Aroma Convection Oven

Melissa Preddy

Standing in a Walmart parking lot one day during his six-year stint as a long-haul trucker, Cecil Jorgensen realized he couldn't face another truck stop burrito or chicken leg.

"I went into the store, bought a package of foil loaf pans and a roll of heavy-duty foil," said the Naples, Fla., resident. "I wrapped up an onion and a piece of cheap meat, just to see what would happen. Poured half a bottle of water in, sealed it and strapped it to the manifold of my Detroit Diesel with some coat hanger wire."

Then Jorgensen, accompanied by his late wife, Linda, revved up his tractor-trailer and took off down the highway. Soon, to his surprise, "through the air vent it smelled like Sunday dinner at my mom's house. It was incredible! We pulled into a rest area and found the meat was browned and tender — I cut it with a plastic fork."

That's one man's tale of getting started on engine compartment cuisine, a tradition that's as old as the automobile but still thriving among a surprising number of multitasking motorists, if the books, websites, YouTube videos and other resources devoted to the practice are any indication.

From the most primitive can of pork and beans to delicacies like "Maryland crab imperial," engine-cooking aficionados swear by the virtues of using otherwise wasted heat and time to prepare sumptuous roadside feasts.

Indeed, a manifold cooker was a popular aftermarket accessory on the Ford Motor Co.'s Model T and Model A cars nearly 100 years ago, and Frank Fenton of Corpus Christi, Texas, still makes and sells dozens of replicas a year to fellow collectors — a throwback to a more adventuresome era when there wasn't a McDonald's on every corner.

"Back in the day, when you got out on the road, you fended for yourself," said Fenton, whose favorite specialty is "greasy fan-belt goulash." Mix a pound of hamburger, a bag of frozen corn, a bag of frozen potatoes O'Brien and a jar of salsa in a plastic bag (to keep your hands clean) and then pour the result into an aluminum foil pouch. Settle it into the manifold cooker, take a spin and "people and dogs will follow you," said Fenton. At a recent collectors' tour, a convoy of Model Ts cooked while going up Mount Rushmore, and a comrade's roast beef au jus was a taste sensation to remember, Fenton said.

"Manifold Destiny," a popular engine-cooking book first published in 1989, was just re-released in 2008; it's a hilarious read even if the closest you want to get to road cooking is ordering large fries in a drive-through. The authors say they first tried engine cooking during a road rally that started in Detroit (they used a freezer at the Renaissance Center hotel, then a Westin, to store their provisions) and the book offers recipes, lore and safety tips.

Aroma Aeromatic Turbo Convection Oven - AST910DX Review | Master ...

I have had several different counter top models starting with the Jet-stream over which was great for cooking but .... cheap plastic and keep I needed to reorder plastic parts all the time until the motor burned out. Out of all the ovens the aroma aeromatic flavorwave Turbo Convection oven is THE BEST. Large enough for meals to feed a family of 5 or 6 and simple enough to operate with just two dials. A temperature control dial and a timer dial knob.The cord unplugs from the back and all the racks store inside the glass bowl. The bowl goes right into the bottom rack of the dishwasher for easy clean up. The handle on top will shut the unit off when you lift up and Cakes , pies with top crusts , meats , veggies and even cookies come out perfect . I use a bundt can now for all my cakes and I haven't used the main oven on my stove in months . This years I am planning on giving these as Christmas gifts .

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