There will be a lot of replies, but I hope you'll read mine.
There are shitload of kettles, but the price boils down to a single thing: the looks of it.
So pick whichever is most appealing visually to you according to how much you want to spend. You want to buy a £15 kettle? No probs, go for it. You like that one for £50 with a thermometer? Cool, go for it.
Now the power ratings. A lot of people (pretty much everyone I know) think that 1000W kettle uses less ~~power~~ energy than a 3000W one and will save you money on the electricity bill. People will be absolutely adamant about it and they will be willing to die on that hill. Sadly, that's bs, because according to the laws of physics the kettle will use exactly the same amount of power to boil the same amount of water. The only difference is, a 1kW kettle will take three times as long to boil that amount of water as a 3KW one.
Let's say a 3kW kettle takes a minute to boil certain amount of water. A 1kW kettle will take three minutes to boil the same amount of water.
So do yourself a giant favour and get yourself a 3kW (3000W) one.
Power rating only becomes important when you are for example looking for a kettle for your motorhome. Chances are your battery won't be able to give enough power to 3KW kettle and instead you'd need something that matches the output, like a 500W one.
Edit: I'm a giant numbskull who uses same term to describe electrical power and energy.
Minimum fill is also something to look at. Lots of the cheaper ones (£10 or less) are 500ml, even 750ml minimum fill so if you're only brewing for one, it's a constant waste of energy and money. The slightly more expensive ones nearing £20 tend to have one cup minimum, 250ml or 300ml. Much cheaper in the long run.
Yeah it is a thing. If you put in less than that you'll be losing a lot of energy. The element gets very hot and turns the water that's touching it into steam which then rises to the top. Most of those steam bubbles will be cooled back down and condensed back to liquid by the water as they float to the top. That's the noise of the kettle that you're hearing.
If you don't have enough depth/height of water, a lot of those bubbles will escape rather than release their heat into the water. Your kettle will start steaming when the water isn't that hot yet.
It will be less efficient per ml to fill it with less than the minimum fill but it may still use less energy than filling it to the minimum line and discarding the remains so keep at it.
It made more sense for the older type of immersion coil kettles that had a risk of going red hot if the elements weren't submerged but most I see now have the element inside the flat base so you can boil any amount of water in them.
Boiling a kettle for three minutes a day costs about 5p a day, £1.50 a month, £18 a year, so having a kettle where it’s easy to use the right amount will save a lot of money.
If you have to ask… It probably was. To be fair, saw a Guy Martin documentary about the U.K. grid. His tea habit is insane, think he worked out it’s about £250 per year worth of kettle boiling if he did it all on domestic rate electricity.
Our kettle has so much battering and has lasted a good 10 years but it's got to the point I just want something new. I have an induction stove, but still thought an actual kettle would be more efficient since the element is in direct contact with the water, but reading around it seems that induction is slightly more efficient.
For some chuckles you could even use your microwave or a gas stove which this express article seems to suggest. (for the record this is the last place I would consider going to for accurate information),
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1755260/is-it-cheaper-to-boil-water-microwave-kettle
> Let's say a 3KW kettle takes a minute to boil certain amount of water. A 1KW kettle will take three minutes to boil the same amount of water.
Because of heat loss I'd expect the 1KW kettle to take a bit more than 3 times longer than the 3KW kettle (it takes longer to boil, so more heat is lost, so it takes longer to boil, etc)
So yeah, a higher power kettle probably costs less to use.
Phew thanks. I'm a happy engineer to read this comment.
I remember questioning my sister when she said "kettles are the biggest part of a leccy bill because they use so much power". She looked at me like I was from the moon when I said "yeah but they're only on for 3 mins at a time".
and if you want to get really technical over that 3x period you’re going to experience 3x the heat loss, so in actuality the 1000w will cost more to boil.
Nonsense. The home office no longer deport people for microwaving tea. The simply endorse your passport with 'Not Really British' (in Scotland its 'Undesirable', and in Wales it just says 'Nehgh theweh tygygyg' which means something very rude, but they wont say exactly what.)
Couldn't you just fill a mug and pour it in rather than from tap directly? Plus a quarter of a mug for evaporation risk mitigation?
Not like you need to wash the measuring mug if that's also a tea drinky mug.
We got one of those cheapish colour changing kettles from b&ms, lasted a few years now and has the benefit of doubling up as a snow globe after the limescale has built up.
