Regular Oven vs. Roaster: What's the Difference?

A regular oven — also known as a conventional oven — and a roaster oven are two different appliances that both cook food using dry heat. The shape, temperature and design of each cooking appliance affects the quality of your food.

Traditionally, only solid foods such as meat and potatoes are roasted. A conventional oven, however, can cook both unformed foods, such as cake batter, and structured meat dishes, such as a stuffed turkey.

The difference between cooking in these two ovens ranges from energy use and convenience to moisture infusion and speed.

Cooking in a regular oven requires preheating plus the time spent cooking the food, thereby using more energy than a roasting oven, which cooks meat at approximately 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Additionally, a conventional oven cooks food by surrounding it with a large box of flowing heat. This excess supply of dry heat draws moisture from the meat, resulting in a dry turkey or roast. In contrast, the enclosed structure of a roasting oven preserves the meat's internal moisture without requiring constant basting.

In a conventional oven, the food remains stationary throughout the entire cooking process, unless you manually flip it. This allows the heat to cook some sections more thoroughly than others.

In a roaster oven, the food is suspended over the heat source on a rack or rod. The proximity of the heat source to the meat while cooking helps cook the food evenly without drawing excess moisture.

In a small living area, space economy is especially sensitive. Unlike a roasting oven, you can't slide a conventional oven in a drawer after dinner. A roasting oven packs easily in the back of a camper, and you can clean the entire appliance is less than five minutes.

While a conventional oven can't accompany you to the campground, its double layer rack and box structure allow you to cook multiple items in a short period of time.

While a roasting oven uses less energy and space, it can cook only a limited variety and amount of food. Anything soft, dough-based or loose won't cook in a roaster oven or the contents might fall through the rack.

A conventional oven, however, can cook two different foods with different baking needs at once, such as two casseroles and a sheet of cookies.