Are you happy with your plata ?

chocolate moose

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 11:50 am

Half of ours died and we recycled it and bought another, about the same size. It's our 3rd and they're REALLY expensive.

When they're new, they burn the food, and when they're older, they take forever to heat up. Has anyone had any other experiences ?

Raisin

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 11:58 am

mine burnt a hole in my countertop and then died. This was when it was left on for a 3 day yom tov, so do not do that. (and it was on top of a stone tile)

the new one seems fine. cholent came out great on it this week.

yummydd

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 12:03 pm

I have the presto griddle, and I love it. Never had any issues with it and you can set it to any temp you want.

shoeboxgirly

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 12:25 pm

I only use mine Friday night and use a hostess trolley for Shabbos lunch. The hostess trolley is far more reliable and my Grandma's one has been used for yom tov and family dos for all my lifetime, without it I would have never survived seder night, but it was a serious investment (about 10 x that of the plata, but will last PG more than 10 x as long).

I definitely think the plata is too hot and I'd say it was still allowed to be called new because how rarely I use it and I know so many people with the same one and it has just shorted out, died, and took half the kitchen with it. I don't know if there's a best solution and it concerns me that it seems to be such a common problem.

Raisin

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 1:08 pm

shoeboxgirly, why don't you use the hostess trolley for friday night as well? how does it work? is it all a uniform temperature or can you turn it up or down?

shoeboxgirly

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 1:15 pm

Raisin wrote:

shoeboxgirly, why don't you use the hostess trolley for friday night as well? how does it work? is it all a uniform temperature or can you turn it up or down?

My soup pot doesn't fit in it! Actually there is a 'tray' section on the top which I could remove the dish holders and the dishes and sit the soup pot on top if I wanted to, and when the plata dies that is what I will probably do, but the dish holders and dishes are very useful (pyrex, good size for veg) so don't want to lose that. There is no temp regulator, once it is on, it's on...like the plata. More info on this website but it looks like they don't make the one I have any more.

chocolate moose

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 2:35 pm

yummydd wrote:

I have the presto griddle, and I love it. Never had any issues with it and you can set it to any temp you want.

a plata like that has stricter dinim than the kind that's 1-temp only

Mrs Bissli

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 3:11 pm

shoeboxgirly wrote:

I definitely think the plata is too hot and I'd say it was still allowed to be called new because how rarely I use it and I know so many people with the same one and it has just shorted out, died, and took half the kitchen with it. I don't know if there's a best solution and it concerns me that it seems to be such a common problem.

We have the standard Israeli-style plata, going on its 7th year. It does get quite hot so we place another metal sheet blech on top, then the temperature is just perfect. Also I have them on timer. On shabbat morning it goes on around 10:30 or 11:00 so it doesn't stay on all night. We've never had an issue with fuse either, unlike my oven with shabbat/yomtov modes that was left for 3 days.

yummydd

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 3:16 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

yummydd wrote:

I have the presto griddle, and I love it. Never had any issues with it and you can set it to any temp you want.

a plata like that has stricter dinim than the kind that's 1-temp only

What kind of dinim?

MMCH

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 3:25 pm

we are VERY hapy with it! we use it on a timer.
I have heard of them burning holes in the middle.
but we love it, our apt (esp in the summer) gets absolutley boiling with the blech so this is really the best situation

Mrs Bissli

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 3:49 pm

yummydd wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

a plata like that has stricter dinim than the kind that's 1-temp only

What kind of dinim?

If it's similar to a crockpot that has multiple settings, you're supposed to cover the knob with foil before shabbat. I'm not aware of any other dinim.

yummydd

Sun, Dec 09 2012, 5:11 pm

Mrs Bissli wrote:

yummydd wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

a plata like that has stricter dinim than the kind that's 1-temp only

What kind of dinim?

If it's similar to a crockpot that has multiple settings, you're supposed to cover the knob with foil before shabbat. I'm not aware of any other dinim.

Yes we do cover the knob like we do when using a crockpot.