ article that described
it as "one of the coming wonders of the future" [others being nylon and
other synthetic fabrics, DDT aerosol bombs, color television, atomic power -
produced electricity "too cheap to meter", flying cars, home air -
conditioning, facsimile newspapers, and freeze - dried foods...]. I don't
know the particulars of their model as it was extremely busy, I'll check it
out today.

I'm not particularly interested in buying one, but it was something
interesting that I'd never encountered before. Amazon and other places have
them for around a hundred clams and on up, here is a description of one:

http://www.amazon.com/Nuwave-20201-A...7625434&sr=8-2

"Product Description

What broils, bakes, fries, roasts, steams, dehydrates and barbecues all
kinds of foods, quickly and nutritiously? This Nu-Wave Oven. Great-tasting
food in minutes... from frozen dinners to steak to a 12-lb. turkey to apple
crisp... without heating up your kitchen! The secret is a combination of
convection, conventional and infrared cooking technologies. Lower
temperatures prevent burning, yet you still enjoy thorough, quick and
delicious cooking. Meats will be moist yet browned... and you'll never have
to preheat or defrost again! PLUS... it's lightweight and compact, perfect
for your countertop. Awarded the American Culinary Institute's prestigious
Gold Medal for 6 consecutive years: Includes power head, transparent dome
and dome holder, 2" cooking rack, 10" baking pan, base and recipe book;
Baking pan makes desserts, but also cooks meats, poultry and fish; All parts
besides power head are dishwasher-safe; Recipes include beef, poultry, pork,
lamb, seafood, vegetables and desserts... even pizza and breakfast meals!
Locking device holds dome and power head in place when Oven heats up; 15 1/2
x 10 1/2"h. What a wonderful gift! Order Today! Nu-Wave Oven..."

</>

Gregory wrote on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:34:17 -0600:

>So anyways last night a coupla of the bartenders (who are also great
>cooks)
>at my local groggery did a "test run" of cooking a 23 lb. turkey with
>an
>infrared cooker...


> The result was lovely, nice crisp skin and tender and juicy
> meat...they'll be doing a turkey again for T - day.

> I was not even aware that there was such a thing, I think I
> last read about infrared cooking in a c. 1945 _National
> Geographic_ article that described it as "one of the coming
>

I'm not sure what is an "infra-red cooker" but a normal oven supplies
heat to the food partially by IR radiation (and also by heated air
convection forced or otherwise.) It's pretty obvious that IR is used in
a broiler. In a passing and possibly OT note, have you ever seen an
infra-red photograph with the light supplied by an electric iron?

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not