Do you have an electric kettle?

[PastryGoddess]

I'm enjoying the thread but, does it seem odd to anyone else that a thread on an electric kettle has reached 144 posts?

Nope. It's the quirky, non-controversial, amusing threads that become my favourites, and usually nobody minds if they wander a bit.

An electric kettle is on my mental list of "things that are essential in a new house -buy/unpack these FIRST", along with at least two mugs and caffeine-making supplies, basic cleaning gear, etc. I'm also seriously tempted by those variable-temperature ones, because I'm developing into... okay, not a tea snob exactly, but a tea enthusiast at least. If only they weren't so expensive!

I use the ice cube method of cooling water down.  Works great

[Mel the Redcap]

I'm enjoying the thread but, does it seem odd to anyone else that a thread on an electric kettle has reached 144 posts?

Nope. It's the quirky, non-controversial, amusing threads that become my favourites, and usually nobody minds if they wander a bit.

An electric kettle is on my mental list of "things that are essential in a new house -buy/unpack these FIRST", along with at least two mugs and caffeine-making supplies, basic cleaning gear, etc. I'm also seriously tempted by those variable-temperature ones, because I'm developing into... okay, not a tea snob exactly, but a tea enthusiast at least. If only they weren't so expensive!

I love my variable temp kettle for my Steeped Tea!  Do you have tea stores in Australia?

Oh, yes, which is why I have a huge range of spiced / flavoured / green / herbal teas in my cupboard. and they have a couple of beautiful variable-temp kettles available - there's one that's enameled red that I DROOL over - but, yeah. Pricey.

[Mel the Redcap]

I use the ice cube method of cooling water down.  Works great

But that would require me to be awake enough to actually make judgements first thing in the morning, and that only happens after tea. 

[cabbagegirl28]

I'm enjoying the thread but, does it seem odd to anyone else that a thread on an electric kettle has reached 144 posts?

Nope. It's the quirky, non-controversial, amusing threads that become my favourites, and usually nobody minds if they wander a bit.

An electric kettle is on my mental list of "things that are essential in a new house -buy/unpack these FIRST", along with at least two mugs and caffeine-making supplies, basic cleaning gear, etc. I'm also seriously tempted by those variable-temperature ones, because I'm developing into... okay, not a tea snob exactly, but a tea enthusiast at least. If only they weren't so expensive!

I use the ice cube method of cooling water down.  Works great

Me too.

[kherbert05]

Mom had an electric kettle that she used to make hot tea.

Dad had a stove top kettle that he used to make iced tea.

Until we moved to West Texas - the water was so hard it quickly ruined mom's electric kettle. We got her a new one, but had to boil vinegar in it several times a week.

[PastryGoddess]

I use the ice cube method of cooling water down.  Works great

But that would require me to be awake enough to actually make judgements first thing in the morning, and that only happens after tea. 

understandable.  My first cup of tea in the morning is burnt, I don't even care.  It doesn't stay around long enough for me to notice.  later in the day, I pay attention to the water temp. 

[Vall]

I'm in the US and I've never had any kind of kettle.  But I've thought of buying my DH one (he drinks more tea than I do).  Still, between the two of us, we only drink maybe 3 to 5 cups a week.

We have a lot of minerals in our water.  Which would be better with our water, an electric or a stove top?  We have a gas range and limited counter space.  I like the idea of having different heating temperatures too.

I'm interested in trying a kettle but I'm a little confused about which one to try first.

[Outdoor Girl]

The secret with hard water is to immediately empty the kettle when you are done with it so the minerals don't deposit out.  And pouring hot water down the kitchen sink can be good for the pipes, helping to take any greasy residue down with it.

It is probably easier to use vinegar on a stovetop kettle but it works just fine in an electric kettle, too.

[PastryGoddess]

I also have very hard water full of minerals.  I filter my water that goes in my Kettle.  It saves the constant cleaning and reduces buildup.  Rather than clean the kettle every couple of days. I clean it once a week on Sundays.

[sparksals]

I'm in the US and I've never had any kind of kettle.  But I've thought of buying my DH one (he drinks more tea than I do).  Still, between the two of us, we only drink maybe 3 to 5 cups a week.

