I wanted to get a hot plate to save on heating fuel, as my stove is gas. After checking a lot of reviews, I settled on the Elite Hot Plate. At first blush, I was pretty pleased with the product. It seems well-made, with solid cast iron burners. That is a nice feature, which means there is no open space for food to drip under the burners. The first time I used it, I used the smaller burner, and had set a container on the unused burner. A few moments later, I smelled a chemical smell, only to find that the container on the unused burner had melted, even though I hadn't turned it on! I was able to scrape the melted plastic off the burner, and clean it up well enough to use it. After closer examination, I discovered that the knobs have no real Off or On, ie; there is no "click", or notch to turn it on or off- the knob just easily rolls in either direction. I now keep it uplugged unless it is in use, and watch the knobs like an eagle, as it takes no effort for the knob to get rolled by accident to "on". Had the company made the knobs with the need to push it in in order to turn it on, the problem would not exist, and i would have given it 5 stars. So... while it works well as a hotplate, just beware that it could be a fire hazard, or burn hazard, should someone not realize that a burner they think is off, might actually be "on"!

CatWhispurrer

Moscow, VT