Share a Meal with These Best Electric Hot Pots (2024)

There's something primal about communal cooking. Sitting down with a group of people to make food together—whether it's in a cave around a campfire or at a dining table around a pot of hot broth—connects us to what it means to be human. Cultures around the world have their own versions of this, from Swiss fondue to Japanese shabu-shabu to the centuries-old cooking method known as Chinese hot pot (sometimes called steamboat).

Hot pot is a popular option for casual family dinners and social events. A simmering pot of liquid is placed in the center of a table, and everyone cooks their serving of meat, seafood, and vegetables in the broth. The pot evolves into an aromatic soup as it takes on the flavors of the spices and foods being cooked in it.

Key to the hot pot experience is a tabletop heating device to keep the pot, well, hot. These come in sizes made to feed anywhere from two to six or more people, and they have all sorts of accessories that expand their abilities further. All you need to do is prep ingredients, set the table with chopsticks, strainers, and spoons, and turn the hot pot on.

What to Look for in an Electric Hot Pot

Material

The actual cooking pot that comes with most electric hot pots is made of either aluminum or stainless steel, and might or might not have a nonstick coating. Aluminum is lighter and cheaper but doesn't transmit or hold heat as effectively as the denser steel. Nonstick pots are of course easier to clean, but you generally can't use metal utensils without scratching the coating.

Capacity

Electric hot pots come many different shapes, sizes and configurations, which can all hold different amounts of food. A personal-sized pot might have a capacity of a quart or a quart and a half, while ones for larger crowds range up to 5 or 6 quarts. Hot pot is often a dinner party get-together activity, so a larger model could be a good choice, though if you're doing shabu-shabu for only one or two, a less-expensive small pot will do.

Features & Accessories

Almost every electric hot pot on the market has more than one temperature setting. This could be as basic as just high and low, while more expensive and more multifunctional machines can adjust from a bare simmer to the searing heat you'll get on the stovetop or grill. Hot pots that have a sauté or grill feature might come with a separate shallow pan to swap out with the deeper pot, while others use the same vessel for all their functions. (There are even a few models with a grill plate mounted in the center of the pot for simultaneous boiling and grilling.) You might also get a steaming rack to help use the hot pot for dumplings or steamed veggies.

Another popular option lets you cook in two different broths at once, using either a double bowl or a divider that inserts into the bowl. One spicy and one mild broth choice is a great way to accommodate different tastes at once using this feature.

FAQs

How do you make hot pot?

The key to successful hot pot is prepping everything ahead of time. You should cut meat, poultry, fish, or tofu into thin slices—no more than about a quarter-inch thick—which will help them cook faster and more evenly. If you plan to marinate the protein, it needs at least 4 hours' soaking time, which generally means all day if not overnight. You'll also need to clean, trim, and slice vegetables; prepare dipping sauces; and gather any side dishes you plan to serve.

When it's time to eat, heat a large pot of broth—homemade or store-bought is fine—on the stovetop and keep it simmering, then fill the hot pot and start it heating on the table. (It's a good idea to have lots of extra broth on the stove to refill the hot pot as needed.) Arrange the ingredients to be cooked on serving platters, taking care to keep raw meat and seafood separate from everything else. Place sauces, side dishes, and serving platters on the table, and you're ready to start cooking.

How do you eat hot pot?

Diners share the communal pot of hot broth to cook their food directly at the table. You might use chopsticks or a fork to hold individual items while you swish them back and forth to cook, or you might place a few things into a small strainer-style basket. With everybody constantly placing things in the pot and retrieving them when they're done, it makes for an exciting meal. Just be sure not to put too many things into the pot all at once, especially if it's a small one: Overcrowding can lower the temperature of the broth and increase cooking times.

After you're done cooking and eating all the meats and veggies, you don't have to just dump out the flavorful broth, either! Add some noodles for a bowl of hearty and delicious soup.

Can you make rice in an electric hot pot?

Not really. Rice cooks best in a pot with a tight-sealing lid, at a fairly controlled temperature to keep it from burning as the liquid absorbs and evaporates. Not all hot pots come with lids, and they tend not to cook quite at evenly as on the stovetop or in a dedicated rice cooker. If you want to serve rice with your hot pot spread, it's best to prepare it separately.

How do you clean an electric hot pot?

Make sure your hot pot is unplugged and cooled down before you start to clean it. The cooking pot, lid, and any accessories should be washed by hand, or in the dishwasher if your model's manual says that's safe.

You have to be much more careful with the heating base, control panel, and anything else that's attached to the electrical components. These should never be submerged in water, and if they get dirty you should just wipe them down with a sponge or damp cloth.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

The author of this piece, Bernadette Machard de Gramont, specializes in global food and wine content. As the granddaughter of immigrant restaurant owners, she grew up cooking her family’s Chinese and Filipino recipes. She still enjoys exercising her love of pan-Asian cookery at home by testing out cookware and appliances in a quest to achieve near-restaurant-quality results in a home kitchen.

This roundup was updated byKatya Weiss-Andersson, a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience as a professional chef; Sharon Lehman, RDN, a home cook who happens to be a registered dietitian nutritionist; and Jason Horn, a food and drink writer with a master's degree in journalism.