Jas, what's the advantage of an electric kettle? I always used a stove top kettle.

Moni

Hi Moni,
I've never had a kettle for the stove. I'm sure it takes longer for the kettle to boil on my electric stove than it does to plug in.
Less energy used.

My first electric tea kettle cord frayed(sort of) where it attaches to the kettle. Thank goodness, it just quit working and after purchasing a new kettle...I discovered that the cord was broken (inside the wrapping). Ordered a new cord...and kettle is still perking along. Sorry about your counter-top. Nanny

Moni, Electric kettles provide hot water as fast or faster than a microwave. Like Jasdip said they save energy too.

I bought an electric kettle a while back. I had used stove top kettles for years. Lately I found myself putting the kettle on and since it takes a long time to heat, I would go into another part of the house to do something; forget the kettle, didn't hear the very low whistle, and let the kettle boil dry.

After doing that a few times, I realized I was risking a house fire, so I got the kettle. When the water boils, it cuts itself off. It is really fast!

Looks really nice too.

Got it at WalMart; think it was $39.95.

Sue

Most of the time when I need hot water I just use the coffeemaker. But I saw so many, including Alton Brown extolling the virtues of an electric kettle that I picked one up at Walgreens for about $5. It's still in the kitchen, in the box. Not sure when I'll try it out. One of these days I guess.

Never even heard of an electric kettle. LOL

cynic, use it next time you need hot water, and tell us, why you like/dislike it. Give us non electric kettle users a review.

Thanks in advance

Moni

My (European) husband was shocked that many Americans (dare I say "most" Americans?) don't use electric kettles.

That's one of the first things he bought when he moved to the States. Very handy - I love it. Makes hot water in a snap.

Electric kettles are fairly common in Canada.

The kettle has a heating element that is up inside the kettle in contact with the water, so it heats water to boiling really quickly - about as fast as on a gas stove, I think.

Some have a cut-off that cuts the power after some seconds, or if it boils dry. There's a click when the power is cut off, and after a few seconds there's another click and the power comes on again - I find that often it boils at about the end of the second shot, depending on the amount of water in the kettle. I don't know whether most of them do that, or whether mine is an anomaly.

Hi again cynic,

Leaving your electric kettle languishing in its box after bringing it home ...

... is about as helpful to you as sticking your spare cash under the mattress: while its presence may give you a certain feeling security, of having your needs potentially fulfilled ...

... it is of little actual usefulness in terms of daily living.

Having the cash on hand may save one a trip to the bank to get one's wallet pumped up, on occasion.

ole joyful

Moni, I'll be more than happy to let you know once I've tried it. Problem is there's not a lot of times I need that much hot water so I'm not real sure when I'll get around to using it! Offhand all I can think of is box potatoes. I did justify rationalize the purchase for making tea, but I just haven't started making tea either (I've been buying it at Aldi) and also I'm intrigued with the cold-brew method so I'm more likely to try that than the hot brewing. Good intentions but with circumstances as they are, it's not practical to make it right now. And I have an iced tea maker here too! (sigh Another limited use appliance. Haven't found anyone to whom I could gift it either.)

If I used a lot of hot water for items, or regularly, for instance instant coffee, tea, instant rice or the like, I probably would like a kettle. Believe me I really like functional "gadgets" though that's a bad term since functional "gadgets" are tools.

There's a couple negatives to it that I see immediately though. First is that for many applications the coffeemaker will do the same, OK, similar job and that's on the counter already. Larger quantities I've used the electric frypan which worked fine too. Appliances I use frequently stay out. Toaster, coffeemaker, and much of the year one of the Nescos are out. It just seems like there's a redundancy in having an electric kettle to leave out or as I probably would do, pull it out and put it away each time I need it. I'm not a big fan of "one trick ponies" in kitchen gadgets unless it's something major or something that takes minimal space. (I *do* like my little top-popper for popping the seal on jars.) The second is the issue of taking it out and putting away. It's small enough though that I suppose I could hang it up rather than putting it in a cabinet so it would be more accessible. I would imagine there's no real issue with cleaning it, basically it self-cleans!

I might not be the best one to give an opinion on it to be honest. The ones that have them could probably be more helpful than me if they'd share some details on how they actually use them. I'm really surprised nobody has said anything as to their uses for it. Alton Brown considers it a kitchen essential but about the only time I've seen him use it is for adding hot water to the oven. And since I don't cook the way Alton Brown does either maybe it's not for me.

