ISO teapot (kettle, really) recommendation

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davemchine

Assistant Cook
Joined
Oct 26, 2013
Messages
25
Location
Yakima, WA
My wife has a fairly basic teapot that she uses on our electric flat top stove. I am thinking of giving her a something special for christmas. A teapot that would be beautiful to see every day. She is very traditional and loves things that are beautiful and functional. I am perusing amazon but the choices are overwhelming. Perhaps someone would have a recommendation?
 
When you say teapot, are you talking about a metal one or a ceramic one? Does she just heat the water up on the stove and add tea to it, or pour it into a cup? :angel:
 
She heats water on the stove, pours it into a cup and adds a tea bag to it. Here is a picture of the kitchen to give you an idea of the decor. I'm kind of leaning towards a copper teapot but I'm wide open to suggestions.

kitchen.jpg


kitchen%20teapot.jpg
 
Okay. Look at those little spice jars next to the stove. It looks like they have flowers on them. Pick one that has yellow flowers and look for a tea kettle that is white but has flowers to match the spice jar. I think she would love a copper kettle, but it will require almost daily polishing. A present that requires work to maintain is not really a present. Every woman would love to have copper pots and pans. But aside from the cost, it is the constant daily polishing that keeps them on the store shelf and not in their home.

Obviously she likes the yellow that matches her stove. Her present kettle shows that. Also her present kettle has a metal handle. I would imagine that it gets hot when it is heated up. Look for a handle that wouldn't transfer the heat to the handle if you can. That is a cute tea kettle on the stove. And you have a lovely kitchen. I envy your wife. :angel:
 
Thanks for the compliment on the kitchen. My wife picked the countertops and tile. I darkened the oak cupboards and added the handles.

Are you suggesting a porcalin teapot then? Would a hammered copper teapot also be hard to maintain? Thanks for the advice.
 
Yes. Even though they do now coat copper items with laquer, kitchen items still have to be maintained. And hammered copper would be even harder to maintain. She would have to pay attention to all the dimples. If you do decide on the dimple one, read the reviews and see how many five star ones there are compared to the lower ones. If there are more lesser number ones than the five stars, then I would pass it by.

What I have in mind is a metal one like you presently have but white with yellow flowers.

If there is a Bed, Bath and Beyond near you, the staff there can help. Go to their site and see what they have first so you know what you want when you walk into the store. If you find one, you can call the store and make sure it is in stock before you waste your gas. :angel:
 
A teapot and a tea kettle are two different things. If my husband gave me a copper tea kettle to polish I would assume that the daily polishing job, by him, comes with the gift. Allow her to heat her tea water in the tea kettle she has and find tea pot that compliments the rest of the kitchen. She might be happiest with a small teapot for her personal use.
 
Thank you for the clarification. I guess I am looking for a "kettle" vs a teapot as she just uses it to heat water on the stove. I had no idea there was a distinction as I am not a tea drinker myself. This has certainly been an educational discussion for me.

In looking at different kettle's on Amazon I am surprised that the more expensive, and attractive, units get very bad reviews for poor weld joints and for enamel that chips easily. Here I thought I was being a good husband willing to buy a nicer kettle but now I'm not sure it is worthwhile.
 
SO bought herself an electric water kettle. It's amazing how fast it heats water! Much faster than any stovetop.
 
SO bought herself an electric water kettle. It's amazing how fast it heats water! Much faster than any stovetop.


Add me to the list of those who love their electric water kettle. I've had ours for over 10 years and will replace it in a heartbeat if and when it croaks. I use it ALL the time.

As Andy says, it heats water far quicker than the stove, plus there's no babysitting of the boiling pot. When the water gets hot, ours automatically shuts off.

The only time I use our stainless steel Revereware tea kettle is when I want to heat a huge quantity of water. Otherwise, the electric kettle is my go-to appliance for boiling water.
 
I agree. Go with the electric. The hot water can be used for all kinds of things besides brewing a cup of tea....packaged cocoa mix, instant noodle soup, etc., especially when a person is home alone and sick. Open a package, add water, stir, go back to bed.
 
Here is my short list. At this point I think I've got "function" nailed down in that I need a kettle and that I need to stay away from bronze (although it is soo gorgeous). I think any of these would do but I'll take suggestions.

kettles.png
 
They all look nice to me!

If it was coming into my kitchen I would choose number 2, The Bonjour!

Try to find a glass marble to put into the kettle you choose, it will help to keep the lime buildup down or at least that is the old wives tale I was brought up with! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
My wife has a fairly basic teapot that she uses on our electric flat top stove. I am thinking of giving her a something special for christmas. A teapot that would be beautiful to see every day. She is very traditional and loves things that are beautiful and functional. I am perusing amazon but the choices are overwhelming. Perhaps someone would have a recommendation?
If you mean a kettle to boil the water to pour on the tea leaves in the teapot - I've just bought a shiny black enamel one from Amazon to match my beautiful new shiny black range cooker. They have it in several colours

I have long lusted after a Le Creuset Cone kettle but thought I couldn't justify the expense but the new one, though slightly different shaped, is about half the price and just as beautiful.
 
She heats water on the stove, pours it into a cup and adds a tea bag to it. Here is a picture of the kitchen to give you an idea of the decor. I'm kind of leaning towards a copper teapot but I'm wide open to suggestions.
OK, being picky again. When making tea do NOT put the water in the cup and then put the tea bag in the water.

Unlike coffee, when the water hits the tea it should be boiling so tea bag in first then boiling water otherwise the water cools before the tea bag hits it.

This is why it's recommended that you warm the tea pot or mug with a little hot water before making your tea.
 
If you stay with the stovetop model, I'd say go with the second one of the ones you've posted.

I don't care for enamel because of the occasional discoloration over time and the always-present possibility of chipping.

Wouldn't go with anything that has to be "maintained" such as having to be polished.

I've had my Revere stainless steel kettle for close to 40 years and it still looks and performs as it did when it was new.

All I've ever done to it is to, once a month, boil some white vinegar in it to remove any deposits left from the water I've used in it. When it gets less brilliant on the outside, I spray it with Easy-Off oven cleaner, smear the cleaner around on it with an old toothbrush and wash. The stainless steel is back to looking new again.

Just my thoughts on the subject.
 

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