the roaster

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   a machine or container used for roasting food, especially coffee beans or meat.

   Grammar: Countable: a roaster, the roaster, two roasters. Often used with 'coffee' or 'meat' before it.

   Patterns

   • a coffee roaster
   • put something in the roaster
   • the roaster is hot

   The coffee roaster fills the whole shop with a warm, nutty smell.

   She put the chicken in the roaster and set the oven to 200°C.

   This new roaster can handle five kilos of beans at a time.

2. 2nouncountable

   a person or company that roasts coffee, nuts, or other food in large amounts.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with a name or place: a local roaster, the roaster down the street.

   Patterns

   • a local roaster
   • buy from a roaster

   We buy our beans directly from a small roaster in Portland.

   The roaster checks every batch by taste before it is sold.

Word forms

Common combinations

coffee roaster

The coffee roaster is the most expensive machine in the café.

meat roaster

A meat roaster with a rack lets the fat drain away.

put something in the roaster

Put the vegetables in the roaster with a little oil.

a local roaster

A local roaster supplies all the coffee for the hotel.

Synonyms and how they differ

oven

An oven is the whole appliance for baking or roasting; a roaster is a specific pan or machine used for roasting.

rotisserie

A rotisserie turns meat on a spit over heat; a roaster may be a simple pan or a coffee machine.

Word family

roast verb

To cook food in an oven or over a fire.

roasted adjective

Cooked by roasting, as in roasted vegetables.

roasting noun

The act or process of cooking something this way.

Commonly confused: the roaster or roster?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “the roaster”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words