Rival Cookware Reviews

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 .

Great, this makes your dorm more like home. I am a sophomore now, and after a year of nasty cafeteria food I got one of these. It 's a life saver. No more running to the cafeteria at bad hours, and it also saves money. If you cook for yourself, you really save on the seven dollars a meal in the cafeteria. It's very safe, and only requires a sturdy surface. =) I dont know how I lived without it.

My husband and I fell in love with the 1935 gas stove in our home that we purchased last year. When we found out how much work it took to refurbish the stove, however, we realized we would have to rely on other appliances in the kitchen during the time it took to bring the stove back to life. This electric skillet far surpassed our expectations! It's great for everything from pancakes and omelettes to stews and stirfry. I even use it to "grill" fish, steaks and chicken -- the nonstick surface makes it easy and the lid keeps the spatters in.

The temperature range is excellent, from fryig chicken to use as a warming tray on a buffet table. Another plus: with actual temperature degrees shown on the heating element, once you know the right temp for certain dishes, they become foolproof. And, unlike the old electric skillets, you can dunk this one completely under water to wash it.

Even with a fully refurbished gas range, I reach for this skillet for most of my food preparation. I've even given it to several couples as wedding presents!

If you look at the other Rival Fondue pot sold on Amazon, you will see that it has much more balanced reviews then this one. People say that it is very good in concept and in a lot of ways, but that it is difficult to keep the tempature steady. That is the exact case with this one too. By this one for $25, here or at Target, and you will be very happy with it, and have saved yourself $15 or more.

Our only experience with Fondue is at a Restuarant in Denver were they make it in front of you, and at one in Breckenridge, CO, where they bring it to you already made. Based on that experience and reading all the reviews we went out in search of the West Bend Fondue maker that people review very well on Amazon. We couldn't find it, so we went to Target and got this one. That nice we cooked up a recipe that we found on Allrecipe.com, and it was great. We made it from start to finish in the fondue pot, and with constant stirring and a few changes to the tempature control, we didn't have any problems. The only way you are going to get more consistant heat is from a gas burner on your stove top.

As for the people that complain about the "electronics coming loose", they are just confused. The light on the thermistat tells you when the heating element is on, not when it is plugged it. Of course it is going to turn off and on. The magnetic hold plug, stays on tight enough to not come loose, but loose enough to breakaway if someone were to trip over it. Granted, it would be tough to trip over a 2 foot cord, but I think it must be the law or something. Anyway, it works fine.

Final Word: A great deal and the same problems as all fondue pots, no more.

Bigger than it looks, this little gem of a fondue maker would make a great gift for college students. Why? Not because you can expect your son or daughter to suddenly become a suave sophisticate who entertains their fellow dorm buddies with fondue parties, but because this little gadget really cooks! Takes up less space than a microwave (ok, it won't make popcorn, but microwave popcorn isn't all that good for you anyway...) Remove the fondue ring and it becomes a versatile little pot that, with a little imagination, can cook virtually anything. The adjustable thermostat heats up to 400 degrees, so making soup, chili, hamburgers, grilled cheese, ramen noodles and all their other favorites would be easy. Plus, there's the mom approved break-away safety electrical cord. The non-stick interior makes clean up a breeze.

It heats up so quickly so I don't have to wait around. I've been able to create perfect cheese and chocolate fondues everytime I use this. True, the cord is short, but that's no big deal. I have yet to mess up fondue with this pot!

I've owned this wok for approximately one year and it has had minumum use;maybe twice a month. Once before I had used it and one of the four plastic support legs was loose so I tightened it with a screwdriver. My wife usually uses it the majority of the time. Today while making fried rice two of the legs loosened and the wok sat on the counter. After washing it I looked at the legs and noticed that on each leg there is a minute piece of plastic that fits into a small hole in the base of the wok that prevents the leg from turning. Several of these were missing. I put locktight on all the screws and tightened them but stripped one. The screws are simple metal screws. I thought that I was buying quality. I also noted that the price has dropped dramaticly since I paid eighty some dollars for mine.

Wow, am I amazed at how great this thing works!
I've used a steel wok on an electric range for years, wishing I had a gas range because it would heat and cool almost instantly...as a wok should. Today I stir fried some vegetables in my Rival. After steaming under that great glass lid, I removed it to add my sauce mixture and turned off the heat as usual to start the cool down. The heat went all the way off and I had to turn it up again to finish thickening the sauce. This is the closest thing I can imagine to using I gas burner. You'd better get one of these!

I looked at just about every brand of wok on the market and believe me, this is the best. It's a very heavy-duty stainless steel with a high gloss finish that makes it look great on the counter. I also like the glass lid and the capacity makes it super for entertaining. Being able to put it in the dishwasher really sets it apart from the rest. Excellent value too!

