Coil, Cast Iron or Glass? The Best Hot Plate Electric Picks

An electric hot plate earns its place on the days the stove runs out of burners. A pot of frijoles de la olla needs three hours of gentle simmering, the rice needs a burner, the salsa needs another, and someone still wants a comal hot for tortillas. A plug-in burner on the counter, or on a folding table at a party, takes one of those jobs off the range.

This guide covers the plain electric kind: open coils, solid cast-iron plates and infrared burners under ceramic glass. All of them heat any pot you own, including clay ollas, aluminum and glass, which induction cannot. Nine burners are below, single and double, with each maker’s wattage, controls and safety features, and what those numbers mean for a slow pot of beans versus a hot comal.

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Quick verdict: which electric hot plate to buy

If your pots are magnetic and you want faster, more exact heat, our guide to the best induction cooktop covers the portable induction burners; this page sticks to the electric burners that work with any cookware.

Five hot plates side by side

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook, with the burner type and wattage each maker states. All nine hot plates are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Wattage, controls and safety features are as stated by each maker; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best hot plate electric burners

The nine burners below cover the three common element types. Cast-iron plates are sturdy and hold heat, but are slow to heat up and cool down. Open coils respond a little faster and cost less. Infrared burners under ceramic glass heat quickly and wipe clean, but the glass needs flat-bottomed pans and a gentle hand. Each pick lists the maker’s wattage, controls and safety features and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose an electric hot plate

A hot plate is a simple appliance, so the choice comes down to a few numbers and how you plan to use it: a long simmer, a hot comal, or keeping food warm on a buffet.

Element type: coil, cast iron or ceramic glass

Open coils warm quickly and cost least, but spills run between the turns. Cast-iron plates are flat and sturdy and hold steady heat for a long simmer, but they heat slowly and stay hot after you switch them off; Cusimax says about 15 minutes to cool. Infrared burners under ceramic glass heat fast and wipe clean, but need flat-bottomed pans and should not have heavy pots dropped or dragged on them. Induction is a fourth option, faster and more precise, but it needs magnetic cookware; see our guide to the best induction cooktop.

Power and the size of your pot

The double burners here top out at 1,500 to 1,800 watts in total, and they share that between two plates. A 1,300-watt plate will bring a medium pot to a simmer and hold it; a 500- or 900-watt plate is better for warming. For a large olla of beans or a tamale steamer, start the pot on the range and move it to the hot plate to hold a simmer.

One burner or two

A single strong burner is more useful than two weak ones for cooking. A double makes sense for a buffet or a party, where one plate keeps beans or queso warm while the other cooks. Check how the maker splits the wattage: Cuisinart’s double is 1,300 plus 500, Cusimax’s is 900 plus 900.

Controls you can read

Knobs with five to seven positions are simple and easy to use with wet hands. Duxtop’s touch panel offers 15 steps, which helps hold a gentle simmer. Indicator lights that show when the plate is on, and when it has reached temperature, are worth having on any burner.

Safety features and recalls

Look for non-slip feet, a power light and, where the maker states one, an overheat or automatic shut-off. Before buying any hot plate, search its brand and model on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recalls page. When we checked CPSC’s published recall list for this guide, we found no recall for any of the nine models here, but recalls are added all the time.

Your cookware

Plain electric burners heat any material, including clay, aluminum and glass. A cast-iron comal works well on a cast-iron plate or glass top if its base is flat; our guide to the best comal for an electric stove covers which comals sit flat on electric elements.

How we picked these nine hot plates

We searched the electric burners sold on Amazon from identifiable makers, including Cuisinart, Elite Gourmet, Ovente, Cusimax, Courant and Duxtop, and checked each through the Amazon product data for stock and for the maker’s stated wattage, plate size, controls, safety features and warranty. We looked for Proctor Silex and Hamilton Beach electric hot plates too, but found no coil or cast-iron model from either in stock; the Hamilton Beach single burner we found is induction. We checked every brand against the CPSC recall list and left out listings from unidentified sellers, out-of-stock models and burners whose listings mixed up specifications.

We have not used these burners ourselves. Where a maker does not state a plate size, a shut-off feature or a warranty, the specifications say so.

Hot plate questions, answered

Is a hot plate safe to leave on for a long simmer?

Treat it like any burner: stay nearby. The U.S. Fire Administration says cooking is “by far, the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries” and that unattended equipment was the leading factor in home cooking fires that spread beyond the pan or cooking vessel; its advice is “Stand by your pan.” Set the hot plate on a heat-resistant surface, away from walls, curtains and paper, and follow the maker’s manual.

Cast iron, coil or infrared: which heats fastest?

Infrared and coil burners respond faster than cast-iron plates, which must heat a heavy disc first. Cast iron is slower to heat and cool but steady once it gets there, which suits a long simmer.

Can I use a clay pot or a comal on a hot plate?

Yes, plain electric burners work with any cookware, unlike induction. Use a flat-bottomed pan sized to the plate, and follow the clay pot maker’s guidance on heat. For bean pots, see our guide to the best clay pot for cooking beans.

Is a hot plate cheaper to run than the stove?

Running costs depend on your electricity rate and how long you cook, and none of these makers publishes a comparison. The case for a hot plate is the extra burner, not a lower bill.

Hot plate or electric griddle for tortillas at a party?

For a dozen tortillas at a time, an electric griddle gives a bigger flat surface; see our guide to the best electric griddle. A hot plate with a comal on it is the more flexible choice if you also need a burner for a pot.

The burner we’d add for a crowded stove

Buy the Cuisinart Cast-Iron Single Burner for one strong, steady extra burner, or the Cuisinart Double Burner if you want a warmer beside it. The Elite Gourmet double covers two small pots on a budget, the Ovente infrared is the light glass-top choice, and the Duxtop Pro gives the finest control.

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For what to cook on it, our guide to charro beans and refried beans explains the two pots that most often need an extra burner, and the best comal for tortillas covers the pan for the plate. If you would rather we did the cooking, see our menu or call to order.