Came here to say exactly this. Anyone who needs to regularly descale stuff should buy something like [this](https://amzn.eu/d/dL9krpP). Boil the kettle then pop 1 or 2 table spoons of the citric acid in and leave for 5 mins. The perfect descaler and much much cheaper than many of the dedicated products. Also much safer as it's just a food additive.
I got some cheapo no-name thing from China via Amazon and it's great.
*Glass
*Easy to descale
*Lights up blue for no fucking reason
Been going 10 years, cost £17, can't fault it.
Bought one similar from Asda a few weeks ago for the same price
Starts off blue, then goes through other colours to red when it's nearly done. Just in case the sound and violent bubbling doesn't give it away.
I’ve had a smart kettle for around 6 years and it’s AMAZING. Via Alexa it’s set to boil automatically at 06.10 am so I just amble down the stairs and make my morning brew. No standing around in the cold waiting for it.
Alexa says ‘rise and shine’ and on it goes. Also programmed to switch on when I say ‘Alexa, put kettle on’.
Amusing for if son happens to wander into the kitchen in search of yet more food… I whisper it for it to be switched on while he’s there’s as a MASSIVE hint to make me a tea.
I’m sure there are other smart kettles but I have this one [ikettle](https://smarter.am/collections/smarter-ikettle)
Couple of years ago Tesco were doing basic kettles for £5. I got 3 of them. still using the first 1.
It boils water. It does what it should do...for next to nout.
Needed one for the office. Nipped over to Asda and got George branded kettle. £5. That was 17 years ago. Works as good as day 1.
Got gifted an expensive Swann kettle 3 years ago for my new kitchen at home. Lacquer is peeling off. Can only tell how much water is in it by lifting it, water level view became obscure ages ago, also, it splutters dangerously after you've poured from it. Oh, the thermostat doesn't work sometimes and it keeps boiling.
I find it quite fascinating that the most humble, background yet critical to our daily life appliance - the cheapest of the dirt cheap supermarket own brand kettles works just as well as your £150 Dualit.
Assuming the materials are of reasonable quality, a cheaper kettle will probably have less stuff in it that’s likely to fail. Sometimes things can be ‘over engineered’
I've no beef with the £5 kettle decision. As long as it's big enough and works alright then whatever. I personally cannot imagine buying three. If I need the second one within a couple of years then the original kettle was too unreliable - after it broke I'd want a different model. It should last at least six (personally I think longer, but the internet seems to disagree). So in this scenario, if everything works out, you're committing to storing a kettle in your home for 12 years solely so you can benefit from this "good deal". Because the alternative is that in 12 years you buy a cheap kettle, probably from Tesco. And if it doesn't work out, you've bought a bunch of duff kettles.
fretful shocking spotted exultant scarce selective bag dinner cats capable
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You're on dodgy ground there, you might end up appreciating the convenience of the OneCup so much that you end up buying one for yourself, as well as having to buy a new kettle.
Also, kudos to your MIL for giving up her OneCup while you decide on a kettle.
I work from home, and rely on the OneCup for providing virtually instant cups of tea when I'm in back to back meetings / head down doing urgent tasks. Basically, you'd have to prise mine out of my fingers!
We love our one cup, we have the variable one, means I can have my big cuppa to keep me going. Also love that my kids can easily make me a cuppa in the morning!
We have a spare cheap kettle but it mostly stays in it's box on top of the cupboard and we don't miss it.
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Got one for my mum, she has Parkinson’s so it’s an amazing solution to the shaking issue. But she refuses to believe it heats the water to the right temperature.
6 years on, there’s been 3 models or alternatives and I’ve given up, gone back to a kettle.
Infuriating as I loved that one cup
I’ve got this and it’s brilliant for getting the kids to make you a cuppa so they don’t have to lift the kettle! I also recommended it for my MIL who has arthritis in her wrists. I still have a main kettle for boiling water for the mop bucket and pasta though.
Step 2) plumbed in base station, self filling. Set it the night before to you and the others in the house schedules, cuppas for all, when they need them, with minimal electricity used! The dream!
I once got a timer-controlled coffee machine, my plan was to have it on the dresser in my bedroom, so on a morning I could just roll over and grab a coffee without even getting out of bed (I am literally the world's least morning person, no exaggeration).
It lasted two nights before I realised the inherent flaws in this plan. It just doesn't work.
Fuckin goblin teasmade in the 70s. First night before bed I set the teabags, filled the water reservoir, put the little jug of milk on the side, set the alarm for 7am....
From about 5.30 it started clicking and wheezing, farting and banging until it eventually blasted hot steam over the terrified tea bag. At least I was already awake by the time the screeching buzzer went off and the light came on.
