hot plate

noun

1. a portable appliance for cooking, formerly heated by a gas burner placed underneath it, now heated chiefly by an electrical unit in the appliance.

2. a hot meal, usually consisting of meat, potato, and a vegetable, served all on one plate and usually at a set price at a restaurant or lunch counter.

3. a plate that can retain heat in order to keep food hot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hot plate¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

They pack a hot plate and beers and set off for the morgue.

From Salon

Her period details are spot on, candy for those of us who were children during the Carter presidency: hot plates, instant coffee, accordion files, “Smokey and the Bandit.”

From Los Angeles Times

Their modest living room contains little more than a hot plate on a folding table, a mini-fridge, a single chair and an IV bag stand.

From Los Angeles Times

It features a bed, a couch, throw rugs, a table and a hot plate that, like other appliances in the camp, runs off pirated electricity.

From Los Angeles Times

Here’s how it works: That warmer western Pacific acts like a hot plate under the atmosphere, creating rising air that sends waves rippling eastward, like dropping a stone in a pond.

From Los Angeles Times