Elite Gourmet Double Cast Iron Burner, 1500 Watts

Like many people, I like drinking coffee. I like hot, and iced, coffee, but I prefer the hot version, especially when it's cold outside. I used to put my cup of coffee in the microwave, so that I could return it to that perfect sipping temperature, but that isn't very efficient. Taking the time to go to the closest microwave is less time spent doing whatever it was that you were doing. On top of that, microwaves require a lot of electricity, even if you're just using it briefly to raise the temperature of your coffee back to enjoyable levels, but what other options are there, you might ask. I started using candle warmers a long time ago. They keep coffee warm, and they don't use much electricity, but warm coffee isn't hot coffee. I stumbled upon this Elite Gourmet electric single burner, and had to try it. Will it keep my coffee hot? Will it still be more cost effective than continually reheating coffee in a microwave? Will it be safe enough to use anywhere, or I should say, anywhere with an electrical outlet, and a table, or desk, to put it on? For starters, it definitely keeps my cup of coffee hot. In fact, I only turned the dial up to 2, and my coffee was hot. So hot that I had to turn the dial down to between 1 and 2. For me, that's the sweet spot. With the temperature dial set at 1.5, or one and a half, if maintained my coffee at the perfect temperature, for me. As for the difference in power usage, I will have to return, and update this review in 1-3 months, so please return to this review later to check for that update. I can say that I get a lot more done due to not trekking back and forth to a microwave, and getting more done, whether it's work, hobby, or whatever, is always a good thing. Lastly, is it safe to use everywhere that makes sense? The short answer is......it depends. If you have enough space to place the burner so that it's not close to a wall, or things that can melt, or catch on fire, the answer is yes, but the surface it's setting on needs to be considered too. I used an infrared temperature gun to take intermittent temperature readings under, and around the burner, while keeping the burner setting at 2 for exactly one hour. I discovered that the hottest zone, other than the burner itself, was directly under the burner. So, whatever you're using this burner for, whether it's to keep your coffee hot, or for cooking food, you need to be careful, and make sure that you turn it off if you're going to leave it unattended. Anything that gets hot enough to cook food on, is hot enough to be potentially dangerous, if you're not being careful, and this device gets very hot, very quickly. Anyway, I really like this burner. It works excellent. It's very easy to operate, it's light enough to transport, providing you wait until it's cooled down first, and it doesn't take a lot of space to use on a counter, table, or desk. It's easy to clean, but make sure to unplug it first, especially if you're using a damp cloth, or sponge, and don't use a scratch pad, or any abrasive cleaning pad, especially metal ones, like SOS, or Brillo. Please read the instructions before using it. I even think the burner looks nice. If I had to nitpick, I would like it even better if it had a digital display showing the temperature. While I have a infrared temperature gun, to check the temperature of each of the 1-Max dial settings, it would be nicer to have a digital display, so that you could see the temperature without having to use a separate device. I will say that the temperatures for each dial setting are consistently the same, after multiple different readings. It's a great product, and I'm glad that I bought it. I'm considering purchasing another one, so that I don't have to transport this one to and from places. I'll update this review in a few months, to add how cost effective it is, compared to using a microwave. I hope this review helps.