Everyone has seen hot plates: they look like a single electric stove burner. In fact, that's exactly what hot plates are, when used in the home. People often use them if they have an efficiency apartment, dorm room or a room in a boarding house. They are good for small cooking chores, such as boiling water or heating soup.

Hot plates are powered by electricity and may have either one or two burners. In general, each burner will have an adjustable heating control, which means, for dual-burner hot plates, it isn't necessary for both burners to be on even if one is not being used.

Someone shopping for hot plates should look for ones with adjustable temperature controls, a non-stick reflector plate for easier cleaning, and a safety switch that will cut the plate off after a certain amount of time. This reduces the risk of fire. Hot plates, in fact, are not allowed in many dorm rooms because they do have what amounts to an open flame. Many fires have started when a tired college student fell asleep with a nearly empty pan of soup on a hot burner.

Hot plates are available almost everywhere small kitchen appliances are sold, usually with the hot pots and toaster ovens. They start in price at about 20 US Dollars for a single-burner and go to up to about 60 USD for the double-burner hot plates. They are also available online.

Oddly enough, hot plates in the form of solid platforms are invaluable in the laboratory--right up there with the Bunsen burner. These hot plates are meant to heat chemicals or other solutions for lab experiments. Some even have magnetic stirrers to keep the heat and motion going at the same time. These are usually available from laboratory supply stores.

Hot plates can be lifesavers for those who need some way to cook, but don't have much space. However, they should also always be treated with care, following all common sense safety rules. Following those rules can reduce the chance of fires and injuries.