Customer Reviews

Oster 3004 Inspire Electric Skillet, Black

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I purchased this unit to replace a Cusinart electric skillet that cost over twice as much. That skillet lasted 3 years & then the thermostat quit working - it always ran on the highest temperature. So if this lasts half as long, I figure I am ahead.

There is a lot to like about this electric skillet. First, I like the rectangular (with rounded corners, mind you) shape. The Cusinart I had was oval, and I like the rectangular shape better - especially for frying bacon (I often use this for making weekend breakfast). Also, again when frying bacon, I love the depth of this pan - splatters do not escape as easily. And, it cooks scrambled eggs like a dream. I have also made fried rice in it which came out very nicely.

It does have a cool spot in the center when cooking on medium heat (the heating element is a loop around the underside of the skillet about an inch and a half inside the outer edge), but I just rotate the bacon when turning it and for anything else requiring occasional stirring, this is not an issue.

The unit seems well built and cleans up very easily. There are no recessed interior areas that can retain water on the bottom (a problem w/ my Cuisinart that may have lead to it's demise). I like the little trigger release for the cord - it prevents you from having to tug on the cord to release it when there may be hot oil, etc. in the skillet. It does slide around a bit more than I like on the counter, but I plan on attaching some stick-on rubber "feet" to remedy that.

All in all, I am very happy with my purchase. I wish I had saved the $129 I spent on the Cusinart & purchased this skillet to start with. I would recommend this skillet to anyone looking for a very easy-to-clean, large, deep electric skillet.

The rectangular size and deep sides allow you to make just about anything. The clear glass cover makes it easy to see what it is going on inside and it also vents. We use ours all the time. It is heavy, but I don't count that as a minus.

This same skillet model sells on the Oster site for ten dollars less than the price it's sold here, and close to twenty less than what is listed as the list price here. Hhhmmmm.

I recommend highly. Simple to use, precise cooking temps, and clean up is so easy! It actually does go into a dishwasher, and the non-stick coating is just that! I own 3 Oster electric skillets, and if it were possible, I would do away with my stove. They are that good!

The shape is perfect for a large meal and the unit also fits in the refrigerator. I especially like the glass top, the steam release and ability to set the pan at an angle to facilitate the collection of grease.

I bought this electric frying pan to replace a Sunbeam one I've had for many years. I researched all the features I wanted and this seemed to fill the bill. However, when I was ready to make my first dish, pancakes, I plugged in the pan and ...no power. I tried another outlet and the same thing happened. Unfortunately I had to return it. While the company offered to replace with another, I choose to look around some more. Only thing else I didn't like was the temp control located under the handle so you couldn't read the temp while it was plugged in, meaning you couldn't read to adjust. That should be corrected on future models.

This skillet has a lot of room, its wide and deep. I have used it alot already and it cooks things faster than i ever would have dreamed. Very good buy!

For what I gave for this skillet this is a bad buy. Cold spot in the center, does not heat to the temperature on the control. When cooking had bad smell, until I took rubber spacers on lid handle off. 65.00$ is to
much for this skillet.

I originally purchased this to fry fish while camping... just hadn't caught any fish, yet. Friends and I used this to make breakfast while camping, including pancakes, eggs, country fried potatoes, and three lbs. of hamburger that I turned into chili. Everything I have made in this has turned out just fine, and nothing ever burned.

The slight disappointment about this product is two-fold: there is a slight rise in the center of the pan, so oil flows away from the center, and there is a cool spot in the center. I am pretty sure this is quite intended, and I have not warped my pan by heating it with nothing in it. These design qualities I am pretty sure would make sense when cooking meals where certain ingredients that cook faster could stay in the center of the skillet.

Tonight, for the first time in my life, I made fried tilapia fish. My own recipe is new (I have a penchant for experimenting in the kitchen). This recipe is for making encrusted tilapia.

My fish coating is unique. It involved a two-step dredge: first patting dry the rinsed filets, then rolled and pressed in coarse semolina flour (which is used for making pastas), then resting five minutes. Next, a quick bath in a thickened arrow-root glaze, then the second dredge in a combination of cornmeal and breadcrumbs. I allowed my Crisco to heat while the filets were resting (almost ten minutes), followed by slowly lowering each of four filets into the Oster electric skillet.

I have observed that even though I kept the heat setting at 400, the Oster did not seem to be frying with as much action as I have seen other fryers perform. While frying my fish, I noticed that if I kept the cover on, the temperature slowly rose, and I could hear and see more robust frying occurring in my skillet. My coating recipe yielded very crispy, encrusted tilapia. Inside, the filets were moist and flavorful.

I am pretty sure this skillet was designed with safety and ease of cleanup in mind. It didn't splatter too much, and cleanup was surprisingly quick. Since the frying dish is separate from the heating base, you can be sure to get everything good and clean.

One caveat: Despite the large size of this skillet, you should not overcrowd the skillet when frying. I also fried polenta medallions cut from one of those 16-ounce tubes. Polenta takes twice as long as fish does to fry. In the future, I plan to fry side items first, and keep them in foil, warming in the oven; before any fish hits the skillet.

I would recommend this product to people who are beginners with fried foods, like myself. The maximum cooking temperature is 400 degrees, but I doubt if it gets that hot, unless the cover is on it. I think my fish took 1/3 more time than it should have, but it wasn't greasy (which can happen if frying happens at lower temperatures).

This will also come in handy to keep snacks warm during parties. I'll bet it would work out great for cooking meals and serving right from the skillet to the table, for dinner parties.

Other items I plan to make with this product include almond encrusted salmon, arepas, empenadas, gorditas, chile rellenos, armadillo eggs, fried hallumi cheese, fried raclette cheese, fried goat-cheese medallions, fried green tomatoes, tostones, fried eggplant medallions, homefries, bacon, meatballs, calamari, and stirfry baby octopus.

When shopping for a new electric skillet, I had several functions in mind. 1) Not knowing the temperature that products were cooking at. 2) Cold and hot spots across the entire surface. 3) A plug that was capable of unplugging itself with no assistance.

This skillet serves all three purposes.

Within one month of purchase, the temperature gauge markings on the dial had worn off, making temperature control a crapshoot based on how far you turn the dial past where the orange heat light turns on. There are wide swaths of the interior that barely get warm, which is perfect for those nights when you have absolutely nothing better to do than stand at your skillet and shove food around in an attempt to maintain semi-even cooking. Also, the electrical plug has nothing that locks it into place and it can pop out while being used.

Electrocution means that dinner gets served late, if ever, and this item is no longer used for cooking purposes at my house.

Pros:
Ability to discover what "freezing hot" feels like.
Elevated legs allow my large-breed dogs to drink from it without neck strain.

Cons:
Ability to discover what "freezing hot" feels like.
Everything else about this skillet.