Elite Gourmet ESB-301F Countertop Single Cast Iron Burner, 1000 Watts Electric Hot Plate, Temperature Controls, Power Indicator Lights, Easy to Clean, White

I almost didn't order one of these because of so many negative reviews. But I have to tell you, it works wonderfully and I am extremely happy with it after 3 weeks of use. I use it nearly every day, at least once a day.Packaging is solid.The unit boils water with no problems whatsoever. Just to give readers an idea how I tend to use this hot plate, I mainly use it to boil water for making soups and ramen, or to boil rice and beans. Being single, I only need to cook for one person, so the amount of water I need to boil never exceeds 3 cups at a time. This unit provides plenty of power to do this (can't remember for sure, but I believe this hot plate is 1000 watts).I never need to use it for more than 12 minutes or so at a time. It boils 2 1/2 cups of water in about 7 minutes (very respectable in my opinion). When I'm making just rice or rice and beans, I bring it to a boil for 5 minutes, then I turn the unit off because I place the pot I'm using into an insulated pot cozy for 20 minutes more to finish cooking without the need to use more energy.Some reviewers reported the power indicator light goes out. And yes, sometimes it does. This is because once the iron plate heats up to temperature, the heat element turns itself on and off to maintain the temperature you have selected, not because it's shorting out.The first 2 or 3 times I used the hot plate, there was a faint smell from the hot plate. Most likely it was from a factory coating placed on the heating element when it was manufactured to protect it from corrosion during shipping/storage. After using it a couple of times, I smell nothing but good food cooking. I was never concerned about it catching fire, like other reviewers have reported.I don't know how long some reviewers who left negative opinions were using this hot plate, and maybe they really did have major issues with this particular model of hot plate. But no one with problems mentions how long they had the unit on before experiencing their issues. Since I don't plan on making seven course meals on this single burner hot plate, and don't need to have it on more than 15 minutes at a time, I don't expect to ever have a problem with this product. Even if this hot plate conks out on me right now, I feel it was well worth the twenty bucks. I suspect it will last a very long time because the build quality is very simple but durable, maybe with the excemption of the temperature selection knob which feels a little flimsy (though it is not wobbly or jiggly, just a little too easy to turn in my opinion). But I'm only planning on using that to dial to the temperature I need, not swing on it. It turns on, it turns off. When you're done with it, unplug it like you should unplug every other appliance that's not being used.Extremely pleased with this product. In fact, in the time it took to boot up my computer and write this review, my rice was finishing cooking in it's pot cozy. And now it's done.I have no complaints whatsoever, and I would highly recommend this hot plate for someone like myself who wishes to make very simple meals.Update, August 2013: Had this hot plate for 2 1/2 years now, and it continues to work fine after nearly daily use. The temperature selection knob has gotten a little wobbly, and it feels like it could pull off if I were to try to do so, but it seems to work equally well today as when it was brand new. For a $20 hot plate it could burn out tomorrow and I'd still be pleased with the service it's given me (though I expect it will continue to work for years to come).

In May, 2010, my family and I began the daunting remodeling of our kitchen. We decided to live at home during construction (a pretty major re-do) and, wanting not only to save money, but to continue to eat in a healthy fashion, we really didn't want to eat out every night - costly, salty and fatty! So enter this little gadget. We used this almost every single day (2 adults, 2 kids), for at least one meal/use daily, for four and a half months (it was a long project!). Not one single glitch. I'd credit it, almost single handedly (well, along with a fantastic toaster oven - the Proctor Silex 31120 Pizza Oven - and the microwave) for allowing us to achieve our goals. In the entire period, we ate out twice, and that was by choice. We have every intention of keeping it as a "fifth burner," giving us some flexiblity, now that our kitchen is finished. We have a new induction stove (FANTASTIC, btw), so this will let us use our old pots/pans that aren't induction compatible. And when our daughter goes off to college, I can see this little unit potentially going with her. Yes, it's a little slower than a "real" stove, but it did everything we asked of it and more. Easy to clean (the cast iron burner is virtually one piece with the body and, as a solid top, stuff doesn't drop between/below the burner like a unit with coils), and the heat output was pretty controllable - never burned anything. We used pots and pans, up to 10" skillet size. Technically, it's a little small for that (based on burner size) but it worked fine. Probably wouldn't try a 12", unless it's all you have, but I'll bet it'll work, just not as uniform heat distribution. And it was very stable. It's solid, but not too heavy. Non-skid feet, very level and broad footprint, yet it was very unobtrusive on a small wet-bar countertop, leaving room for cutting/dicing of other things. Sure, individual units may not be good (see other reviews), but this thing has POTENTIAL. I don't regret buying it one bit; if you do and yours doesn't heat, I'd recommend returning it; you probably got a bad one! Happy cooking!UPDATE - 10/28/2019 - Nine (9) years later (!) and it's still awesome!

I really like this hot plate. It works well and gets the job done. (Our new stove is delayed by at least a month so this is a fill-in for now.) I have made a lot of nice meals on this hot plate and it boils water great for my morning coffee. The temperature control knob feels loose and flimsy but it does seem to be true to the temp I set it at. However, I don't recommend this and probably would not buy again because the entire thing -- the entire white housing around the hot plate -- gets really really hot. Too hot to touch. This doesn't seem right and doesn't feel safe. So I'm very careful with it. Also, I should've gotten one with two burners. I gave it four stars because it does work well but I'm worried about how hot the entire thing gets.