A tin kitchen or roaster. A box of tin standing on legs and with one
side open. A steel spit was stuck through the meat and the meat was
fastened to it by skewers, which passed through the meat and through
small holes in the spit itself. All was then placed in the roaster,
which was set before the fire. The spit was turned from time to time as
the cooking required. Gravy was caught in the hollow below, and some of
it was now and then taken up in a spoon and poured on the meat. This was
"basting." The task of turning the spit by the crank on one end of it
was often given to a boy. In the homes of the wealthy and in taverns the
one who thus minded the roast was often called a turn-spit. By means of
simple tread-mill devices a dog was often used to turn the crank, and he
then became a turn-spit dog.