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 .

I bought the Rival Electric Skillet (16x12) at my local Target a while back and my family LOVES it!! We cook everything from pancakes and french toast (while making a side of eggs on it, too!) to fried chicken and even beignets (french doughnuts). I almost bought the 12x12, but I am SO glad I went for the larger one because we can make french toast for all of us at once instead of everyone waiting. Definate buy!!!!

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!

I believe my rating is too low based on the fact that I bought the wrong product for my needs. I was hoping to get a griddle and warming pan, and I got that.

I also got stainless steel which will take months to season before our food doesn't stick. That's how I discovered that a non-stick surface, which this product doesn't have, is the most important feature to me since I need an all-around griddle. I would recommend this product be used less as a griddle (for sticky foods) and more for brunch and as a warming pan/buffet server.

This is a beautiful, well-made product. I was amazed how quickly the griddle heated to the desired temperature and how evenly it cooked the pancakes I prepared. If you know what you are buying and are buying what you need, you should be very satisfied with this product.

The precise temperature control offered by this product makes it a delight to use. Don't be alarmed by the suggested stickiness in the previous post. In fact, stainless does not need to be seasoned to perform like non-stick cookware. Proper technique, which consists of
1) heating the surface to the desired temperature (1 min),
2) adding oil,
3) waiting briefly for the oil to come to temperature (20 sec),
and, finally,
4) adding ingredients,
will ensure outstanding results. For professional-quality food preparation, stainless steel cannot be surpassed, and this dishwasher-safe product makes the experience painless even for a novice.

Easy to access temp. control. Burner slightly lifts for cleaning. Isn't as quick to heat as a stove burner, but is good for when you don't have the space or money for a more expensive unit.

I purchased this Crock Pot for my wife for her birthday and we have been very unhappy.

At first I thought we should just wait until we got used to it before being too critical. We have been using it once or twice a week for over 4 months now and I still don't like it.

The lid does not fit well. When the lid is on the pot, there is a gap on both sides that allows steam to escape. Every recipe that we make requires much more liquid than it calls for since most of it evaporates. Even recipes from the Rival cook book require more liquid. Along with the escaping liquid is escaping flavor. Recipes that we have loved for years are much less appetizing than they were with our old pot.

Vegetables are not cooked properly. We cut our vegetables to a reasonable size as we did with our old pot, but even after 10 hours on low, they are not properly cooked.

In short, this pot produces half-cooked, dried out food. Buy at your own risk.

We will be replacing ours as soon as I can find a better one.

I love this crock pot. Loved the fact that it had two seperate crocks, one of which being divided. That was a nice surprise when I opened the box. I also love the fact that it comes with the travel bag. I have had no problems with mine. The glass lid is a bit heavy and cumbersome. But all in all I love it, and will order more if they are available to give as gifts!!

Amazon shipping is amazing. I received this item in 4 days from across the country. I was very impressed and happy with how fast I received it. Thanks so much Amazon.com!!

my crockpot and i have been all around the world. she has cooked many a feast and is still going strong. however, last time i had her out i broke the handle into pieces and i need to purchase a new one. i am having no luck; does anyone have any ideas? like i said i have moved around a lot (thank God for the travel bag) and i seem to have lost my booklet so i am rendered helpless for the time being. any leads would be greatly appreciated. enjoy your crockpots!!!!

I received this as a gift and have already burned my hands several times because the lid is glass and has no handles to remove the lid off the base. When you lift the lid the steam that escapes burns you. You have to use pot holders to remove the lid and they get in the food. The lid gets very hot.

Hey Amazon, what are you doing? Yesterday there were 2 reviews for this product and I submitted a third, which was very unfavorable. When I checked this page today, I found the notification that there were NO reviews for this product. Is this some kind of shell game that you are pulling? So much for Amazon's credibility!!

I've found that this skillet heats unevenly, therefore making it necessary to frequently stir things to assure uniform cooking. Moreover, there is virtually no "simmer". If a low temperature is set, the heat goes off and eventually comes on again briefly. Cooking items that require simmering requires close monitoring and regularly reseting the heat, a real irritant.

Needed to replace 6 month old, unattractive Black and Decker teflon skillet. Read Amazon reviews on 16" version of this skillet. Decided to get the 12" one. Skillet and probe arrived in perfect condition. 16" skillet would have been HUGE. It's a beautiful appliance, but I wish it were deeper for larger capacity and to help contain splattering. So far I've fried chicken and the next morning I did pancakes. Took time to season the skillet and carefully followed instructions for first time use. Found it easy to clean, cooks evenly, and if it were DEEPER, I'd rate it 5 stars. Rival, please make one.