Tea kettle advice needed

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Janet H

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I need new tea kettle and am looking for some advice and hoping you will share your experiences.

I currently have a chantal stainless kettle that is disaster. The handle gets hot enough to raise blisters, it leaks around the bottom where the bottom is crimped onto the sides but it has an amazing two tone whistle that has averted many disasters.


Does you have a tea kettle you love? Any advice about a replacement?
 
Electric gets my vote too. We have a SS electric pot that boils water super fast and keeps it hot. It's cordless so you can take it to the table or wherever.
 
I have a SS Cuisinart non-electric kettle. Very sturdy, with a hefty whistle I can hear from anywhere in the house.
 
I haven't had a tea kettle for many years, and got tired of cleaning it of cooking splatters, besides I don't really need one. Do all of you drink hot tea? SC makes a gallon of ice tea often and he just uses a sauce pan to brew the strong tea before straining it into cold water.
 
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Mine came free with a coupon I got when I bought some pots and pans, otherwise I probably wouldn't have one either.
 
I have an OXO Good Grips Brushed Stainless Steel Tea Kettle and LOVE it! It is a well-balanced design. The handle is well-padded with soft rubber anywhere you might want to grab it. So is the thumb tab for the cover over the pour spout. The entire body of the unit is molded from one piece of steel; the spout appears to have been attached but it's difficult to find a true seam line. The handle pivots more than 90 degree in one direction, making it easy to remove the lid fo filling. The thing whistles so loud I can hear it practically anywhere in the house, basement or second floor, with the kitchen being on the first floor. Front porch, too, even with the door/windows closed. $39.99 list price, but the ubiquitous BedBath&Beyond coupon drops the price by 20%.

I did have an electric. Hated it. If you go electric, be sure to check the minimum volume of water you need to heat. I make one cup of tea at a time, 14 oz max. I needed to boil more than 1 1/4 quart (42 oz) for proper operation. I was tossing over half the water I had to heat because I like to start with fresh water for each cup of tea. Got rid of it last year. No one wanted it from my garage sale, so I took it to Salvation Army.
 
I make one cup of tea at a time, 14 oz max. I needed to boil more than 1 1/4 quart (42 oz) for proper operation. I was tossing over half the water I had to heat because I like to start with fresh water for each cup of tea.
Today's electric kettles are different. Most will operate with water level as little as a couple of cups (16oz) or less.
 
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I have the OXO for top of the stove, mostly because I think a stove looks naked without one. I also have a cordless, electric Hamilton Beach, fire engine red. 'Tis a sight to behold. Love it.
 
I have both......electric and one for the top range......I like both of them.......but if you're burning your hands it's not worth the trouble........get rid of it before you or someone else really hurt themselves...........
 
I have two kettles: one electric, that I use when I'm looking for water at boiling point quickly, and the tea kettle, that heats up more slowly and is better, IMHO, for good quality tea. My electric furs up very quickly whereas the tea kettle doesn't get to that point, but I'd have to be a scientist to understand why, it just produces better water for tea. To my great surprise, I discovered pretty quickly after we moved from UK to Italy, that Italians love good tea. For the coffee I have my Bialetti for the Espresso, but my friends love afternoon tea, so the tea has to be good, and the results are better with the traditional kettle. Of course, the teapot matters as well!

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
I have a Revere tea kettle with a copper bottom. I received it about 40 years ago and it is still going strong. I always keep water in it just in case someone turns the burner on by accident. :angel:
 
expatgirl, if you do any online shopping for food, check out Harney Tea. They have a wonderful, diverse selection of teas. Their website is full of information about the different teas, with details on flavor and tea color. I've shopped their stores, stumbling upon their little shop in the home town that John Harney had first started and meeting the great man himself. I've toured their processing facility, and have shopped a number of times at their "new" store and cafe in Millerton, NY. I have found them very helpful when shopping at the store, explaining and suggesting. IF you are totally clueless when it comes to tea, you might want to send them an email asking for suggestions on the types a real novice would enjoy. I bet they could make suggestions that you would be happy with.

What I like about shopping the store is you can sniff the tea leaves, the brewed tea, and sip a few samples. Think "Penzeys for Tea". Since you don't have that luxury, I hope the website gives you some help.

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Addie, those copper bottom Revere kettles are the best, aren't they? When we replaced our old electric stove with heating coils with the new, glass-top one, I couldn't use it anymore. The rim around the bottom edge that bound the bottom to the sides was too thick, and the kettle bottom didn't sit flat on the stovetop. After decades of wonderful service, I moved it to our daughter's. She has a gas stove, so I still get to use it when we're back home to visit. :heart:
 
Thanks so much, CG........I'll give it a try though it won't be until around Thanksgiving when I return from Oman..........I really appreciate all your tips but I'm pretty much a dunce at teas ............I'll try them then.......thanks a lot for your input!!!
 
I don't drink regular tea very often, but I like to keep a pitcher of jamaica (hibiscus flower tea) in the fridge. Deep red, citrusy flavored, doesn't even need sugar. My freebie Cuisinart kettle makes just the right amount of boiled water to pour over a handful of jamaica flowers in my little pitcher. I don't even bother straining it.
 
I don't drink regular tea very often, but I like to keep a pitcher of jamaica (hibiscus flower tea) in the fridge. Deep red, citrusy flavored, doesn't even need sugar. My freebie Cuisinart kettle makes just the right amount of boiled water to pour over a handful of jamaica flowers in my little pitcher. I don't even bother straining it.

This is one of the best teas for bringing down high blood pressure......well, at least for many people and it tastes delicious as well as being visually a beautiful red color! Here in Houston, you can get it at most HEB stores!
 
I've been reading about the quality of water for making tea and coffee. Out of all the types of water - from the faucet, and from other sources, they said that the best was spring water. Guess what guys! We have a well that we didn't know we had when we first arrived, but stopped using it because it's heavy work bringing all that water up to the top, and using the pump leaves water everywhere. I'm going to start using it again! It's also good for hand washing, and it works the muscles in your arms too. Our dog loves it too, especially in the hot weather when it's nice and cold. The tea? It's just great. All we have to do is to get the water analysed. Water for free!

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
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