roasters

Roasters are devices or people involved in the process of roasting. In culinary contexts, a roaster applies dry heat to foods such as coffee beans, nuts, meat, or poultry to develop flavor, aroma, and texture. In entertainment, a roaster is a performer who participates in a roast, often delivering humorous or satirical remarks about a target.

Coffee roasters range from small home machines to industrial units. Common designs include drum roasters, where green beans tumble through a heated drum, and hot-air or fluid-bed roasters, which use circulating hot air. Operators control variables such as drum speed, air temperature, and roast duration to achieve desired roast levels—light, medium, or dark. Roasting alters flavor compounds, acidity, body, and aroma; roast levels are typically described by terms like light, medium, and dark, with regions also using names such as “city” or “full city.” After roasting, beans are cooled rapidly to stop further development and stored in airtight darkness to preserve freshness.

Outside coffee, roasters include equipment for roasting meat, poultry, nuts, and spices. In kitchens, rotisserie ovens, convection roasters, and dedicated coffee- or cocoa-roasting machines apply dry heat to achieve even browning. Industrial roasters may use gas or electric heat sources and computerized controls for consistency and throughput. Safety and maintenance, such as removing chaff in coffee roasting and regular cleaning of ducts, are important considerations.

In entertainment contexts, roasters are the members who deliver jokes and jabs at a target during a roast event. The format emphasizes humor and satire, often guided by a host or roastmaster and moderated to balance humor with respect for the honoree.