I just bouight an electric skillet today. What do you cook in yours? (bread, stove)

[rural chick]

At this time I have five electric skillets and when I find skillets in good shape at garage sales, I buy them to keep on hand since I cook something in an electric skillet almost every meal. It saves on using very expensive propane and in the summer it keeps the house cooler. I have even baked a cake in mine. Soups and stews love to be cooked in an electric skillet as do meats which need slow cooking with a liquid or gravy. I even have electric skillets in our camper and take drop cords to cook outside on the picnic tables at campgrounds with utilities - pancakes, eggs, fried potatoes, meat, grilled toast - almost anything.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by chiroptera

After doing some online research I bought this one today - a common complaint with electric skillets seems to be they don't get hot enough and this skillet gets no bad reviews for that.

Amazon.com: Presto 06852 16-Inch Electric Skillet with Glass Cover: Kitchen & Dining

I don't cook meat that often, mostly stir-fry vegetables or vegetarian curries, and sometimes omelettes or scrambled eggs. Once in a great while a really good steak, like bone-in ribeye. I figured an electric skillet would use less energy and be easier to clean up.

I'm going to break it in shortly with a burger and a big pile of chopped kale with spices. I have never owned or even used an electric skillet before. I just set it up, washed and pre-seasoned it.

What do you use yours for? What are the shortcomings and what are the advantages?

I was raised using one, use it when the kids were really young, but haven't even had one in 30 years and probably never will. I love my cast iron skillets and when I want to use electric I love my 5 in 1 gridler. Good luck though, I know a lot of people do enjoy theirs. Remember you can use it for a lot more than just your meats.

[Ceece]

My mom uses hers all the time (chicken cacciatore, beef stroganoff, pork chops, meatballs, sausage w/peppers and onions, whatever) and my brother recently bought one since he is 'kitchen free' for the time being and he can do way more in the skillet than he can in a microwave or crockpot.

[figmalt]

I was raised using one, so I cook almost everything in it. Right now I have a 10" and a 16" version. I prefer the electric skillet for pancakes, because the heat is more even and consistent. I rarely scorch my pancakes when I use the skillet. It's great for breakfast in general--cook hashbrowns in one half, eggs in the other. I especially like it for stirfrys.

One of the pros is that it can hold *a lot* of food. I just made a some marinara sauce on Sunday, and transferred it to another container for travel. It was easily about 4 quarts.

I also like the fact that if you have a bunch of stuff on the stove, just plug it in and you instantly have another heating element to cook with.

[talloolla]

My mother always used hers for potato pancakes, regular pancakes, fried chicken French fries. I don't think it was ever used for any other dishes.

[Bunjee]

What I've done is something like shabu shabu or Mongolian hot pot. It wasn't authentic or anything, but just a hot flavored broth you surround with plates of ingredients like vegetables, paper thin sliced meats, and seafood. You just dip them in to cook and transfer to your own bowl. It's fun, like a soup fondue party.

I did one with duck broth and shrimp, thin sliced duck breast and other meats, and lots of vegetables (some par-boiled). It was really rich. It stayed hot being plugged in and the broth got more flavorful and richer as you used it.

[gentlearts]

Since I have a stove, I just don't see the point of it. I don't want anything else taking up cupboard space or counter space.
For someone who does not have a stove, I can see how they might use it for just about everything.

[jade408]

My entire life my mom made fried chicken in an electric skillet. And teriyaki chicken. She still has the same skillet she got as a wedding gift. My parents just hit 40 years the other week

[TabulaRasa]

My mom always used one for pretty much the same things you'd use a stovetop skillet for...meats that need to be simmered in sauces, this one really tasty wild rice, mushroom, and bulk pork sausage skillet dish, good o'l SOS, etc.

For her, cooking for a large family, it was necessary to have an additional cooking surface for when all burners were occupied. I have the opposite issue...I live alone and don't typically run out of burner space, but counter space is at a premium, as are outlets in the kitchen, and storage cupboards for extra countertop appliances. So I don't gravitate to excessive plug-in appliances. I don't use an electric skillet, for that reason.

[no kudzu]

Just discovered my long-packed-away Townecraft Electric Skillet and I want to slow cook a 5 lb pork butt. Any suggestions? Do I have to brown it in another pan since the common complaint is that it does not get hot enough to sear?

I looked for it because I want to use it the same way I use my 40 year old crock pot which has teflon coating and I'm thinking it might not be healthy for us any more.