roasting-jack

A cook turns the roasting-jack over the open fire.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A device for turning meat while roasting: "roasting-jack" refers to a mechanical apparatus, historically a simple rotating spit or a more complex clockwork mechanism, used to turn meat (such as a whole pig, chicken, or joint) over a fire or in an oven to ensure even cooking. This device was commonly used before the advent of modern rotisserie ovens, often powered by a weight-driven mechanism, a spring, or a small steam engine.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The old kitchen had a large fireplace with a roasting-jack that could handle a whole pig. (A mechanical spit for turning meat while it cooks over an open fire.)
  • He wound the roasting-jack before placing the chicken on the spit, ensuring it would rotate slowly for an hour. (He set the device in motion to turn the poultry evenly.)

Advanced Usage

• "to turn the roasting-jack": to operate or set the device in motion for cooking.

  • The servant was tasked with turning the roasting-jack every fifteen minutes. (The servant manually or mechanically rotated the spit to cook the meat.)

• "a roasting-jack mechanism": the internal gears, weights, or springs that power the rotation.

  • The antique roasting-jack mechanism was made of brass and iron, still working after two centuries. (The clockwork or weight-driven system that drives the spit.)

Variants and Related Words

• Roasting (n/adj): the process of cooking food, especially meat, by dry heat (e.g., in an oven or over a fire).
  • The roasting of the beef took three hours. (The cooking process.)
• Jack (n): a mechanical device for lifting or turning something (e.g., a car jack, a roasting jack).
  • A roasting-jack is a type of jack used for rotating meat. (A generic term for a lifting or turning mechanism.)
• Spit (n): a long, pointed rod used to hold meat for roasting; often part of a roasting-jack.
  • He skewered the lamb on the spit of the roasting-jack. (The rod that holds the meat.)

Synonyms

• Rotisserie: a modern device with a rotating spit, often powered by electricity.
• Turnspit: a historical device or a person (a turnspit dog or a servant) who turned the spit manually.
• Meat jack: a less common term for a roasting-jack.

Phrasal Verbs

• Wind up the roasting-jack: to set the spring or weight mechanism in motion.

  • She wound up the roasting-jack before leaving the kitchen. (She prepared the device to rotate automatically.)

• Set the roasting-jack: to position the spit and meat and start the rotation.

  • He set the roasting-jack with a duck and a small chicken. (He placed the meat on the spit and started the device.)

Related Idioms

• "To be on the roasting-jack": (rare, figurative) to be in a difficult or uncomfortable situation, as if being slowly cooked.

  • After hours of interrogation, he felt as if he were on the roasting-jack. (He felt subjected to prolonged, intense pressure.)

• "As slow as a roasting-jack": (historical simile) describing something that moves very slowly, like a weight-driven spit.

  • The old clock moved as slow as a roasting-jack. (It advanced at a sluggish, steady pace.)