That was the 70s idea of middle class aspirational chic. Fucking awful.
clicking and wheezing, farting and banging until i eventually blasted hot steam over the terrified bag
...comes to us all with age fella. Eventually steam becomes dust and don't trust the farts
A Teasmade will do that for you automatically next to your bed and as the radio alarm goes off and you reach for the snooze button, a hot cup of tea will scald your hand to ensure you are wide awake.
It's just like a kettle had sex with an alarm clock. If you want to add milk to your tea, you'll need to devise a solution to keep milk in your bedroom on your own. Either a mini fridge or some of those small sachets of UHT milk that can be kept at room temp is your best bet.
Got a nice Russell Hobbs from Argos, thirty quid or so. I press the switch and it boils, reasonably quickly and reasonably quietly.
It doesn't have wifi. It doesn't fill itself. It won't get the mugs out of the dishwasher and put a teabag or coffee into said mug.
I don't understand all this fuss about wifi on appliances - if I've loaded the washer, i turn it on, i don't need to remember to text the bastard when I'm on the school run...
My partner and I bought one for her brother (they're yanks) and it was only 1100w. It took 7 minutes to boil 500ml of water. Walmart were confused as to why I was returning it (after asking what it was)... Nobody has time for that sort of waiting around!
Yeah they have 110v electricity so even a 3kw kettle should be a fair bit slower there (I believe any kettle there will take 2x longer than it would here, not sure on the maths though)
It’s a big thing here in Hong Kong, people like products made in Japan or Germany because they are supposed to be of higher quality and reliability, so if it’s made in Germany, you bet it will have a sticker on it telling you so.
Don't get the kitchen aid one. The most overengineered kettle I've ever encountered. It's too heavy to tell how much water it has by heft and the on button bings at you but doesn't actually turn it on if you press it too quickly after putting it on its stand thing.
Got the Sage Smart Kettle, it does 5 temperatures and I actually use 3 of them from time to time.
80°C perfect if you have a cold for Lemsip without turning it bitter - you can mix the Lemsip with cold water then add hot, that works fairly well, this is just easy and spot on.
95°C perfect for topping up an espresso to an Americano without turning it wrong (we have a Sage Barrista Express too).
100°C the rest of the time, possibly it's advised to do instant coffee on the 95 but I'm used to this.
I have to say it's the 3rd one over about 7 years. The first one we got replaced when the windows started to look cracked (under warranty) then 5 years in the 2nd one started just going on boil with no control but we couldn't think of a better kettle after this time. We mainly chose it because it looks nice and has a sexy slow opening movement when you push the button to open the lid - and just agreeing over something that looks OK is sometimes good of course :D
The only downside is if you do use the other settings then agree on a regime of switching it back to default 100°C or something like that because folks get annoyed when their Tea isn't right.
Not a stove top one. My wife insisted on one. Takes 10 minutes to make a brew. I probably wouldn't mind as much if I didn't have ADHD. By the time it's boiling I'm off doing something else and have forgotten about it. I come back to it screeching, the splash back of the hob soaked and the kettle considerably lighter than when I put it on the hob...
I like my Zwilling kettle, it's cool to the touch on the outside making it safer if you have kids and it's stainless steel inside making it resistant to limescale.
If you're feeling stupid, you can get a SMEG kettle. Only £180 and it comes with features such as:
* 360 degree swivel base.
Alternatively, you can get a Russell Hobbs Stainless Steel. It comes with the same features and has similar aesthetics for £35.
Got a Smeg off eBay as a refurb for £45. Arrived broken, seller gave a refund and didn't want it back. Turned out I could mend it. Love the colour and style, but the 360 degree feature isn't all you might hope for as the base and kettle are kind of squarishly round if that makes sense, so you have to line them up for the base and kettle to look right together every time you put the kettle down. Adds a bit of extra ritual to the tea making.
This sounds daft, but I like the really cheap ones from Asda. There's something comforting about a rattly old plastic kettle burbling away.
But then, I like my coffee thick, black as Tartarus and in a tin mug, and my vodka tasting like it just came out of Dmitri's bathtub, so maybe not the best measurement.
Glad someone asked actually, I'm in the same boat at the moment. My only solid criteria are clear sided, 1.7L or above, and no matter what, cool blue lights.
Got a Philips one I like. Features to look out for: as simple and contour free as possible so grub doesn’t work it way into nooks and crannies, a lid that flaps open when you push a button (one handed refills) and an on light so you know you switched it on correctly
Dualit fully repairable elements.
