Roll Call....How many here cook on ceramic cookers?

Just a question - how much time does it take for one of these things to warm up? Or to put it anotehr way, can I possibly get home from work & fix dinner without eating at 8 PM?

This is one of my biggest problems David...Mine K takes a good 30 min to warm up and get to a stable temp. It's just too long. My gasser on the other hand is ready is 5 min. So much easier for me to cook the kids burgers and dogs on there...and when my hubby comes home a 9:30pm, the last thing I want to do between getting the kids in bed and getting dinner on the table is warming up my K. That hr or so is for me to chat with you all and have a glass of wine!

I am sure once the kiddos are older and I have more time, this will be less of an issue, but I had always had this problem with charcoal...waiting for the warm up and stablizing it.

Edited to add: The food I do kook on my K though is about a billion times better than what I cook on my gasser. I have done spatchcocked chickens on my gasser and they just can't even compare to the ceramic kooker. Hands down, my K has made the best ribs, chicken, turkey and pulled pork I have ever tasted in my life!

[David M. Bueker]

Time is one thing I don't have enough of (except at lunch and after about 7 PM).

Just a question - how much time does it take for one of these things to warm up? Or to put it anotehr way, can I possibly get home from work & fix dinner without eating at 8 PM?

David, the answer to your question is "it depends" somewhat it depends on the outside temperature. An example would be outside in the 70's, it can and will got to as high as 600 degrees F in 10 minutes or so. If the temperature is 30 and you want to cook at 400 degrees, it is likely to take 20 minutes depending on wind. When I say get to xxx degrees, I am not saying the walls of the cooker will be heat sunk in that short amount of time, but you can put your dish on and let her ride to what internal temp you want. It takes a little more or less time than your oven.

It takes about 30 minutes to get the cooker to temp and have clean smoke. So maybe 15 minutes more than preheating your oven. -RP

[David M. Bueker]

versus the 5 min for the gas grill...no can do, except on weekends & I have my indoor grill for that

I couldn't agree more for speed, but why don't you use your microwave if time is that important? You can nuke something way faster than that gasser can get fired up. To me it is a question of time vs taste. -RP

[David M. Bueker]

Grill is better.

Microwaves are good for melting butter and chocolate & re-heating a cup of coffee. Not much else.

I couldn't agree more for speed, but why don't you use your microwave if time is that important? You can nuke something way faster than that gasser can get fired up. To me it is a question of time vs taste. -RP

Oh Randy...you can't compare them! My gasser is well seasoned and makes some pretty tasty food. Not NEARLY as good as Henry does, but for the kiddo's hotdogs or turkey burgers...it does a fine job. Try microwaving a turkey burger...yuk!

Don't get me wrong Randy, I love my kooker and so pleased that I got a ceramic kooker...there is no comparison for what you can make in it vs other methods of cooking, really. BUT, sometimes there has to be a balance. I am glad that I am lucky enough to have all different methods of cooking and use them all...whether it's a slow cooker, oven, toaster oven, microwave, gasser, Henry, etc.

[David M. Bueker]

Actually I pretty much took the microwave comment as a slam.

But with my current lifestyle, 30 mins ot warm up my cooking surface is too long. Maybe some day, but by then I will have built a brick oven.

Actually I pretty much took the microwave comment as a slam.

But with my current lifestyle, 30 mins ot warm up my cooking surface is too long. Maybe some day, but by then I will have built a brick oven.

David,

Why not do all of your dinner prep work while the grill heats up? I can easily spend 30 minutes just getting the salad and sides going.