electric kettles?

[pinkytoe]

The house we are renting has an electric stove and that is what DH has been using for heating coffee and tea water. I am wondering if it is simpler and more efficient to purchase an electric tea kettle as it would heat the water much faster. Or is that just one more gadget to keep up with? What do you think?

[catherine]

Ishbel and the other Brits are the most qualified to weigh in on that. My expertise is coffeemakers--my coffeemaker now is a Cuisinart drip coffeemaker with a thermal pot. I love it.

But I have also owned a number of electric kettles, which are faster and more efficient than waiting for an electric stove to heat up the kettle. If you are a regular tea drinker, it might be worth the investment.

Just want to add, I read that one of the reasons electric kettles never caught on in the States is because the voltage in Britain is higher, so the water in the plug-in kettles does indeed heat up much faster there than it would here. Not sure how true that is, but here's the link to that hypothesis: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-a...ve-top-2015-12

[ToomuchStuff]

My experience is the kettles heat up quicker. At least some of them, seem to heat further up the kettle, so you don't have the time waiting for the full pan to heat up. We used one in a garage I worked at, for multiple things (namely battery terminal cleaning), and this thread makes me want one for hot chocolate.

[herbgeek]

I have an electric kettle and it does indeed heat water faster than the stove, and faster than the microwave if making more than one cup.

[sweetana3]

We have an electric kettle and love it. (and we have a gas stove.) It gets the water very very hot very fast.

[Aqua Blue]

Electric kettle fan here, too. When I want just one cup, I pour the cold water from the cup I will be using into the pot, and only heat that one cup. I do the same to use my French press for coffee in the morning. That way I am only heating th water I need.

we have hard water, so about every ten days I put a little vinegar and acupuncture of water in the pot, heat it and let it stand for a while.

[iris lilies]

Do you people not have microwave ovens?

[herbgeek]

and faster than the microwave if making more than one cup.

Yes I have a microwave. For one cup, its marginally faster. For amounts larger than one cup, the kettle is faster.

[Zoe Girl]

Love my kettle! And if you drink a lot of tea I recommend a thermos as well. I fill my cup and then the thermos with hot water and it stays very very hot for up to 8 hours.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I'd say one more gadget (that can and the way most everything is made these days WILL break before too long. I only like purely mechanical gadgets like salad spinners). How hard is it to boil water? A little harder on electric than gas maybe but ...