Well, I'm not sure what's going on. I cleaned the surfaces of the HOT and the piece of metal that it is mounted to, with a Scotch-Brite pad, and I can usually get a brief reading on the meter now, but sometimes not.
What happens internally when a HOT blows? Does it become completely open in there, like a blown fuse, or can it still be possible to sometimes get a reading with the continuity/diode test?
I can't swap in a known good HOT right now because I don't have one, I'll have to order one. Is there anything else I can test/check in the meantime?