There’s nothing more comforting on a cold winter night than sitting around a table with your friends and family eating food that you all cooked together. And there’s no better way to do that than hot pot! From broths filled with mouth-numbing Chinese Szechuan peppers to mild Japanese shabu shabu, hot pot is fun, instant, and easy to do at home—if you have the right materials.
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Table of Contents
Here, we'll be introducing the important points to check when you choose a hot pot cooker. You'll want to consider the different types and materials, as well as pot shapes. And don't forget to think about safety and maintenance.
Essentially, an electric pot is your pot and your heat source rolled into one machine. It sits on your table, doesn’t require any gas canisters, and often has several heat settings. Electric pots are great for those who eat a lot of hot pot and would make use of one often.
If you decide to get an electric pot, make sure the pot portion is removable for easy washing. And of course, to use this kind, you need to be near an outlet or have an extension cord that can handle the right wattage.
Other safety features to look for are cords that release easily, in case someone trips over it, anti-skid feet, and fire-prevention features like overheating protection and auto-shutoff.
The shape also means that everything will heat up more quickly. If you have a family of four or expect a small house party, we’d say you should reach for a pot that can hold at least five liters.
Split pots are the same size as a normal hot pot dish, but usually have two sections that are completely sealed off from one another. This allows you to cater to different tastes by having two different types of broths in one pot.
These are good if there are vegetarians or those with special diets in your group, or if you want to have both mild broth and spicy broth available.
With these, always test to make sure the divider is properly sealed before you use it. Doing so is as simple as pouring water into one half and checking to see if any seeps over to the other side.
Smaller volume, deeper pots are best used by those dining alone. These types of pots are usually multi-functional and can be used to make almost anything you’d make in a saucepan or soup pot.
Pros:
Cons:
This pot is amazingly versatile, allowing you to use it with its electric heating unit, or on a gas or electric range. The slick coating makes it easy to clean since even rice won't get stuck. It's hot enough to sear meats, too, so you can use it for Korean barbecue.
Reviewers say that it is easy to use and has a lot of nice safety features, like the magnetic cord to avoid tripping accidents. They say the device is built to last overall.
Cons:
This uniquely shaped pot features two separate, concentric sections which are reachable by everyone at the table. The pot is removable for easy washing and at almost five liters, big enough for a crowd.
Some reviewers have noted inconsistent quality control, and others complained that it's noisy when heating up. However, many love using it for Chinese-style hot pot and say it boils quickly.
Cons:
This 1.5-liter electric hot pot is perfect for one person. It's great for hot pot, ramen, and boiling water, and comes with a tray for making hard-boiled eggs. It heats up fast and has two temperature settings, as well as a keep-warm function.
Reviewers warn that the inner pot is not removable, so you have to be careful when washing it. However, they love how easy and safe it is to use and how fast water boils in it.
Cons:
One unique thing about this pot is that the lid, the removable pot, and the outer base are all dishwasher-safe. The three-quart size makes it big enough for plenty of hot pot. It's perfect for almost anything you can do on the stove, but the ridged bottom isn't suitable for things like fried eggs.
Some reviewers experienced issues like overheating, bubbling paint on the body, or faulty electrical connections, but these were rare. Most really love that it's so easy to clean and very versatile in what it can cook.
Cons:
Some reviewers experienced quality-control issues like holes in the pot itself or poor longevity. On the other hand, reviewers like the ability to separate spicy and mild broths, and only a few report leaks from one side to the other.
Cons:
This hot pot and grill combo is the device you need to make your next dinner party an experience your guests will remember! The center features a divided hot pot for making two broths, and the outer ring is a grill surface, each with its own temperature control. The grill has a drain and oil catcher for smoke-free indoor use.
Reviewers mention that it's not the easiest to clean because the cooking surface isn't detachable. But they like how big it is, saying it's great for parties of four to eight diners, even though the hot pot section is a bit small.
Being based in Japan, mybest knows a thing or two about hot pot. Here are some of our favorite recipes! Keep in mind that these are mostly Japanese, so we'd encourage you to look at other resources for Chinese hot pot and more.
The standard nabe hot pot recipes in Japan are fairly healthy since you just need three main components: soup, a ton of vegetables, and meat (optional). This recipe by Kikkoman (original recipe is in Japanese only) is a fairly standard yet highly customizable nabe recipe you can easily make at home.
Ingredients (serves 3 people):
Recipe:
Sukiyaki beef hot pot is another classic Japanese hot pot recipe, and this one is also provided by Kikkoman. Like the tofu nabe recipe above, you're free to mix and match ingredients, but you'll at least need the beef and the soup base for an authentic experience.
Ingredients (serves 3 to 4 people):
10.5 ounces thinly-sliced beef
1 block of grilled tofu
2 stalks of green onions
7 ounces of shirataki rice noodles
1 pack of enoki mushrooms (optional, if this is difficult to find)
4 shiitake mushrooms
1 handful of crowndaisy (optional; any mild-tasting greens will work)
Cooking oil
4 eggs (optional)
(for soup base)
2/5 cup soy sauce
2/5 cup mirin cooking wine
4 tablespoons white sugar
2/5 cup water
Recipe:
Let's say you've already finished your delicious hot pot recipe, but you still have soup leftover. It's actually pretty easy to turn this into another meal! In Japan, this is sometimes referred to as shime (SHEE-meh), or closing out the meal.
Some ways you can make your leftover soup into a shime meal is to add uncooked ramen noodles (adding heat to cook the noodles in the soup, of course), buckwheat soba noodles, chewy udon noodles, or even cooked rice.
It's also common to add in a few extra ingredients like green onions or eggs to give it even more flavor, and you can give it another flavor boost by adding a dash of your favorite condiments like soy sauce, hot sauce, and more. Go crazy with it!
While hot pot cookers are versatile, they're not the only piece of equipment you'll need to make a wide variety of meals. Here are some of our favorite gadgets!
Not sure you've found quite the right hot pot for you? Here are what Amazon customers like for electric hot pots!
No. 1: Zojirushi | Gourmet d’Expert Electric Skillet | EP-PBC10
No. 2: Aroma Housewares | Housewares Stainless Steel Hot Pot | ASP-600
No. 3: Dezin | Electric Hot Pot
No. 4: Aroma Housewares | Housewares 3-in-1 Super Pot with Grill Plate | ASP-137
No. 5: Sonya | Electric Shabu Shabu Hot Pot with Divider | SYHS-30
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