Thursday 1 September 2011

Hot Pot Express - hot water, tea kettle


I love this little pot! It boils water and cooks everything very fast!! I have one at home and one for my travels. This little hot pot is terrific when one is away from home and has no kitchen. The non-stick bottom makes this pot a breeze to clean up! I have dietary restrictions and can not go out and "grab a bite" like most other people, when I am not near my house. I especially recommend this pot to anyone who may suffer the same problem as me. I would be lost without this pot, when I need to be away from home. :-)


At my workplace we have no hot water dispenser. Before this, I was resorting to microwaving a mug of hot water. I was recommended this device as a tool for shaving, but I found that it got the water a little too hot for my shaving needs. I took it into work and have been loving the thing ever since. In the time it takes me to clean a spoon in the sink and get yogurt out of the fridge, the water is hot enough for tea. The exterior stays quite cool and can be picked up and touched immediately even when the water inside is scalding hot. I've even boiled milk, water, and black tea together in this unit without problems. Cleans quite easily.


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.


Rival 4071-WN 32-Ounce Hot Pot Express


Great for cooking soups, noodles, vegetables, and much more. The Hot Pot boils water up to 60% faster than a microwave and it's easy to clean non-stick cooking surface.

- Electric Kettle - Electric Tea Kettle - Tea Kettle - Hot Water - Boil Water'


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