Product Review: Rival 32-ounce Hot Pot Express Vs. Chefmate 1.4 Quart Hot Pot

Not all hot pots are created equal. Together, the Rival 32-ounce Hot Pot Express and the Chefmate 1.4 quart Hot Pot are a perfect example of inequality. While they both cost about the same to buy, and share a common design, you might be surprised to find out just how different they can are. And one of them far surpasses the other.

Being college students living in a dorm room, my roommates and I have had to find creative ways of getting food to the table without the use of a stove. Our answer has been an arsenal of small appliances that has grown to include an electric skillet, and electric wok, a toaster, a toaster oven, and our most used appliance, an electric hot pot. We use our hot pot on a daily basis, usually to heat water or to boil pasta or ramen noodles.

But recently our trusty Rival 32-ounce Hot Pot Express met its end after one of us accidentally set it in the sink, allowing water to seep inside the pot's case. One of my roommates was quick to run to the nearby Target store to pick up a replacement. He returned with the Chefmate 1.4 quart Hot Pot, and we soon put it to work. However, the results we got from the new pot were less than stellar.

One thing we immediately noticed was that the Chefmate took much longer to boil any amount of water than the Rival had before. At full capacity, it takes the Chefmate pot at least ten to twelve minutes to bring the water to a rolling boil, while it used to take our Rival only four to five minutes to accomplish the same task. Immediately, one might say this is because the Rival's maximum capacity is 32 ounces (1 quart) while the Chefmate's is 1.4 quarts. This is true, but I soon discovered an additional explanation. While the output of the Rival is 1000 watts, the output of the Chefmate is only 700 watts. So while the Chefmate has more water to boil, it also has less power to boil it with.