A roasting and glazing apparatus includes a housing, a roaster bowl, an agitator, a heater and a cover that includes a water reservoir with at least one metering hole to allow water within the reservoir to flow into the roaster bowl at a measured rate during glazing to produce well coated glazed nuts and that prevents the creation of large bursts of steam, thus protecting the operator against being scalded. The apparatus includes structure to facilitate lifting and lowering of the bowl in a safe manner. The agitator prevents/minimizes build-up of sugar from the underside of its blades and provides enhanced mixing. During steam cleaning, sugar adhered to the bowl and its pouring lip is effectively removed. A smart cleaning cycle electronically determines that the water within the bowl is boiling by assessing changes in temperature of the bowl over periods of time.
