Electric Kettle

[GB]

Do you have one? Do you like it? What do you like or dislike about it. Was it worth the money or would you have been better off with a kettle on the stove?

I am looking to buy one, but I am having a hard time justifying the cost.

This is the one I am looking at. As it turns out, we actually have this one in our office (I did not know that when I started looking at these and chose this one as my front runner). I boiled 3 cups of water in it today for the first time just as a test. I did not do a side by side comparison, but it did not seem like it was any faster than a kettle on my stove. Once it came to a boil it automatically shut off, but the only indication that it was done was that the on/off button clicked into the off position with a very soft click. I would not hear that when using it at home as I would generally be too far away to hear that.

So what am I missing? Should I just stick with my stove top kettle?

 

[MostlyWater]

Oh, a hotpot. Good for travel or for soup. I threw ours away and have been sorry every since.

 

[suziquzie]

I'd like one just because I don't like to heat up the whole house all the time with the stove... in the winter the stove is ok, but it would have been nice this summer with the a/c not working.

 

[Andy M.]

Do they make one that keeps the water hot after boiling? Would you want that?

 

[GB]

MW it is different than a hot pot. A hot pot can be used for things other than water if memory serves. An electric kettle does one job. It boils water (with nothing in it).

Andy, I have not found one that does not turn off after it comes to a boil. At least not in the price range I am looking (as inexpensive as possible). At first I thought I would not want it to turn off until I was ready for it, but the more I thought about it the more I did not think it would be an issue for me either way.

 

[Andy M.]

$42 seems like a lot to just boil water. Does the electric pot solve a problem for you or is it just a convenience to free up a burner?

 

[GB]

Well I have heard they are much quicker than boiling water on the stove which is why I initially wanted it. I have also heard they are a lot more energy efficient, but it would probably take quite a while for that to equal $42.

The main reason I thought it would come in handy is that I have switched to using a French Press for coffee. With the stove top kettle I need to fill it with water and then boil it. I then have to pour out the amount I need into a measuring cup and then into the FP. This honesty is not a big deal at all, but it would be just a tad easier with the kettle. If you pour 3 cups of cold water into the kettle you know you will have 3 cups of boiling water when it is done. There are cup measurements on the side so I would not first need to pour into a measuring cup. Like I said, it is a small thing.

If I did get one then I would be able to get rid of my stove top kettle or at least move it downstairs. I do not often (or ever) need all four burners on my stove at once, but it would be nice to not have the kettle there so that I had more room for the things that are on the stove.

 

[Andy M.]

That makes a lot of sense. I hade seen on Good Eats that they are faster than a stove but never testeed that (as I don't have an elec. kettle).

 

[MostlyWater]

Right, such things are pricey.

 

[TATTRAT]

I can vouch for the quickness of which they boil water. A full pot is about 5 min, at least to my experience. At my last restaurant, we would have NEVER gotten through tea service with out them, they were awesome!

 

[jkath]

Here's mine - I still love it as much as I did back 1½ years ago, when I posted it (someone else was looking to get one) AND it's fast!

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showpost.php?p=392432&postcount=6

 

[Katie H]

We've had ours for about 2 years and love it. When I brought it home Buck thought I was nuts. What did we need THAT for? I lucked out and got it at a closeout store, not Big Lots, and paid $7 for it. Holds up to 2 quarts, has cool-to-the-touch sides and auto shut-off. All features I appreciate. It's quicker than the stove, too.

We use it for all kinds of things such as heating the water to cook pasta so the stove doesn't heat the kitchen up. Coffee and tea, of course.

It's never been delegated to the back of a cabinet it is used so often.

 

[GB]

So Tatt, Jkath, and Katie, would you say the main draw is that it is quicker than the stove top?

 

[jkath]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay quicker.
And, you're not heating up the stove either,

I actually got rid of my copper teakettle from Williams Sonoma after I got this one.

 

[Katie H]

For me, in order:

First - speed of heating water

Second - doesn't heat up the kitchen

Third - frees up stove unit

Fourth - no boil-overs, no pot-watching (You know what they say about a watched pot!)

 

[Andy M.]

In my area, natural gas is a much less expensive than electricity for cooking. That's true when you compare a gas stove to an electric stove. I've often wondered if using a gas oven or stovetop burner is cheaper than a smaller toaster oven or electric water pot.

 

[roadfix]

Fourth - no boil-overs, no pot-watching (You know what they say about a watched pot!)

That alone for me is worth it.
I've completely forgotten about a boiling pot of water on the stove while watching tv or surfing the net. By the time I remembered, the pot was completely empty of water and the handle practically melted off. This has happened to me twice. Wife was totally pissed off. I had to go buy a new kettle at Costco.
Next time this happens I'm getting an electric kettle.

 

[The Z]

I lived in Australia for 11 years and upon my return I could not believe that EVERY home did NOT have one. In Oz, many people use the water for instant coffee or French press or for leaf/bag tea. It's also very handy for so many other things that need to be hydrated with boiling hot water (dried fruit/mushrooms, instant soups, etc).

As others have mentioned, they are much faster than stove top as they are designed specifically for one purpose... boil water fast. Make sure they have auto shut off when water is boiled (most probably have this feature)... and the cordless versions are always nice.

 

[granniero]

I love my inexpensive electric kettle. I have a tendency to walk away and forget something is on the stove, so if I do, it shuts off when the water boils so no more dry, burnt pots. I also use it to add hot water to something boiling on the stove, such as extra water when boiling pasta. My mom has the same pot and she loves hers also.

 

[pacanis]

How do they know when the water is boiling in order to shut off?

And can you turn it back on to bring the water to a boil again, or is there a reset period?