A hot plate is an economical and convenient cooking solution for RV studio apartments, college dorms, as well as any other area that does not have the luxury of a stove.
Even houses with fully-equipped kitchens may have an additional burner occasionally. Although most hot plates are powered by gas, some run on electricity and are a lifesaver during natural catastrophes.
Many think hot plates help cook simple tasks such as cooking soup or heating leftovers. However, many hot dishes today can cook just as effectively as conventional stovetops as they can quickly boil water and grill thick pieces of meat uniformly.
Guide to buying hot plates
Hot plates range in price between $10 to $100. They typically have a stainless steel frame with two or more burners that can be used with pots and pans, with dimensions ranging from 6.4″ to 7.4″.
Most hot plates are small enough to be easy to store and are incredibly light. Single-burner models weigh as low as 3 pounds, and two-burners weigh around 10 pounds.
Apart from deciding between two burners or one, There are things to bear in mind when buying hot plates:
The heating element. Most hot plates are electric and operate using three methods: infrared light bulbs, coils and induction technologies. The kind the heating component you select will determine how long your burners need to heat and the way they distribute heat to pans and pots.
Cheapest Hot Plates
The cheapest electric hot plates priced at $20 or less typically use metal coils. They heat up quickly and then transfer warmth directly into the cooking equipment on the top. Although they aren’t expensive, this kind of heating is known for creating “hot areas,” which are hotter regions and could cause food to burn. They can also be challenging to clean because food items can get caught between and beneath the heating elements.
To enhance the way metal coils transmit heat and avoid the formation of hot zones, some companies place metal coils in cast iron. The units are priced at around $30 for single-burner models and up to $70 for double-burners.
The cast iron top provides a smooth surface that allows food to cook evenly. The cast iron cover keeps food from falling through the coils and into the cooking vessel, allowing simple cleanup using only a few swipes of an aqueous cloth. However, due to the casting iron cover, the heat takes longer to get to food items.
Metal coil burners may be ideal for cooking with essential ingredients serious cooks who require greater control of temperature and even distribution of heat should consider using an infrared or induction hot plate.
Infrared hot plates typically cost as much as models with casting iron cooktops. Instead of using metal coils, they employ halogen lamps or another infrared light source under the sleek ceramic cooktop. The lamps warm the cookware and then create heat for the cookware. They cook food evenly and operate faster than coil cooktops making them more efficient in energy use.
Induction hot plates elevate the experience to a higher level. They are considered the finest hot plates available, and surprisingly, they are also the most costly, at least $50 for one burner or $100 for a double. Induction hot plates create an electric field that transfers heat directly to pots and pans while not heating the cooktop.
Since heat is transferred directly from the heat source to cookware, these cookware models provide cooks with excellent temperature control and reduce the chance that there could be “hot spots” in the event of using pans that are the same size or less than the stove. (Using cookware larger than the burner could cause the centre to become hotter than the others. The same is true for infrared and coil hot plates.) Induction models heat up about two times faster than other models. For instance, boiling water for a hot plate can take up to eight minutes, while it takes only four minutes for models that use induction.
It is essential to note it is important to note that the induction hot plate can only use magnetic cookware like cast iron and mainly stainless steel. Copper, glass aluminium cookware won’t get hot even when a hot plate is set to its most extreme temperature. Certain induction appliances will automatically shut off if they can’t find the right cookware.
* Temperature control and wattage. A hot plate’s power consumption indicates how much and fast it will heat. The majority of infrared and coil burners consume between 1500 and 900 watts. Induction hot plates require 1,800 watts. A higher wattage is perfect for rapid boiling and deep fry but is optional for cooking meals and heating leftovers.
Look for double-burner stoves that claim to have 1800 watts of power. Their wattage is divided between the two burners meaning that each has only 900 watts of heat power.
Features for safety. The most common safety feature for electrical hotplates is overheating safety which stops the unit if temperatures reach dangerously high.
Other safety features may include a child-proof lock on your control panel or an auto-shutoff system that shuts off the unit after a period (often one minute) in the absence of a pan or pot placed over the stove.
The best hot plates
Techwood Double Burner Hot Plate
With this double-burner hotplate from Techwood, it is possible to cook anything from steak to eggs effortlessly, as you can with a larger stove. Many reviewers claim it’s the same as their primary cooktop.
The unit utilizes infrared lighting with a scratch-resistant glass surface which warms faster than coil burners, and most importantly, it distributes heat more equally. This prevents hot spots or places where pots and pans get too hot. The protection against overheating switches the appliance off and on to ensure the cooking temperatures throughout the day.
Cusimax Double Hot Plates
Like the model we named our Best Overall, This Cusimax hot plate heats the same way as a large stovetop for $30 less. Many customers are impressed by how fast they can make water boil or sear steaks using the hot plate.
The Cusimax has frames made of stainless steel and two burners made of the coil. One burner measures 7.4″ inches in size, while the other has a smaller diameter of 6.1,” and each comes with seven temperatures.
