Food editor Russ Parsons declares summer is here (pay no attention to the calendar)

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While logically I may know that in Southern California, May Gray is inevitably followed by June Gloom, emotionally I’m having a hard time coming to grips with it after that glorious Memorial Day weekend. The calendar may say different, but to me it feels like summer is already here.

To celebrate, I brought the rotisserie out of the garage and trussed up a chicken. Throughout the summer, this is one of my go-to dinners. I’ll serve it every other weekend, it seems (I even bought a second set of spikes so I can cook two chickens at the same time).

As much as I love my old-fashioned Weber kettle grill, the rotisserie attachment comes in a close second. It’s basically just a short iron cylinder that nests on top of the grill. There’s a motor and a spike and that’s about it. I’ve used it to roast legs of lamb, pork loins, turkeys and more chickens than I can count. One time I even splurged on a big chunk of white sea bass and tried that. Well, it’s not good for everything.

As simple as the rotisserie is, be warned -- for some reason, it costs almost as much as a new grill. No matter, it is one of my favorite tools, particularly in the summertime, whenever it is that officially starts.

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--Russ Parsons