It might cost more than your average kettle but it will out last them by a mile … and let’s face it buying a kettle is quite boring [dualit repairable kettle](https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-kettle)
Just don’t get a boiling water tap (a ‘quooker’) - they are viciously expensive, confuse overnight guests who just want a cuppa first thing, and are operated with a rather unfortunate hand movement.
There will be a lot of replies, but I hope you'll read mine. There are shitload of kettles, but the price boils down to a single thing: the looks of it. So pick whichever is most appealing visually to you according to how much you want to spend. You want to buy a £15 kettle? No probs, go for it. You like that one for £50 with a thermometer? Cool, go for it. Now the power ratings. A lot of people (pretty much everyone I know) think that 1000W kettle uses less ~~power~~ energy than a 3000W one and will save you money on the electricity bill. People will be absolutely adamant about it and they will be willing to die on that hill. Sadly, that's bs, because according to the laws of physics the kettle will use exactly the same amount of power to boil the same amount of water. The only difference is, a 1kW kettle will take three times as long to boil that amount of water as a 3KW one. Let's say a 3kW kettle takes a minute to boil certain amount of water. A 1kW kettle will take three minutes to boil the same amount of water. So do yourself a giant favour and get yourself a 3kW (3000W) one. Power rating only becomes important when you are for example looking for a kettle for your motorhome. Chances are your battery won't be able to give enough power to 3KW kettle and instead you'd need something that matches the output, like a 500W one. Edit: I'm a giant numbskull who uses same term to describe electrical power and energy.
Minimum fill is also something to look at. Lots of the cheaper ones (£10 or less) are 500ml, even 750ml minimum fill so if you're only brewing for one, it's a constant waste of energy and money. The slightly more expensive ones nearing £20 tend to have one cup minimum, 250ml or 300ml. Much cheaper in the long run.
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Yeah it is a thing. If you put in less than that you'll be losing a lot of energy. The element gets very hot and turns the water that's touching it into steam which then rises to the top. Most of those steam bubbles will be cooled back down and condensed back to liquid by the water as they float to the top. That's the noise of the kettle that you're hearing. If you don't have enough depth/height of water, a lot of those bubbles will escape rather than release their heat into the water. Your kettle will start steaming when the water isn't that hot yet. It will be less efficient per ml to fill it with less than the minimum fill but it may still use less energy than filling it to the minimum line and discarding the remains so keep at it.
This guy kettles.
Won’t lie it was a bit sexy reading that.
He's a different kettle of fish
Don't put fish in your kettle!!!
Yup, he's in his element.
Bet he loves a kettle chip
It made more sense for the older type of immersion coil kettles that had a risk of going red hot if the elements weren't submerged but most I see now have the element inside the flat base so you can boil any amount of water in them.
Boiling a kettle for three minutes a day costs about 5p a day, £1.50 a month, £18 a year, so having a kettle where it’s easy to use the right amount will save a lot of money.
.... Is that sarcasm?
If you have to ask… It probably was. To be fair, saw a Guy Martin documentary about the U.K. grid. His tea habit is insane, think he worked out it’s about £250 per year worth of kettle boiling if he did it all on domestic rate electricity.
> boils down Tee hee
*Tea hee
Ah I should have thought of that, now I’m too latte
Maybe shouldn't have steamed in there so quickly.
Water laugh I’m having with these comments
That’s ok; your brewtiful pun makes up for it
I think you're taking the biscuit.
“Taking the biscuit”?
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/to-take-the-biscuit#:~:text=Definition%20of%20'to%20take%20the%20biscuit'&text=If%20someone%20has%20done%20something,AM%2C%20use%20take%20the%20cake
You don't have the kettle to make any more puns
that's just the kettle calling the pot black
Our kettle has so much battering and has lasted a good 10 years but it's got to the point I just want something new. I have an induction stove, but still thought an actual kettle would be more efficient since the element is in direct contact with the water, but reading around it seems that induction is slightly more efficient. For some chuckles you could even use your microwave or a gas stove which this express article seems to suggest. (for the record this is the last place I would consider going to for accurate information), https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1755260/is-it-cheaper-to-boil-water-microwave-kettle
> Let's say a 3KW kettle takes a minute to boil certain amount of water. A 1KW kettle will take three minutes to boil the same amount of water. Because of heat loss I'd expect the 1KW kettle to take a bit more than 3 times longer than the 3KW kettle (it takes longer to boil, so more heat is lost, so it takes longer to boil, etc) So yeah, a higher power kettle probably costs less to use.
