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60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully simple and useful ! One to keep., August 27, 2003
This is one of my favorite small appliance products ever. I got one of these in the 1980s and it lasted me for years and years. I gave it away to charity and have searched for one since then ! I thought I'd get a new one and it would look 'new' therefore better. But it was still working perfectly when I gave it away. I only hope whoever got it, knew how to use it and likes it as much as I did ! I can't find another one now ! LOLAnyway, it's been described in the other reviews but I'll add this: Its design is very simple. You plug it in, sit it on your counter top, lift the lid and pour in a couple mugfuls of water (there is a line to show you how much is two cups exactly).
You close the lid, and then you push down the button in front. The light goes on. When the light goes green (if memory serves; it's either that or goes off but either way it's sooo simple to figure out) the water is boiling hot. (By the way, if you are vision impaired -- you can hear the water boiling, and when the sound stops you know it is ready. It is a gentle soothing 'steam' sound). Now, you just put your mug or soup bowl underneath it (there is a stand/base, and the water tank is on top of that) and push the button down. The hot water pours out of the water tank into the soup bowl or mug. It is that simple ! And it really does take two minutes. I've tried boiling water in a microwave; it does not get hot enough. This really does the trick. The water is boiling hot but not bubbling. I never hurt myself with the temperature of this water; you will want to keep small kids away from it though, like you would with any hot water. There is no latch on the lid, so if they pulled it down off the counter the water might come out and burn them. But that isn't likely to happen, because the cord is short. Just push it back far on the counter top. Another safety feature is, it does shut itself off once the water is done boiling. When I ignored it, I would have to boil it again but that's good; I'd rather re boil it than have it totally scalding or simmering all day. The best part is you can use Hot Shot for many things. I made instant mashed potatoes with it, and usually just tea or hot chocolate. It is the ideal appliance for anyone in a small living area such as a dorm or studio apartment. It is even good to have in one's bedroom if you share living quarters. You could have your morning coffee or tea before facing the roommates ! If there is a downside it is that it only boils water. You can't heat soup in it but then I like it that way ! I had a hot POT in college and never used it after the first time. I hated cleaning old soup out of there ! It's much easier and neater to just boil water in the Hot SHOT and use instant soup powder in a mug. I had the Hot Shot for a long time and it never needed cleaning inside. But there is an easy to understand user's manual with it, that explains how to clean it out if calcium deposits do settle in from the water over the years. All in all I recommend this with the highest rating. It remains one of my all time favorite small appliances for its ease of use and for its simplicity ! I used it every day ! Also it does not take up much room on the counter top.
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