What are the advantages of an electric skillet?

[nurseangel]

My friend mentioned that someone we used to know was an excellent cook. He said she would make the juiciest cheeseburgers in an electric frying pan by starting them and then adding in a bit of water. I have a little bit of Christmas money and am thinking about buying one. I don't want it to be an appliance that just sits in my cabinet and never sees the light of day, however. Do you have one? What do you think? For the record, I do cook a lot, mostly plain country style meals. I would appreciate any input.

 

[Kris107]

My mom has/had one. She used it whenever she needed to have a lot of surface area. For a family of 4 that meant pancakes, porkchops, bacon and eggs... It has a temp regulator so it can stay pretty consistent. I cook and I don't own one, but my mom used hers a lot.

 

[denice]

I had an electric griddle that I used for breakfast for several people on the weekends because of the surface area. I think that was the only advantage, it's kind of like a small diner style flat top. I think the surface area was the only advantage. If you are just doing a couple of cheeseburgers, you can do the same thing with a bit of water and cover to melt the cheese.

 

[Winchester]

When Mom passed, I took her old one and it's still going strong. I use it for a little bit of everything: pancakes, windowpanes (also known as eggs in a nest), liver and onions, English muffins, etc. Mom made her meatloaves in the skillet (no loaf pans for her) and, honestly, her meatloaves were excellent. She always kept them together and they were wonderful. In a pinch,

The only thing I don't like about electric skillets is that the heat is not well balanced around the skillet. Edges are too hot; the interior is not hot enough. It's been an ongoing thing for years with them. If you do any research, make sure you look for a skillet that has close to the same heat all throughout the skillet. You'll be glad you did!

 

[susanm9006]

The only time I used one was when I was remodeling the kitchen and didn’t have a range. Between the electric skillet and an electric roaster I could pretty much make anything .

 

[AbbysMom]

I got one for my wedding shower many years ago. It's a Belgique and looks similar to this -

I don't use it that often. It's useful if I need to cook up a large amount of meat for let's say a large amount of stuffing on Thanksgiving or if I make a large amount of scrambled eggs or something.

 

[Kris107]

AbbysMom I've never seen one like that! That's like a pot! The one I pictured are rectangular and maybe 2" deep.

 

[IndyJones]

Im not sure what the adbantage is other than when camping with no stove but a huge disadvantage is how hard they are to clean, they aren't dishwasher safe and you have to keep the metal part where the dial plugs in above the water.

Honestly a regular frying pan works juat as well ive found. I have an efryer that i never use.

 

[nurseangel]

Thank you all for your answers! I will surely take them into consideration when I look at skillets again. One thing that really aggravates me on amazon is that they advertise things as "dishwasher safe" and when you take the item out of the box, the instructions clearly say they are not. IndyJones I think some of the newer ones come apart and they are, but then again, that's amazon.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

My mom had and probably still has the same one shes had my entire life. She used it for everything from deep frying in the garage to regular everyday cooking. I’ve never felt like I wanted to get one myself though. I do see the advantage of having something with depth and a lid though. I guess it just depends on what you cook regularly.

 

[AbbysMom]

AbbysMom I've never seen one like that! That's like a pot! The one I pictured are rectangular and maybe 2" deep.

When I was growing up we had the rectangular one. Everyone comments on mine.

 

[lizzie]

I haven't had one in years,but when I did,it was great as a one pot wonder kinda thing.I'd put a pot roast on to cook and when it was close to being done,in would go the veggies and potatoes.No need to use the stovetop or the oven.I'd fix pork chops with a mushroom sauce,chicken cooked in a white wine/mushroom soup gravy.It was very handy,but at the time I was working and could get something going when I got home and move on to something else.Now I don't work so I have plenty of time to spend in the kitchen.

 

[nurseangel]

I am buying one today or tomorrow. I am very excited.