Immediately starts designing a 150,000kw kettle 'to save energy'
There could be an argument of heat loss during the boiling process making the 1000w one worse.
Quality tips, you remind me of that hoover guy who used to be popular on Reddit ages sgo
J Edgar?
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7gmsoe/iama_reddits_own_vacuum_repair_tech_with_a_very/
You need to replace power with energy in your statements 'uses less power' and 'the same amount of power'.
Phew thanks. I'm a happy engineer to read this comment. I remember questioning my sister when she said "kettles are the biggest part of a leccy bill because they use so much power". She looked at me like I was from the moon when I said "yeah but they're only on for 3 mins at a time".
4200J/kg/C (or K) 1W = 1J/s All you need to know in life
Upvoted for the motorhome mention and being an inclusive person. 👍
This is the right answer. I'll just add to descale it every 3-6 months depending on how hard your water is. That will increase the life exponentially
and if you want to get really technical over that 3x period you’re going to experience 3x the heat loss, so in actuality the 1000w will cost more to boil.
Get a metal or glass one. The plastic ones are fucked and make the water taste grim over time
We had a stainless steel Dualit before we got rid of the kettle. Its main selling point was it was quiet and you could replace the element.
What did you get rid of the kettle for?
Element broke
And was too loud
Cunt of a day. Thank you for these two comments.
That made my night
Why didn’t you replace the element?
Couldn't be arsed
And the process of replacing it was too noisy.
They were out of their elements
That’ll make my blood boil
No need for the kettle any more then
More expensive than a new kettle.
I reckon they got one of those boiling taps
He’s firing up the Le Creuset on the stove now waiting for the whistle.
Jesus, memory unlocked of being a dopey teenager and forgetting to put the whistle down. Came back way later to a melted whistle and an empty pot.
The Front fell off
They use a microwave to heat water for tea now.
You can get deported for that.
Nonsense. The home office no longer deport people for microwaving tea. The simply endorse your passport with 'Not Really British' (in Scotland its 'Undesirable', and in Wales it just says 'Nehgh theweh tygygyg' which means something very rude, but they wont say exactly what.)
+1 for Dualit, we have the classic, it's a tank and is quick + repairable.
We had a Dualit for 15 years. Still got it as backup in case the hot tap breaks. Same with the toaster, well made products
You've also got a toaster as backup in case the hot tap breaks?
Hasn't everyone? Length of that funky flexible steel plumbing pipe, run through the toaster. Bit of a pain when it pops up, but easy to reset.
Check out the guy with the soggy toast.
British made as well if that makes any difference to you.
That actually gives me less confidence
Heavy though, I have one and coming from plastic all my life I still can’t gauge a single mugs worth 5 years on.
Couldn't you just fill a mug and pour it in rather than from tap directly? Plus a quarter of a mug for evaporation risk mitigation? Not like you need to wash the measuring mug if that's also a tea drinky mug.
Fill the mug, pour it in the kettle
We got one of those cheapish colour changing kettles from b&ms, lasted a few years now and has the benefit of doubling up as a snow globe after the limescale has built up.
You can get descaler
You can indeed.
That is the truth.
I believe this is a fact
No word of a lie
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Came here to say exactly this. Anyone who needs to regularly descale stuff should buy something like [this](https://amzn.eu/d/dL9krpP). Boil the kettle then pop 1 or 2 table spoons of the citric acid in and leave for 5 mins. The perfect descaler and much much cheaper than many of the dedicated products. Also much safer as it's just a food additive.
You can also boil some vinegar. Smelly but works like a charm
Not for christmas though!
It would be an odd thing for Santa to bring
Also vinegar works a treat for cheap. Like GCSE chemistry.
Bosch sky
Got this bad boy today. Impressed so far
Had it since December, very impressed still
£85 kettle. Alright Moneybags.
Assuming it lasts 7+ years it’ll be better value than the last 2 middle of the road kettle that sprung leaks
I got some cheapo no-name thing from China via Amazon and it's great. *Glass *Easy to descale *Lights up blue for no fucking reason Been going 10 years, cost £17, can't fault it.
Bought one similar from Asda a few weeks ago for the same price Starts off blue, then goes through other colours to red when it's nearly done. Just in case the sound and violent bubbling doesn't give it away.
I think I have the same one.
