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01-15-2019, 07:28 PM
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#1
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Certifiable Executive Chef
Site Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 3,696
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Electric Kettles - what do you think?
I recently stayed at a friends house and they had an electric kettle - fabulously fast hot water! Despite generally avoiding single use appliances I am sorely tempted to buy one. I drink a lot of tea and having to put the kettle on the stove is a nuisance as I can;t really walk away as the water heats.
Do you have one? Do you like it?
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Forget love... I'd rather fall in chocolate!
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01-15-2019, 07:38 PM
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#2
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Certified Pretend Chef
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 45,824
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SO bought a cheap one years ago and we were amazed at how fast the water boiled. However, her use for it waned and it languishes in the basement.
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"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." -Carl Sagan
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01-15-2019, 07:50 PM
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#3
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Southeastern Virginia
Posts: 23,406
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When I need hot water, I heat it in the microwave. Never saw a need for another gadget.
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Anyplace where people argue about food is a good place.
~ Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown, 2018
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01-15-2019, 07:53 PM
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#4
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Park Drive Bar/Grill Los Angeles
Posts: 13,088
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It is the most frequently used appliance in our kitchen. We use it at least 2 or 3 times a day.
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01-15-2019, 07:57 PM
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#5
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Chef Extraordinaire
Site Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: I live in the Heartland of the United States - Western Kentucky
Posts: 15,906
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roadfix
It is the most frequently used appliance in our kitchen. We use it at least 2 or 3 times a day.
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+1
Where we live, iced tea is a staple. I also use it to heat water to make my homemade liquid laundry detergent, along with plenty of other uses.
Love our "hot pot."
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"As a girl I had zero interest in the stove." - Julia Child
This is real inspiration. Look what Julia became!
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01-15-2019, 08:52 PM
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#6
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Head Chef
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Woodbury, NJ
Posts: 1,080
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I'm an iced tea addict, and I got a 4 1/2 qt stovetop kettle, induction capable, so that I could
heat it on my countertop induction burner, during the summer. It heats much faster than any electric kettle I've seen in other kitchens (1 gal in about 14 minutes) and as fast as my 20k btu/hr burners on my range. Once the AC is off, I don't mind the heat going into the kitchen from the stovetop, so the induction burner goes into storage.
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Dave
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01-15-2019, 09:17 PM
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#7
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Ogress Supreme
Site Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 37,895
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I love my electric kettle, used several times a day. Great for tea and french press. Is also hot enough for those times I want a cup o'noodles or quick oats. Half a cup of hot water and half a can of condensed soup stirred up in a bowl. Perfect. I use it more than the coffee pot lately.
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“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein
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01-15-2019, 09:18 PM
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#8
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Master Chef
Site Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Chesapeake Bay
Posts: 9,716
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Janet,
They are quite popular on the other side of the pond.
And I hear Andy might have one for sale cheap.
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"First you start with a pound of bologna..."
-My Grandmother on how to make ham salad.
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01-15-2019, 11:50 PM
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#9
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Master Chef
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Dallas
Posts: 5,578
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In my first house, I had a hot water dispenser built into my kitchen sink. Something like this...
https://www.amazon.com/InSinkErator-...1-bac4c6d7e94f
Instant hot water.
CD
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” Winnie-the-Pooh
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01-16-2019, 12:38 AM
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#10
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: My mountain
Posts: 21,539
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankZ
Janet,
They are quite popular on the other side of the pond.
And I hear Andy might have one for sale cheap.
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Brits are dumbfounded to find out not every American home is equipped with them.
And how dare you tell J how much money to spend. Are you well?
Quote:
Originally Posted by caseydog
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Obviously, from lead pipe.
Glad I had much to offer this thread, lol
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The past is gone it's all been said.
So here's to what the future brings,
I know tomorrow you'll find better things
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01-16-2019, 01:55 AM
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#11
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: south central coast/California
Posts: 13,877
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An electric kettle is needed for ice tea?
I don't get it, but then I guess other ice tea lovers make it differently than we do.
We always have a gallon container of cold tea in the fridge, ready for ice.
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Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but rather by the moments that take our breath away.
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01-16-2019, 02:35 AM
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#12
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Body in MA ~ Heart in OH
Posts: 13,028
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Kayelle, I've made overnight ice tea in the fridge since I was a kid - that's how my Mom made it. In a pinch, when I wanted ice tea right then and didn't have any in the fridge, I'd make hot tea double-strength and pour it over ice.
