A corn roaster is a large grill for cooking large batches of ears of

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

at the same time. The term "corn roaster" can also refer to a person who roasts corn. Corn roaster machines have existed in the United States since at least 1900. Corn roasters are used by concession vendors at

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

s, events, parties, and holidays, such as the Fourth of July in the United States. Roasted corn is a very popular festival food in the American South, Southwest, and Northwest. Corn roasters can also cook foods such as

turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

legs,

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es, and

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

es. They may also be used by

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

vendors. Street vendors may operate seasonally, per the seasonality of corn crops. Some organizations that operate corn roasters at events, such as fairs, donate their proceeds to charities. Many commercial corn roasters come mounted on a trailer. The corn roasters use LPG for fuel. Smaller versions exist, such as rotary corn roasters that can be placed on a table, and some corn roasters are homemade.

Manufacturers

There are several different manufactures who make corn roasters in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. A company that produces corn roasters is Holstein Manufacturing. A brand of corn roaster is named "Roast-O-Matic". Some corn roasters can roast up to 1,200 ears of corn per hour.

Use at events

At the annual

Minnesota State Fair The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Also known by its slogan, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together", it is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state f ...

Falcon Heights, Minnesota Falcon Heights is a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul and a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,369 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It became a village on Apri ...

, a group of up to 50 to 55 personnel produces significant quantities of roasted corn, which can vary daily. This variance can range between 10,000 and 18,000 ears of roasted corn a day. Approximately 180,000 ears of roasted corn are produced for the duration of the fair. Roasted corn at the Minnesota State Fair has been described as "one of the fair’s most popular foods for more than 28 years". At the Yakima Valley Fair in

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

, the Grandview Rotary Club has been operating a corn roaster for 40 years, and donates the proceeds to various local needs.

References

External links

{{usurped,
How to Start Your Own Corn Roasting Business
}. A guide to making a full year's income in just a few months of summer Cooking appliances Barbecue Amusement park attractions Fairs

Manufacturers

Use at events

See also

References

External links