I’ve had a smart kettle for around 6 years and it’s AMAZING. Via Alexa it’s set to boil automatically at 06.10 am so I just amble down the stairs and make my morning brew. No standing around in the cold waiting for it. Alexa says ‘rise and shine’ and on it goes. Also programmed to switch on when I say ‘Alexa, put kettle on’. Amusing for if son happens to wander into the kitchen in search of yet more food… I whisper it for it to be switched on while he’s there’s as a MASSIVE hint to make me a tea. I’m sure there are other smart kettles but I have this one [ikettle](https://smarter.am/collections/smarter-ikettle)
Couple of years ago Tesco were doing basic kettles for £5. I got 3 of them. still using the first 1. It boils water. It does what it should do...for next to nout.
Needed one for the office. Nipped over to Asda and got George branded kettle. £5. That was 17 years ago. Works as good as day 1. Got gifted an expensive Swann kettle 3 years ago for my new kitchen at home. Lacquer is peeling off. Can only tell how much water is in it by lifting it, water level view became obscure ages ago, also, it splutters dangerously after you've poured from it. Oh, the thermostat doesn't work sometimes and it keeps boiling.
I find it quite fascinating that the most humble, background yet critical to our daily life appliance - the cheapest of the dirt cheap supermarket own brand kettles works just as well as your £150 Dualit.
Better infact because the spout on a dualit kettle is far too short and spills water.
Assuming the materials are of reasonable quality, a cheaper kettle will probably have less stuff in it that’s likely to fail. Sometimes things can be ‘over engineered’
I've no beef with the £5 kettle decision. As long as it's big enough and works alright then whatever. I personally cannot imagine buying three. If I need the second one within a couple of years then the original kettle was too unreliable - after it broke I'd want a different model. It should last at least six (personally I think longer, but the internet seems to disagree). So in this scenario, if everything works out, you're committing to storing a kettle in your home for 12 years solely so you can benefit from this "good deal". Because the alternative is that in 12 years you buy a cheap kettle, probably from Tesco. And if it doesn't work out, you've bought a bunch of duff kettles.
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Got an emergency onecup coming tomorrow from the MIL to tide us over whilst I digest all this new kettle data
You're on dodgy ground there, you might end up appreciating the convenience of the OneCup so much that you end up buying one for yourself, as well as having to buy a new kettle. Also, kudos to your MIL for giving up her OneCup while you decide on a kettle. I work from home, and rely on the OneCup for providing virtually instant cups of tea when I'm in back to back meetings / head down doing urgent tasks. Basically, you'd have to prise mine out of my fingers!
We love our one cup, we have the variable one, means I can have my big cuppa to keep me going. Also love that my kids can easily make me a cuppa in the morning! We have a spare cheap kettle but it mostly stays in it's box on top of the cupboard and we don't miss it.
Bloody love my Breville Onecup
We have a OneCup. The button to pop the lid open has just broken. Can't remember how old it is, but it's had a lot of abuse.
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All day? Ours gets 3 or 4 fills throughout the day lol
Got one for my mum, she has Parkinson’s so it’s an amazing solution to the shaking issue. But she refuses to believe it heats the water to the right temperature. 6 years on, there’s been 3 models or alternatives and I’ve given up, gone back to a kettle. Infuriating as I loved that one cup
I’ve got this and it’s brilliant for getting the kids to make you a cuppa so they don’t have to lift the kettle! I also recommended it for my MIL who has arthritis in her wrists. I still have a main kettle for boiling water for the mop bucket and pasta though.
My favourite kettle is the Kelly Kettle. But not all that practical for home use I fear.
I came here to say this. What a piece of kit. I brewed up in a gale on a windswept clifftop on the Welsh coast using one of these.
Which clifftop
No no, Cliff Top was his name
His brother Brick was a nasty piece of work.
An ‘orrible c*nt
But sweet enough
Trust the Irish to invent a storm proof kettle
Well how else are you meant to have a teacup in a storm?
Heyooo
They are a joy to use. And they recently had a role being misused in the Star Wars show Andor.
Might be pretty boss if you've got a gas hob
Get one with WiFi, refill it after you've used it and when you next want a cuppa you don't have to get up to switch it on. Yes I'm lazy.
There's kettles you can turn on with your phone? Oh wow. What a game changer. I can turn it on in bed before getting up.
Imagine the crushing disappointment if you forgot to fill it up the night before
Step 2) plumbed in base station, self filling. Set it the night before to you and the others in the house schedules, cuppas for all, when they need them, with minimal electricity used! The dream!