We have a lot of minerals in our water.  Which would be better with our water, an electric or a stove top?  We have a gas range and limited counter space.  I like the idea of having different heating temperatures too.

I'm interested in trying a kettle but I'm a little confused about which one to try first.

You only need a variable temp kettle if you drink a variety of teas ranging from green, Oolong, white or black.  Rooibos, herbal and black fall into the black temperature category.  The rest have their own temps. 


If you drink green tea and pour in after boiling, you are not getting the best benefit and taste from the tea b/c the hot water is burning it and it will taste bitter.  When I got my variable temp kettle, I learned a new appreciation for Green Tea.


If you do drink the variety of teas, especially loose leaf, I recco the Cuisinart Variable Temp Kettle.  I got mine at Bed/Bath/Beyond.  It is $99.99 and you can use a 20% off coupon to make it $80.  It also has a three year warranty whereas the Breville is $129 and has a one year warranty.


I grew up with electric kettles, so I am biased.  I would think I would forget the water on the stove.  I have many times boiled water and forgotten I boiled it, but with an electric with auto shut off, there is no danger. 


http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/cuisinart-perfectemp-stainless-steel-electric-kettle/1017391690?device=c&network=g&matchtype=&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_coffeetea_&gclid=CM2Vt66MkLwCFe87Mgod8x8A3A

[Outdoor Girl]

If you drink green tea and pour in after boiling, you are not getting the best benefit and taste from the tea b/c the hot water is burning it and it will taste bitter.  When I got my variable temp kettle, I learned a new appreciation for Green Tea.

Maybe this is why I don't like green tea and herbal teas.  They all taste like grass to me.  Some of them smell wonderful but taste like I just steeped a bunch of dried glass clippings in my mug.

I drink mostly Earl Grey and orange pekoe and always put the water in while it is still boiling a little bit.  I'm so fussy that I carry a little 4 cup kettle with me whenever I travel to have in the hotel room.  Hot water from the coffee pot just isn't hot enough, not to mention tasting vaguely of coffee.  Blech!  I was on a course and the caterers delivered hot water in a pot that had previously held coffee.  It was the most disgusting tea I've ever tasted.  Ever since then, my kettle goes with me everywhere I think I might need it.  And I take my tea with me, too.

[PastryGoddess]

snip

 my kettle goes with me everywhere I think I might need it.  And I take my tea with me, too.

yessir! me too.  However, I do like green tea.  I'm a big fan of mixing various teas.  My current favorite pairing is Jasmine oolong and dragonwell. 

[Margo]

I don't think of myself as a big tea drinker, but when I visited the USA for a holiday and was staying mainly in hotels, I found that I really, really missed it. (And learned very fast that there is really no point at all in ordering tea in hotels or restaurants (or not in any of the ones I was in, anyway!)

Fortunately, the friend I was visiting had worked for an ex-pat Englishman for 17 years. When I arrived at her house she looked at me with an experienced eye and said "Do you need Tea?" ...

Next time I go, I'm investing in a travel kettle and my own teabags.

[sammycat]

Wow, yeah the UK ones switch themselves off! No wonder some people don't get the appeal, if they've only seen the other kind!

Same with Australian electric ones. I'm not even sure it's possible to buy one that doesn't.

I just cannot mentally "see" a kitchen without a kettle.  I'd be lost without ours! 

Ditto!

I don't even drink tea or coffee, but if I was to move into a place all on my own, an electric kettle is one of the first things I'd buy. I can't imagine a kitchen without one. DH loves coffee so we've always had one for that reason alone. I don't use it a lot for other things really, but I still consider it an essential piece of kitchen equipment.

I'm enjoying the thread but, does it seem odd to anyone else that a thread on an electric kettle has reached 144 posts?

I find it's usually the (so-called) small things that are the biggest differences between regions/countries.

[mechtilde]

The secret with hard water is to immediately empty the kettle when you are done with it so the minerals don't deposit out.  And pouring hot water down the kitchen sink can be good for the pipes, helping to take any greasy residue down with it.

It is probably easier to use vinegar on a stovetop kettle but it works just fine in an electric kettle, too.

There's another practical reason for doing it- it is far safer to dispose of the hot water as soon as you don't need it any more. I always tip unused hot water down the sink, and make sure I only boil what I need. It drives my DH up the wall...