Rival's Electric Kettle Rivals Everything Else for Most Important College Dorm Item

Even though most college campuses don’t allow it, an electric kettle (or hotpot) is almost a necessary part of the college experience. The hotpot’s main purpose is to heat water or other liquids such as coffee or tea. Over the years though, students have been using their hotpots to make pasta, macaroni and cheese, and soup. When I got to Syracuse, I didn’t bring a hotpot because I thought I wouldn’t need it. After my first failed attempt at macaroni and cheese in the microwave, I knew that a hotpot was going to be necessary.

I am not a newbie to the art of cooking with the hotpot. I have had one at summer camp over the past 4 summers and it has always been there for those late night ramen snacks. Since I was about six hours away from home, I ran over to the CVS on campus and picked one up. When I opened the cardboard box, inside was the hotpot wrapped in plastic, along with instructions. The hotpot is made of white plastic and measures roughly 8”x8”x6”. It is in the shape of a kettle with one end having a handle and one end having a spout. There is a top that snaps closed and has a handle to open. The top can be opened to add ingredients or can be shut to protect the contents from outer elements. There is a short wire running out of the base to plug in the hotpot. The cord that came with mine was very short so if you want comfortable cooking, I recommend picking up an extension cord. When looking into the hotpot, you see a black circle on the bottom. This is the part that heats up the contents. It is sort of like a hot plate placed at the bottom of a pot. Be careful when plugged in because touching this portion could cause a serious burn. On the outside of the pot towards the base, there is a knob for controlling the amount of energy put out by the hotpot. It ranges from 1-7 but there is no 0. If you want to completely stop the hotpot from cooking, you have to unplug the hotpot.

Boiling water in the hotpot is extremely simple and is very fast. The hotpot that I have boils water within a couple of minutes. To get some water going, just pour water in, plug it in, and turn up the power knob. My friends and I don’t really drink tea so instead we use our hotpots for food. The hotpot is perfect for making ramen soup or macaroni and cheese where the first thing you need to do is boil water. After cooking the pasta for the macaroni and cheese, you can go to a sink and just pour out the excess water. When the top is closed, it also acts as a strainer for the spout so none of the noodles will get out, just the water. Then you can just add the cheese and eat straight out of the hotpot if you want; this is of course after it has been unplugged.

Don’t wait too long to clean out your hotpot, especially after some macaroni and cheese, because the leftover contents will harden and be a pain to get off. Besides that, cleaning is very easy in that all it takes is some water, soap, and either a sponge or a washcloth. Another easy way to clean is to put water and soap in the pot and plug it in. This will heat up the water as well as the contents stuck to the sides and will make using a sponge much easier.

The hotpot has always been associated with college life and I can see why. Whether its heating up some tea to get rid of a cold, or making some late night brain food to keep you awake during finals week, the hotpot is a quick and easy way to satisfy your college food needs when the dining halls are closed.