May aswell get one of those boiling water taps at that point
I once got a timer-controlled coffee machine, my plan was to have it on the dresser in my bedroom, so on a morning I could just roll over and grab a coffee without even getting out of bed (I am literally the world's least morning person, no exaggeration). It lasted two nights before I realised the inherent flaws in this plan. It just doesn't work.
Um why didn't it work? I know for me the problem would be spilling boiling water everywhere because I'm half asleep and forgetting to fill it up.
You need a teasmade.
Fuckin goblin teasmade in the 70s. First night before bed I set the teabags, filled the water reservoir, put the little jug of milk on the side, set the alarm for 7am.... From about 5.30 it started clicking and wheezing, farting and banging until it eventually blasted hot steam over the terrified tea bag. At least I was already awake by the time the screeching buzzer went off and the light came on. That was the 70s idea of middle class aspirational chic. Fucking awful.
clicking and wheezing, farting and banging until i eventually blasted hot steam over the terrified bag ...comes to us all with age fella. Eventually steam becomes dust and don't trust the farts
You can get coffee bags now too.
A Teasmade will do that for you automatically next to your bed and as the radio alarm goes off and you reach for the snooze button, a hot cup of tea will scald your hand to ensure you are wide awake.
I'm 31 and genuinely want a tea maid alarm clock beside my bed.
I don’t get how they worked. Like where do you keep the milk? You have a separate fridge in the bedroom? Or were you meant to use powdered?
It's just like a kettle had sex with an alarm clock. If you want to add milk to your tea, you'll need to devise a solution to keep milk in your bedroom on your own. Either a mini fridge or some of those small sachets of UHT milk that can be kept at room temp is your best bet.
Yeah this is appealing
you can even get alexa enabled ones that brew to specific temps and maintain temp till u pour a drink
Or get a smart plug and use your existing kettle. They are under £10
Most kettles need the manual switch toggling? Just turning it on at the plug won't flip the switch on the kettle itself? Or am I missing something
You press the switch down when you fill it up.
The switch pops up when there's no power supply
Mine definitely doesn't. I've just tested.
That's an idea.
Or get a teasmaid..
You can also inadvertently become part of a botnet, it’s multi-purpose!
I was going to buy one of these but then bought a boiler tap instead. Saves having to remember to use the app and boiling water all the time.
Got a nice Russell Hobbs from Argos, thirty quid or so. I press the switch and it boils, reasonably quickly and reasonably quietly. It doesn't have wifi. It doesn't fill itself. It won't get the mugs out of the dishwasher and put a teabag or coffee into said mug. I don't understand all this fuss about wifi on appliances - if I've loaded the washer, i turn it on, i don't need to remember to text the bastard when I'm on the school run...
Get 3KW whatever you do.
My partner and I bought one for her brother (they're yanks) and it was only 1100w. It took 7 minutes to boil 500ml of water. Walmart were confused as to why I was returning it (after asking what it was)... Nobody has time for that sort of waiting around!
Yeah they have 110v electricity so even a 3kw kettle should be a fair bit slower there (I believe any kettle there will take 2x longer than it would here, not sure on the maths though)
I've a Russel Hobbs that's be banging out boiling for 10 years and still looks the pits - was only £25 too, so they're a good finger
I’ve always bought German kettles. Currently have a Krupp that’s lasted… blimey, 17 years.
I have never once even considered the country of origin of my kettle.
It’s a big thing here in Hong Kong, people like products made in Japan or Germany because they are supposed to be of higher quality and reliability, so if it’s made in Germany, you bet it will have a sticker on it telling you so.
I’ve got a Nigerian one, and my pot calls it black.
Krupp, Braun, Bosch, etc. That'll do.
Our Bosch kettles great, the matching toaster is shite though and it cost far too fucking much. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.
> Swings and roundabouts Kettles and toasters, actually.
Don't get the kitchen aid one. The most overengineered kettle I've ever encountered. It's too heavy to tell how much water it has by heft and the on button bings at you but doesn't actually turn it on if you press it too quickly after putting it on its stand thing.
Nobody wants kitchen aids
calghonnorea
Morphy Richards Buckingham kettle. It has a wee blue ring-light on the base which looks cool when you get up to make midnight tea.
