Customer Reviews

Rival S16 16-Inch Electric Skillet

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sunday is pancake day at our house, so right after my wife Cathy and I finish our music ministerial duties, it's time to head home, change into something more casual and fire up the Rival electric skillet. Whether it's pancakes for two or flapjacks for a crowd, it's all the "griddle" I need to get the job done.

The Rival S16 Electric Skillet is a true modern classic. It sits high off the counter on a pair of integrated handle/feet, protecting the surface below from heat marring. A detachable probe-type thermostat can be dialed from a keep-warm setting of about 200 degrees F to a scorching 425 degrees (everyone already knows 375 degrees is the ideal setting for pancakes). When the indicator lamp winks off, it's time to get cooking.

The skillet is coated inside and out with the latest formulation of DuPont Teflon, still the sine qua non of nonstick cooking. After an initial seasoning, it performed like a family-heirloom cast-iron griddle, releasing even banana pancakes without any additional greasing. The 12"x16" surface handles 4 pancakes made from a 1/4 cup of batter each, a nice easy-to-manage quantity.

Though it's fully immersible, I have yet to wash it. The only cleaning needed after a batch of pancakes is a thorough wipe with a paper towel once the skillet has been allowed to cool.

After years of fumbling with a large 16" diameter skillet which, of course, never fits correctly on any burner, I finally broke down and bought the Rival S16. After getting it home and doing the very easy seasoning (wipe with a thin coat of vegetable oil, heat to 300 degrees, then let cool completely), I tried it out with Barbara Gibbons' recipe for Greek Chili (The International Slim Gourmet Cookbook): a pound of ground sirloin, a large onion, chopped, an eggplant, two six ounce cans of tomato paste, and two ten-and-a-half ounce cans of beef broth. In other words, a fair amount of food. The S16 performed beautifully. It heats up quickly and the heat is nicely distributed across the surface.

One of its best features is a lid with an interesting handle on one side. On reading the instructions (amazing what you find when you read those things), I discovered that the handle is part of the "lid rest" feature in which the side handle on the lid fits very neatly inside the side handle of the skillet. This feature holds the lid at an almost 90 degree angle, so you don't have to keep looking around for counter space on which to set the lid. Very, very, very clever.

After you've browned the beef and simmered the tomato sauce both covered and uncovered for about twenty-five minutes, you can expect to have a fair mess to clean up. The S16 cleans up like a dream. Because it's reasonably lightweight (but not ridiculously so), it's a snap to hold it up in or over the sink, soap it a bit, and then spray it clean. (A big improvement over the old 16" round skillet.) Its very nice rectangular shape also makes it less cumbersome to work with.

If the S16 has a flaw at at, at least in terms of tomato sauces, it's the inevitable staining of the plastic lid. So now the plastic lid has a few pink areas on the inside, but that's pretty much a given when you combine tomatoes and plastic.

The minor problem with the staining, however, is more than made up for by the large plastic window in the lid that allows you to see without lifting the lid whether your dish is simmering nicely or boiling down to an inedible crust.

After decades of being addicted to cookware and kitchen gadgets, I can safely say the S16 is one of the best products I've ever used. It is clearly the result of some very thoughtful and clever design and deserves some kind of award for the lid rest feature alone. Congrats, Rival. Now, if we could just get Oxo to put their utility knife and measuring tapes back into production . . .

We have now owned two of these in the past 5 years and the non-stick lining in both has bubbled and peeled off. At first, we thought one of the kids had been using metal forks or something with the first one and scratched it all up. But when we got the second and the same thing happened we realized it was the coating itself. It has bubbled and peeled away all over and we've had to quit using it. It cooked wonderfully, but unless the lining is improved, I'll never buy another (and these larger skillets are hard to find).

I like the size, the see through window and the steam vent. The non-stick coating is great.

I don't like the fact that the temperature control hides under the hande, and is difficult to read or adjust while in use.

I was looking for something like this when I recently moved into an apartment with a friend . I figured if I had mini-fridge , microwave, and some kind of electric or gas skillet I would be self-contained cooking-wise in my room .
Well I went to my local Target and looked at several models until I spotted the Rival S16 . It was ... which seemed at the time very reasonable, so I got one .
I have been using it for several weeks now and I am blown away by the performance and versatility of this skillet . The shape and design of the pan is very well thought out . It is big enough to cook just about anything and it has perfectly slanted edges so that rice or pasta that is simmering cant sneak up the sides and get stuck . Seems to me like a fairly thick , quality , non-stick coating as well . The speed with which this skillet reaches a usable heat is amazing . It's at least 3 times faster than a pan on a conventional stove , gas or electric.
You can fry hamburgers or steaks , grill oil-free chicken or fish , boil water for mac & cheese (cheese & mac?), simmer pasta or rice mixes , make grilled cheese sandwiches , its endless .
The only negative thing I can say about this product is that the vented plastic lid gets hot enough to emit a plastic odor the first several times you use it. I could sense a slight plastic taste after using the lid on particularly high heat dishes . This goes away after 4-5 uses but I wonder if you put it in the dishwasher, if it would temper the plastic and prevent this ?
All in all a great electric skillet , and I highly recommend it. That ... "reasonable" price has developed into a steal .

Received my skillet about a week ago, it is HUGE! The non-stick enables me to cook anything with a "no hassle" cleanup! Don't know how I lived so long without one. The temperature control, yes it's tough to see, but is designed that way to keep spills from ruining it, the old ones used to break after awhile, due to exposure to splatters and spills. I will be using this skillet almost every day!

We purchase 2 Rival Electric Skillets for our Food Demos and the leg broke off on both of them. We used them a short time and the first one cracked off. We have repaired them by screwing a cork into the legs. The size and shape of the pan is good. We also like the see through lid, but the plastic handle and legs are a disaster.
Thanks you for your time
Norma Wright

I didn't want to go out and spend a bunch of money on one of these before making sure I would use it. So far I've only fried chicken and made pancakes, but its working well. You will need some counter space near an outlet as the cord is very short. The element goes around the bottom and is hotter along that area, which is not good. Other than that, it heats fast and you can heat oil without burning much easier than in a pan. Much better control. If you are really serious about making pancakes, look into an electric griddle before this since you could make more at a time and have an easier time flipping them. Would be better for burgers too. Overall, I'm glad I did not spend too much since this will not get used all that often in my house, but it is good to own one.

I've been cooking for years with an electric frying pan. I have had this one for a couple of years now and have to tell you it is the best one I have ever owned. It's still as new as the day I purchased it at Target. I make all kinds of meals in it. I especially love sausage and peppers in it. My husband makes bacon and eggs in it on Sundays. It cleans up so easily and I have to say I'm buying another one to put away in case the one I have dies on me. No I'm not being paid for these comments, I just had to pass it on.

I received this skillet as a wedding gift and I love it. I use it all the time, sometimes more than once a day. I've made everything in it from stir-fry to eggs. It is so easy to use and so easy to clean up. I am buying one for my mother as a Christmas gift, she's wanted one ever since she's seen mine.