A hot plate is a portable electric cooking device with one or two flat heating surfaces on top. It's like having just the burners from a stove, but in a compact unit you can plug into an electrical outlet and set on a counter or table.

Hot plates are useful when you need a cooking surface but don't have access to a full kitchen. College students living in dorms use them to heat soup or cook simple meals. Scientists use hot plates in laboratories to heat chemicals safely. Caterers bring hot plates to events to keep food warm. Teachers might use one in a classroom to demonstrate a cooking experiment.

The heating element may glow red when turned on, and you can usually adjust the temperature with a dial. Because the surface gets extremely hot (hence the name), you need to be careful not to touch it while it's on or still cooling down.

The term hot plate can also refer to a regular dinner plate that's been heated, especially in restaurants where servers warn you that “the plate is hot” when bringing your meal to the table.