Rival S16RB 16" x 12" Skillet with Removable Pan - 2 Pack  Product Reviews

"Hazzard to your health skillet -DO NOT BUY Questions that are paramount: 1. Is the interior coated with teflon? 2. Why isn't this product being recalled? 3. Why are retailers carrying this product? 4.. Where is the Federal people who should protect our heath? This Rival electric skillet is a health hazzard. Am I eating lead paint because surely the coating is not teflon. Contact your local congress man & file a complaint & retailer where you purchaced this product. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT "

"Bought this to replace our trusty old one. I hate it!! Everything sticks to the surface. One little added bonus...the Teflon is flaking off. I thought it might be due to scrubbing, but it's not. I noticed it coming off while I was cooking. Had to throw the meal out. Bottom line...if you are one of the many Americans who like Teflon in their food...perhaps you might think it adds flavor...then buy this skillet. If not, then look elsewhere."

"I bought this skillet because I liked the size, the fact that its electric cord is attached, the control knob at the lower front, the glass lid with steam release, and the removable pan for oven or serving. As a safety feature, the base of this unit will not heat up without the pan resting on its base. The wall outlet that you choose should be used only by this skillet and not shared with any other device while in use by this skillet. Sharing can cause heating issues, so just unplug whatever "other" device while using this skillet. The instructions address this matter. The skillet instructions ask that you wash and dry it before the initial use, and then spray (or rub) it with a vegetable oil at 300 degrees. Then turn off and let pan cool. It helped when I did that and I also prefer to rub a dab of oil into the pan after I have cleaned it up for storage and heat that for just a minute or till the pan preheats. (Note that this is my preference - and my pan is lasting.) Additionally, I store the lid upside down on top of the pan and do not store anything inside the pan. Of course use only nylon or heat-proof plastic with this skillet since metal will scratch it. The pan is not designed for deep frying, but you can pan-fry using 1 cup of vegetable or peanut oil. Butter and olive oils are not for pan frying and should only be used on lower temps to sauté food. The cord is intentionally designed short as a safety feature so not to easily be pulled off the cooking surface. Electric skillets do get very hot. If you have no safe place to use one, of course your children's safety comes first. But don't we all know that if a child can climb onto the counter - said child could also climb onto a hot or ignited stove and other dangerous areas as well..... The heating base is not immersible but the pan is, and can be placed in the dishwasher along with the lid. I wash my pan by hand mainly because the dishwasher moves my pans about, causing the "spokes" of the rack to scrape into pans if they fall over. And also because none of my Teflon pans have withstood lengthy dishwasher use. If your food sticks to this skillet, use a plastic utensil or plastic scraper to move around the food debris while it is still warm in the pan so it won't harden on (and/or pour some water over that mess until it cools). Some plastic utensils have serrated edges that I find can be harsh on Teflon. Mine is a spatula. Another cleaning method is to fill a container with water and pour it into the pan. Heat the water to boil, let cool, dump and wash by hand. Let's face it, this skillet does take a little effort to clean, but not as much as it might seem. It's pretty fast or I wouldn't bother. Also remember that some dishwashing tablets say right on the box how they are not recommended for use with some utensils and more, as damage might occur. I've never had any Teflon pans survive long with dishwasher use anyway. Maybe Titanium is better there - don't know. The pan can be used in an oven without its lid (b/c the lid has handles that will melt) but one needs pot holders to lift the hot pan. (obviously) Uh-oh, my husband and kids tend to grab whatever utensil they might readily find (including, but not limited to METAL) to use in the pans! So I tend to ask them to keep away if not an emergency matter, b/c it only takes one good time with a metal utensil to start that first scratch and they never seam to remember these things. Also watch out for the metal tongs when turning meat - not good for the pan either! The pan does not have a "hill" in the middle. Like all pans, it does have a very slight middle rise. And any raw egg into a cold pan will run to one side. If you preheat the skillet before each use, that should help greatly. I spray mine with cooking spray and then preheat. The instruction booklet does give specific cooking temperatures for various foods. Obviously that helps to follow their guideline. My pan always heats up just fine - and gets very hot too! If this pan were truly as bad the these many reviews say, then why is it still on the market selling so well? I followed the instructions and have not had any issues. It cooks very well and mine is not falling apart or peeling or humping up in the middle or not heating properly and I have cooked all kinds of foods in mine with delicious results. Using this skillet does take a just few extra steps which should not be avoided for best results. I don't find this hard or time consuming. But the extra 10 or 15 minutes of time is precious to lots of people, so perhaps there is a skillet requiring a bit less maintenance?"

"I received this for Christmas and after a few uses, the coating started coming off the skillet. It really doesn't get hot enough to brown quickly. I have e-mailed Rival to try to purchase a replacement pan, but if the other reviews are any indication, I'll get no response. Rival does need to pull this product and give refunds or replacements. I have an old Farberware 12-inch skillet that does fine after about 30 years of use. But I wanted this large 16 x 12 size. Rival, please do something!"