Janet, I must be the odd (wo)man out. I had one. Didn't like it. Got rid of it. The reason? The minimum amount of water you needed to put into the kettle was nearly a quart. Since my biggest tea cup is 15 ounces, and I never re-boil water for tea, I was tossing out water whenever I made a cup of tea (there were only so many plants I could water...). I suppose there are smaller models on the market now that would result in heating only the water I could use. Something you might want to keep in mind.
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“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”— Charles de Gaulle
"Remember, all that matters in the end is getting the meal on the table." ~ Julia Child
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01-16-2019, 04:29 AM
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#13
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Executive Chef
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 3,330
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caseydog
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Basically have the same thing built in. So I can't speak for a kettle, but I can speak for enjoying the convenience of hot water when I need it, whether it be for tea or just dissolving a bouillon . So, if the convenience of having hot water on hand appeals to you, and you have the kitchen space, why not get it.
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01-16-2019, 06:49 PM
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#14
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Park Drive Bar/Grill Los Angeles
Posts: 13,088
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess
.... I suppose there are smaller models on the market now that would result in heating only the water I could use. Something you might want to keep in mind.
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Microwave oven
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01-16-2019, 06:54 PM
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#15
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Body in MA ~ Heart in OH
Posts: 13,028
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roadfix, I'm happy enough with my OXO kettle.  I know one thing that would make the water boil quicker, though. Using a gas (instead of my electric) stove. I could heat a cup's worth of water on our daughter's stove in less time than I took me to get my teabag out and put a bit of sugar into my cup!
__________________
“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”— Charles de Gaulle
"Remember, all that matters in the end is getting the meal on the table." ~ Julia Child
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01-16-2019, 07:02 PM
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#16
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Master Chef
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: near Mount Pilot
Posts: 7,480
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My whistling tea kettle has been gathering dust since I started cold brewing my tea and coffee, I heat it up one mug at a time in the microwave.
If you only need small amounts of water I would go with the microwave or a Sunbeam Hot Shot.
https://www.sunbeam.com/channeladvis...SABEgJibPD_BwE
Good luck!
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01-18-2019, 02:01 AM
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#17
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Executive Chef
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Logan County, Colorado
Posts: 2,858
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My wife loves her electric kettle. She drinks a lot of tea, and she also makes Swiss Miss cocoa a lot on winter evenings. The kettle takes less than 5 minutes to boil.
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Rick
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01-18-2019, 09:08 AM
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#18
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Executive Chef
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: New Hampshire Seacoast
Posts: 2,510
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I recall reading that microwave ovens heat water unevenly, and you can get areas that are boiling, while other areas are below the boiling point. Thermoworks tells you to calibrate thermometers on the stovetop, and not to use a microwave to boil water for calibration purposes.
I have no aversion to single use appliances if a) they produce superior results, or b) if they are more convenient than other methods. My Zoji rice cooker is a perfect example of this.
I took a leap of faith and replaced a cheap Mr. Coffee coffee maker with a $150 Bona Vita coffee maker. The results were significantly better, and I'm not looking back. Others are happy with using a can of Folgers with any kind of coffee maker. If you drink a lot of tea and want the best results, go for the electric kettle.
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01-18-2019, 09:30 AM
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#19
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Park Drive Bar/Grill Los Angeles
Posts: 13,088
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tenspeed
I recall reading that microwave ovens heat water unevenly, and you can get areas that are boiling, while other areas are below the boiling point. Thermoworks tells you to calibrate thermometers on the stovetop, and not to use a microwave to boil water for calibration purposes.
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I can see that happening if you don’t bring it to a rolling boil.
As for single use appliance I find the electric kettle to be most convenient and practical, nothing wrong with reboiling water left in the kettle from the morning, and they’re cheap and reliable.
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01-18-2019, 09:44 AM
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#20
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Southeastern Virginia
Posts: 23,406
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tenspeed
I recall reading that microwave ovens heat water unevenly, and you can get areas that are boiling, while other areas are below the boiling point. Thermoworks tells you to calibrate thermometers on the stovetop, and not to use a microwave to boil water for calibration purposes.
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When I heat water in the microwave - usually for making bread - I stir the water around for a moment to even out the temperature.
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Anyplace where people argue about food is a good place.
~ Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown, 2018
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