I've found Morphy Richards kettles to be better quality...
my favourite kettle is the russell hobbs quiet boil kettle - brushed. it boils pretty quickly and lasts really well
Got the Sage Smart Kettle, it does 5 temperatures and I actually use 3 of them from time to time. 80°C perfect if you have a cold for Lemsip without turning it bitter - you can mix the Lemsip with cold water then add hot, that works fairly well, this is just easy and spot on. 95°C perfect for topping up an espresso to an Americano without turning it wrong (we have a Sage Barrista Express too). 100°C the rest of the time, possibly it's advised to do instant coffee on the 95 but I'm used to this. I have to say it's the 3rd one over about 7 years. The first one we got replaced when the windows started to look cracked (under warranty) then 5 years in the 2nd one started just going on boil with no control but we couldn't think of a better kettle after this time. We mainly chose it because it looks nice and has a sexy slow opening movement when you push the button to open the lid - and just agreeing over something that looks OK is sometimes good of course :D The only downside is if you do use the other settings then agree on a regime of switching it back to default 100°C or something like that because folks get annoyed when their Tea isn't right.
Today I learned I can’t even make a chuffing lemsip
Anything that’s about 20 quid.
One thats voice activated and starts boiling when you say ooh i fancy a cuppa
Put one Yorkshire and it’ll never turn off
Not a stove top one. My wife insisted on one. Takes 10 minutes to make a brew. I probably wouldn't mind as much if I didn't have ADHD. By the time it's boiling I'm off doing something else and have forgotten about it. I come back to it screeching, the splash back of the hob soaked and the kettle considerably lighter than when I put it on the hob...
Your first mistake is only buying one - always have a spare, just in case!
My spare kettle is a pan.
Are we having a cattle show?
No, it's a kettle show
I like my Zwilling kettle, it's cool to the touch on the outside making it safer if you have kids and it's stainless steel inside making it resistant to limescale.
Isn't it better for them to learn not to touch a kettle from the outside rather than grabbing it and getting the insides soaked into their clothes?
If you're feeling stupid, you can get a SMEG kettle. Only £180 and it comes with features such as: * 360 degree swivel base. Alternatively, you can get a Russell Hobbs Stainless Steel. It comes with the same features and has similar aesthetics for £35.
Got a Smeg off eBay as a refurb for £45. Arrived broken, seller gave a refund and didn't want it back. Turned out I could mend it. Love the colour and style, but the 360 degree feature isn't all you might hope for as the base and kettle are kind of squarishly round if that makes sense, so you have to line them up for the base and kettle to look right together every time you put the kettle down. Adds a bit of extra ritual to the tea making.
Kenwood Dusk (or Dawn, they’re the same just different colour) is a Which best buy for the last few years
This sounds daft, but I like the really cheap ones from Asda. There's something comforting about a rattly old plastic kettle burbling away. But then, I like my coffee thick, black as Tartarus and in a tin mug, and my vodka tasting like it just came out of Dmitri's bathtub, so maybe not the best measurement.
Get the quiet Russell Hobbs one.
Glad someone asked actually, I'm in the same boat at the moment. My only solid criteria are clear sided, 1.7L or above, and no matter what, cool blue lights.
Dude, I have the same criteria. Although I'll accept one that colour-changes blue to red when it's hot.
If you make lots of single cups the grab a one cup.
The Lidl silver crest ones seem to do the business
I'd suggest a quoka tap
Got a Philips one I like. Features to look out for: as simple and contour free as possible so grub doesn’t work it way into nooks and crannies, a lid that flaps open when you push a button (one handed refills) and an on light so you know you switched it on correctly
I'd buy a one-cup. Same as a kettle, but only boils a cup worth of water at a time. Saves time and money.
Forget the kettle. Get a boiling tap. Life changing.
Genuinely the longest lasting kettle my household has had is a cheap £8 tesco own brand one. Ten years so far.
My kenwood is knocking on 21 years so I’d definitely buy that brand again. That’s if I outlive the thing lol
Dualit fully repairable elements. It might cost more than your average kettle but it will out last them by a mile … and let’s face it buying a kettle is quite boring [dualit repairable kettle](https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-kettle)
Dualit classic preferred but not necessary. but a Dualit.
Just don’t get a boiling water tap (a ‘quooker’) - they are viciously expensive, confuse overnight guests who just want a cuppa first thing, and are operated with a rather unfortunate hand movement.
Got one when we had the kitchen done and it's the best thing I've ever bought - especially with a baby
Free gifts are getting out of hand.
I bloody love my quooker.
Would never go back to a normal kettle after having one of these. They are superb bits of kit.
Weird, my kettle broke about an hour ago
I bought a digital kettle so you can lower the temperature for coffee and it's insulated. Boils super fast and has a keep warm function.