We use an electric tea kettle so many times each day: probably 10-12 clicks of the switch. We use it to heat water for both tea and coffee. So it’s a critical part of my kitchen!
This is my newest and latest tea kettle love:
Chef’s Choice 681
The capacity of this baby is 1.7 liters….that is many, many cups of tea or coffee. One fill up lasts us almost an entire day.
Blue light comes on when it’s heating up; it takes just five minutes with a totally full kettle. It does NOT have any beep or signal when it comes to a boil: the blue light just goes off.
Our last kettle held maybe three full cups. So yes, this is heavier when you pour the first cup but the convenience far outweighs (no pun intended!) the extra muscle power needed..
A few years ago I tried the so-very-cute Bodum kettle.
If you read the link to my post you will see why it’s “thumbs down”on this one.
Next I tried this one, from Adagio, for two years:
While it works just fine, it only holds 30 oz. which is less than half my new one.
I put together some suggestions for you. These were my runners up a month ago before I bought my Chef’s Choice 681. The prices of all these kettles have come down from 5-10 years ago and the technology has definitely improved. They heat up very fast, are easy to clean, have metal (no plastic) inside and for the most part (except for my Bodum) will last for years.
1. Secura 2. Cuisinart 3. Chef’s Choice 685 4. Bonavita
5. Breville 6. Hamilton Beach
Would love to hear your comments: do you own one of these, or another brand? What has your experience been?
#6 is my favorite one :) May be because it’s red:)
Awesome! I love the red one most. The colour is maybe one of the main reasons why.
I’ll surprise you to say that I don’t even own a kettle. I used to have a stove top one from Ikea for about 20 years, but the bottom finally gave out. I really must get another one. But I don’t use it other than when the odd tea drinker comes for a visit – so it seems silly to have a big electric kettle. Weird, eh?
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I drink coffee in the morning, but sometimes have tea in the afternoon. I’m still using a stove-top kettle and love the little ceremony of gathering and arranging the tea and tidbits while the water comes to a boil.
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I really love having an electric kettle! In fact, my last search for a new one led me to the stainless version of number 6, and I’ve been very happy with it. I do love the look of a kettle on the stove, but the ease and speed of heating water for tea in an electric kettle has me sold on them.
Thanks,
Paula
Paula: I agree, a tea kettle on the stove is wonderful to look at. I think I started in with electric kettles about fifteen years ago. I had a small one in my office when I ran the art studio and we all loved it; even think I replaced it twice there. So I was hooked. And, of course, lacking a stove (as in office) it was invaluable. Thanks for commenting here!
Libby,
I have been using an electric tea kettle for YEARS! They can be found in hotel and BnB rooms in the UK (Canada as well), where I first realized I needed one as well. As a purist, I refuse to heat my water in the microwave for tea. Currently, an Oster can be found on my counter. I am also noticing many brides-to-be are adding them to their registries! Great posting for discussion.
best, teaorwine
teaorwine.blogspot.com
I definitely agree about the microwave. Yuck. I love the hotels in Europe with a tray of tea service in the room…so very civilized! Thanks for visiting and commenting; see you soon again.
Oh my goodness Libby……………..I’m dismayed to hear that you reheat the same water 10 to 12 times. Reheating really changes the taste of water as it drives the oxygen out and makes the water taste………..stale? stewed?. Somehow flat. Ideally, you only add as much water to a kettle — of any description — as you think you’ll need for the moment. And every time you put fresh water into a kettle you should swill the kettle out first — again with fresh water, in order to ‘sweeten’ the pot.
In England, of course, they’ve got these gargantuan electric kettles. And with 220 volts coming out of their sockets (rather than our 110v) it takes about a minute to bring gallons and gallons of water to the boil. But unless you’re catering for a large number of people, I can’t imagine why you’d need to bring a gallon of water to the boil. The waste of energy for all this pointless boiling is also a shame.
How’s that for grumpy and lecturing?
Best regards.
Oh Kate..so glad you chimed in here! Yes yes yes, I know. I shouldn’t warm up the water again…but over the years I have gotten lazy (!!!) about refilling and reheating. My bad. But you know, I have to say, I don’t notice any difference in taste of water from cup #1 to cup #4. And, the electricity involved in all this is SO much less than turning on my (old, burners) electric stove. I love my burners, having had a glass top for a few years and couldn’t stand it. No gas available. Anyway, the 3-5 minutes doesn’t seem, to me, to be using all that much power! I drink numerous cups a day, and husband makes individual drip cup of coffee maybe twice a day, so it just makes sense to have this “system.” I love rituals but somehow this water boiling is more of a fundamental process, to me!!! Ok, so now I will think of you when I boil the kettle! P.S. Are you watching “Grantchester” on PBS? Oh, he is so fabulous!
I do own one but NEVER Use only because we have an ITALIAN BAR coffee maker……..INDUSTRIAL that is NEVER turned off!!!!!!!Husband being ITALIAN he need HIS COFFEE not the AMERICAN version which HE calls “DIRTY WATER!”
If I used I would LIKE your NEW ONE VERY MUCH!!
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I can attest your #1 pick is fast and holds a lot of water. Super!
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The Cuisinart CPK-17 kettle is amazing! It’s price tag is quite cool too – $89 for such a high teck kettle is a great deal.
$89 for a kettle is too much. Take a look at number 6 – cheap, simple and sexy. Why would you want to pay these extra $60 for some LED display and couple of buttons…?
Number two looks very innovative with all these buttons on it. I like it best.
We have one that we take on road trips for my husbands tea. He is very particular with how he brews his morning tea – precise amounts of water, bringing the water to a boil, then steeping it for 10 minutes (his tea is strong). I haven’t talked him out of his trusty old camping stainless steel pot and into an electric model yet – although I’d love to – it is so discolored and stained I hide it before we have anyone over – haha.
This is a great article for me because my kettle just burned. Number 4 is awesome :)
I have recently bought a Bonavita kettle and I’m quite satisfied with it.
Hey, Rodney
What do you think about it ;) I’ve been looking forward to buy one myself, but I still have my doubts.
Lilly, De’Longhi Argento Ketle is my choice. I am very pleased. Stylish and very practical. It does not take up much space and water heating for a few seconds. It was very useful when Daisy – my little daughter was a baby. Take it and you will not go wrong!
As an Irish family we go through a lot of tea. Wake up, cuppa tea; breakfast, cuppa tea; afternoon, cuppa tea. You see where I’m going with this. We’ve gone through a few kettles in the last few years but haven’t been entirely satisfied. The Chef’s Choice 681 is looking like the best contender for our next one due to it’s large capacity. Thanks for sharing!