Rival 4071-WN 32-Ounce Hot Pot Express, White
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List Price: Our Price: $8.87 You Save: $6.12 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Rival 4071-WN 32-Ounce Hot Pot Express, White
Customer Review: A trusted travel companion
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought one of these close to ten years ago and it's still going strong, though I've taken it on three cross-country trips, countless weekend getaways and even to Guatemala.
Why? First, I don't like using hotel/motel coffee units -- who knows how clean their innards are? This holds more liquid, is easy to clean, and I know where it's been!
Second, it's useful for more than just heating water. I once took my daughter to a nice Disneyland hotel for four days, and did all our cooking in this little pot because food was so pricey. I heated soup, ramen, veggies, all kinds of things... and we actually ate well (though simply) the whole time.
Other reviewers have noted that it doesn't have auto shut-off. That's a good point, and it's a bit of a pain, particularly when you're as forgetful as I am. But the water always boils loudly enough that I hear it. Could be a problem in everyday use if you are wandering from room to room; fine for a motel.
The flip side is being able to adjust the heat level, which I don't think you could do if the unit shut off automatically. I've found that VERY handy for things that need a gentle heat, and use that feature a lot.
Power cord is frustratingly short, but necessarily so for safety reasons.
Naturally, anything that holds 32 oz. of water is a little bulky, but when I put it in my suitcase I just jam socks and breakables into it, so it ends up taking less room than you'd think. You can snap the top off, which is also a help when packing it. It's fairly lightweight.
The reason I'm back at this page is that my daughter just went to college and took the pot with her. I need a replacement for my travels without her! I was amazed to find the same pot is still being sold after all these years. That's probably a good sign about its quality in an era when things get redesigned every year.
At this price, if it lasted a year or two of steady use, I think I'd still be happy.
Customer Review: Love it, but it has its flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
The Hot Pot i have now, is my third in 10 years. I
am very happy with the product, but not completely.
The original onew i bought, had a metal pot, and a
circular metal gasket inside the base of the pot,
that held the heating coil, and the Pot was taller
and not as wide..more like a coffee pot, than a sauce
pot. It worked well for a long time, but the sides were
hot, and it was difficult to clean around the raised
heating ring coil in the bottom. And the paint on the
edges began to peel near the end of it's usefull life.,
The new ones, removed the problem with the raised ring,
by putting the coil under a plate, and i liked that a
lot, but the "non stick surface on the plate is hard
to avoid scratching, and really isn't all that
"non stick"..it would be better to leave the teflon
coating off, and allow that it could be scraped, with
a metal spoon.
Now, i've had no problem with any plastic taste
after the first few uses, but think the unit as
a whole, would be better with a metal
lining, and some insulation between it's outside
plastic shell. I'd pay more for a model like that.
Now i've cooked a lot of things in my Hot Pots, but
i've just heard of a new one...cooking a box of
Mac & Cheese in it..i would have thought it would
need to be bigger than the 32 oz unit i have to be
able to do that, maybe they mean in the 40 oz one...
But i tell ya...i'm gonna try it out..hope i don't
make a mess out of it..but i *do* get the Mac&Cheese
"Blues" every once in a while..:o)
And the Hot Pot would appear to work great for
straining the water out, without needing a collander...
Customer Review: Hot Pot Technical Tests
Summary: 3 Stars
Reading the user reviews, people who buy this product are looking for either hot water where they would have none, or hot water in a minimum amount of time. The vendor claim that it is xx% faster than a microwave seems to be addressing the second kind of user, which I am also addressing with this review.
Using a carefully controlled 60 Hz power source, my sample drew almost exactly 950 watts at exactly 120 volts. I've seen claims that this device draws 1000 watts, so its actual performance is on the low side. Most people's power line is significantly less than 120 volts, and with just a 3 volt drop in power, its power dropped to just over 900 watts.
An approximate mid-point setting of the temperature control would boil water, so the temperature dial is not optimially designed for most precise temperature setting.
With my carefully-controlled power source, it boils 32 ounces of water in just under 8 minutes.
This compares to approximately 10 minutes for boiling the same amount of water on my gas stove's largest burner in a 1 quart tea kettle. Unlike my tea kettle, this device does not give an strong audible indication that the water is boiling.
My Sharp 1200 watt microwave will boil two 16 ounce plastic glasses of water, one after the other, in less than 8 minutes.
While not exactly a rip-off, this device is a mediocre performer in my opinion.
I would like to see someone seriously address the market of people who want hot water in a minimum amount of time with convenient features like a temperature control that was better designed for easy setting, and an audible announcement of completed heating that would be comparable to an ordinary traditional tea kettle.
Customer Review: Great little hot pot
Summary: 5 Stars
I dunno where all the reviews about leaking and stuff are coming from but I have one of these that I ordered from Target through Amazon. I have used the daylights out of this little pot in the year or so that I've had it,. It does NOT leak, and the water does NOT taste plasticy.
It heats water to boiling very fast. It's just the right size to put in my desk drawer and bring out to sit on my desk for tea water, or whatever.
It's great for quick soups, boiling eggs, noodles, pasta, and whatever. I've used it for a lot of different things. I've even used it to heat water for steaming my face, much better than a pan on the stove because the plastic doesn't burn you if you happen to bump it.
It's easy to clean. You don't have to scrub it to death.
Hey it even works great to boil water to pour down slow drains. And if you have an adapter for your car it's great for traveling and camping.
Over all I am very satisfied with this little pot, and I'm buying another one so I have two. Almost better than having an electric eye. Heh, I've even fried bacon in the bottom on the little plate while on a road trip. Made a whole meal with just this little pot. Boiled eggs in water, made grits and than fried bacon. No other pots and pans needed:) You probably couldn't do the bacon frying on a very large scale but for one it was enough.
The only drawback I see, is that it doesn't have an on/off switch, you have to unplug it to turn it off, othr than that it's an excellent low budget cooking tool that is a great idea for dorm rooms, hotel rooms and etc. You can even eat directly out of it in a pinch. I wish they made a slightly large version also.
Anyway, that's my .02 worth.
Customer Review: Fills the Bill!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've used this item twice a day for the past three weeks. I am satisfied that this was a very good value, especially considering this is a low-priced gadget appliance.
My initial impression is that this hot pot has a few design problems, but I didn't spend a week's pay at Sonoma-Williams to bring it home.
Other reviewers have stated that their unit leaked. Well that's too bad! Mine hasn't sprung a leak yet, BUT.... when boiling something for a period of time, the steam gathers on the lid and will run down on the pot handle when you raise it and wind up on the counter-top which might could lead you to believe it was leaking.
And, while we're on the lid, it's sorta hard to open without scalding yourself, the unit is so light weight that you have to hold it down to open the lid, and since the spout is opposite the lid hinge, it's the best place to hold the pot down while you open the lid.... BUT, I'll ASSURE YOU DON'T DO IT! [even if you have aloe handy]
Clean-up is a breeze. I use a sponge with terry cloth on one side and nylon net on the other, works great. I do use cooking spray on the burner to keep from making too big of a clean-up chore.
The temperature adjustment is really just a thermostat to cut the burner off, when the burner is on, it is wide open, the lower you adjust the dial, the shorter period of time it is wide open before it turns off. AND... the lowest setting is NOT "OFF"! Do Not plug in before you have the payload in the pot!
Also, as grits get thick, they will splatter, so be careful.
AS far as the claim that it heats water faster than a microwave? ABSOLUTELY!
My only regrets is that I didn't order two!