I'm certainly not trying to talk someone out of getting one or criticize their use. It's just that for my use I haven't seen a pressing need or felt any major desire for one. Some people "couldn't live" without a dishwasher. I haven't found my vital statistics affected adversely by its absence. There too, I've thought about one but when I weigh the pros and cons, there's no pressing need for a dishwasher either. I like to simplify when possible. I find that a Nesco roaster adequately replaces a need for a crock pot, rice steamer, vegetable steamer and a toaster oven, and probably more. I find that a magnet on the back door adequately replaces the need for a special custom "in/out" box, bulletin board and message center. My cell phone contact list and notes replaces the need for a PDA and serves more than one function too. Again others "can't live" without some of the gadgets.

At the lake, pre-electrification, during the winter I kept a teakettle or two of water sitting on the oil stove, kerosene heaters or over the pilot light in the gas stove in the fall, winter and spring. (Made me appreciate what some of the pioneers went through.) No water heater out there other than the stove and a gas stove is not the best for heating water and the camp stove is really slow. So this way I continually had a kettle or two of hot(ter) water for washing dishes, washing me and putting some oft-needed humidity into the air. However this is essentially negated at home with a water heater. Now there's electricity at the lake (if I turn it back on) but still no traditional water heater. An electric kettle could be very worthwhile out there, but alas, I don't spend time there anymore, regretfully, so again, my use is limited.

Joyful, no argument here. I know they're popular in Canada, England and other areas. For me it probably was a stupid purchase and a waste of $4 or $5, whatever it was. I suspect that it'll wind up being given away or donated, unless I find a use for it. I don't always make the right choice on investments! Ya takes a gamble at times - sometimes you cash in, like I did on the CFLs (not the Canuck ballplayers) and other appliances so one bad one now and then won't keep me awake nights.

As I ponder, a thought does strike me. I've started cooking eggs by the bring to a boil and shut them off, leave for about 10-12 minutes routine. There's a possibility for the kettle, although I'm wondering how it'll go putting (near) boiling water onto the cold eggs they'd likely crack I suppose, unless I just put them in the kettle from the start, which might work - IDK.

So, I'll just ask, folks with experience, what uses do you get from the electric kettles?

Honestly, the only time I use it is for my tea. I make my tea in a pot, not a cup and a bag.

I've boiled water to defrost my freezer. Pour boiling water into pots and set inside the freezer with the lid closed. Defrosted in no time.

I don't boil water a lot, admittedly, but I've never, ever had a kettle on the stove to boil it with. Never crossed my mind, oddly enough.

And I don't know anyone else, either. My mom and some friends have an electric kettle.

cynic, I grew up in Germany. No hot water heater in the house till I was 9 years old. Just cold running water....
We did have an electric kettle. Mom used it to make coffee or tea with the hot water from it.

I never had one, once I was out of the home. Presently while living in this house (temporarily)... while all my stuff is in storage, I miss having my kettle (alas, it is one for on the stove). I just boiled some water for tea, using a sauce pan. So, really, one could say, I don't need one.. and that is right... but since I was missing mine, and wondering if I would use one...

So, I thought, if you would put yours in to service, you could give me an idea of how useful it was. :)

Moni

Where I live everyone has an electric kettle, you would be thought odd if you didn't have one.
I use it to make tea, cocoa, instant coffee and French press coffee. I don't have a coffeemaker because I don't drink so much coffee I want to make a big pot and have it sit there stewing all day, plus it takes up a lot more room on the counter than a kettle and a French press. For larger groups I have more French presses in the cupboard but rarely use them as I rarely have more than four coffee drinkers in the house at the same time.
I also use it to boil water to soak cellophane noodles and Hokkien noodles for Chinese dishes.
I cook in mostly cast iron and to make them easy to clean I soak them in boiling water from the kettle as soon as I'm finished cooking in them- tap water could shatter them.
I boil water to make instant stock for various recipes, jello and ramen noodles.
I boil water to wipe out ant nests.
I can't imagine not having an electric kettle. I replaced our stove top one after DH left the stovetop one on boiling dry for so long the bottom melted off (literally). The electric kettle is faster and turns itself off.