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

I purchased this cook top about 5 years ago when I moved into a studio which didn't have a kitchen. I put it on a timer so I could make one pot meals while I work, and this thing has never let me down. I've literally left it outside in the rain for months while using it daily, and continue to use it even now that I have a large range stove. It is perfect for using on a timer to make rice, beans, soups, and pretty much anything else. Not to over powered so it fit on 15amp circuits without overloading them. I've been looking to upgrade since I've had it so long and would like to have a larger burner plate because I live in another house without an exhaust, so I need a mobile stove top so I can exhaust moisture out of the window as I cook, but I'm realizing this really is the best value for the price, and to get a larger burn plate is x10 the cost.

I almost tossed this...glad I gave it a second chance. I bought it for cooking while traveling away from home. It seemed to be a good option for that...cooking in hotels or in an unfurnished apartment/home when on an extended stay.The first couple of times I used it it didn't seem to get hot enough to boil the water but in hindsight it seems to work better and get hotter after the first few uses. It kind of seems like it needs to burn off the coating first before it's fully functional, but once it does it works great and is pretty efficient just keep in mind that due to its reduced wattage it may take longer than expected to get hot. Think of the light as a preheat...when it first turns off, it only means that it's ready to start cooking.There is an initial smell that comes from the burner and maybe even a little smoke I'm not so sure about the smoke because I first used it outside and the room that I was in was fairly large and well ventillated not sure if the initial smoke was from what I was cooking or the residue. Whatever coating, residue, or what have you that causes it does eventually burn off and leave you with no smell but it did take quite a few uses (even after initially leaving mine on 1 much longer than the recommended time).There were a few options with the burner tops. Mine is the iron one. It retains some heat after the burner light cuts off. I saw some reviews complaining about this but now after using it I see it as a feature (if efficiency is important to you) because the heat turns off once the desired setting is reached yet the burner is still cooking. The downside is that sometimes you will need to turn the burner off (or down) earlier than you may be used to.At home I have an electric stove and while it does take longer to warm up or cool down compared to a gas stove, the response time is still much closer to a gas stove than it is to this burner. It can take quite awhile for the burner to completely cool down after turning off. A nuisance at first but now that I'm used to it I kind of like it since it does save me a lot of power. I'm on an extended stay now and there is a gas stove here that works great but I find myself using this burner most of the time to save my expense on gas. Recently got the electric bill and it was so much cheaper (a fraction) than the gas which was really great and I was using it the burner a lot.One other downside is that it takes the burner a lot longer than expected to heat up. I have been turning it on early to "preheat" it and this helps a lot to get things cooking. I have even used the burner to cook stock in a large stock pot. It did take longer to get the water boiling and I had to use higher settings but it worked fine otherwise. My only worry was whether the burner could handle the weight. The burner is still new (I've only been using it a couple months so far) so the jury is still out on that.All things considered I'm very happy with my burner and even considering getting another one. It is very efficient, takes very little space, and is great for travel or on the road. A second one will allow me to cook two things at the same time.Edit on March 29, 2023 - One other thing that probably deserves being mentioned. The settings are numbered from 1 to 6 (if I remember right, because my stove is currently packed somewhere since I'm not traveling at the moment). It will take some trial and error to find out which settings work best for your cooking preference. I recommend after the initial burnoff (per the manual), doing a test run first to boil water in your usual pot presetting to 4 first then allowing it to go until the water is boiling and then turning it down to see where you like it set at most for simmering, medium boil, etc. Then do a fry test run frying/sauting something simple (like onions and potatoes or similar) and starting again presetting at around 3.5 and then heating everything up in your preferred pan and seeing what settings you like best here as well for it to cook at the speeds that you prefer.

I got the Elite Gourmet ESB-301BF Single Cast Iron Burner for my wood shop, and it’s been perfect for the job. It heats up quickly and does a great job warming a pot of water for glue. The cast iron plate holds heat well, and the temperature control is simple but effective. It’s compact, sturdy, and doesn’t take up much space, making it a great addition to my setup. If you need a reliable, no-frills hot plate, this one gets the job done!

This is a nice hot plate. It has a rotary dial to adjust the temperature from "1 to 6" heat levels. The plate itself has a cast iron top (black), and the base is a solid, heavy duty black plastic. It works well. It gave off an odor in its first 5 minutes of operation, which it said it would in the instruction manual, but it quickly dissipated - so, make sure you let it heat up for a few minutes before you actually use it with people in the kitchen because they'll wonder what the odor that doesn't smell like `brunch' is all about.Highly satisfied so far.