Teakettle

[glenn]

I basically just want it to boil water for coffee (press) and occasionally tea and cocoa. I'm tired of ugly looking monstrosities that you have to remove from the stove when your mother-in-law comes to visit, handles that you need 3 towels to grab on to so you don't get a 1st degree burn and water that tastes of metallic particles. The All-Clad LTD kettle looks like it'll fit the bill, though it costs a small fortune. Anyone have experience with the all-clad? What's the best place to buy all-clad stuff? other recommendations? Thanks!

[if this topic has come up I promise to go stand in the corner forever. The search engine came up with zilch, but I seem to be mentally challenged with egullet's search facilities.]

[Fat Guy]

I'm pretty fond of my Russell Hobbs Cordless Electric Teakettle (Model 3114US1). It boils water very quickly and has auto-shutoff -- something you'll never find in a stovetop kettle! And it never sits on the stove so that issue doesn't come up.

The other one I have is Le Creuset:

Comes in all the nice Le Creuset colors and looks very sharp on the stovetop.

Also do yourself a favor and if you don't have one get a Brita filter pitcher and use filtered water for all boiling needs. It makes a noticeable difference in the end product. As they say, coffee is 98% water, so the water is important.

[mb7o]

One sure way to avoid metallic particles is to use glass...

Though I can't guarantee you won't burn your hand since the stopper and spout don't always match quite right.

Edited November 23, 2002 by mb7o (log)

[mixmaster b]

I have a blue enamel Chantal Kettle and I hate it because the handle gets hot.

I would get rid of it, but it was a gift.

That glass thing looks really cool!

[Suzanne F]

I've got Oxo, from Broadway Panhandler. It was relatively inexpensive. Enamelled inside and out. Big fat handle that doesn't get hot. Only problem is the handle of the cover broke off, but I fill it through the spout (or pry off the cover). Capacity is something 48 oz. -- fills my 1-quart thermos with about 2 - 3 cups extra.

Btw: Bway P. is a great place to buy All-Clad, if you can't get to one of their outlet stores. And when they do their annual Yard Sale (usually early summer), you save even more.

Edited November 24, 2002 by Suzanne F (log)

[Jinmyo]

I keep a cast iron Japanese tetsubin on the stove these days. It looks great and works well. The handle does get screaming hot but hands without towels are for tourists.

I've checked on the web and it looks much like this:

Except mine is turned to the left.

[researchgal]

we have the Chantal blue enamel one too, but love it. Boils water quickly and looks great sitting on the stove. Also love the special german harmonica whistle--probably not a good thing if someone in your house likes to boil water before others rise.

[Jason Perlow]

I'm pretty fond of my Russell Hobbs Cordless Electric Teakettle (Model 3114US1). It boils water very quickly and has auto-shutoff -- something you'll never find in a stovetop kettle! And it never sits on the stove so that issue doesn't come up.

Cordless teakettle? What, does it have a lithium ion rechargeable battery in it or something?

[stefanyb]

I'm pretty fond of my Russell Hobbs Cordless Electric Teakettle (Model 3114US1). It boils water very quickly and has auto-shutoff -- something you'll never find in a stovetop kettle! And it never sits on the stove so that issue doesn't come up.

Cordless teakettle? What, does it have a lithium ion rechargeable battery in it or something?

No. It has a base thats plugged in but the kettle comes off the base for pouring after the water boils (and for filling). I wouldn't boil water for tea,coffee and other way. They last for years, much longer than a traditional kettle especially if you tend to walk away from the stove when heating water.

Edited November 24, 2002 by stefanyb (log)

[glenn]

Thanks for all the great responses. I was leaning towards a stovetop kettle as my counter space is already limited. However, the Russell Hobbs kettle looks pretty nifty. But who sells it? My search only came up with shoplifestyle.com, for the Hobbs products, but they don't appear to have kettles (and I got an extremely helpful response from a phone call, like "if it ain't in the catalogue/online, we don't have it"). And FG, I like the look of the Le Creuset, but that handle looks kinda shakey. How sturdy is it?

[Fat Guy]

I got mine at Zabar's upstairs, I've seen them at Broadway Panhandler, and I know Williams-Sonoma has offered the product in its catalog. I see three of them on ebay right now too. Krups makes a similar device, with wider availability.

My Le Creuset is close, but not identical, to the one depicted in the image I grabbed from the Web. But I've had no handle problems in approximately eight years.

[Sandra Levine]

I covet this one, sold at the Museum of Modern Art Design Store:

MoMA teakettle

[glenn]

I'm sure y'all dying to know what I got. HANDS down, I thought Jinmyo's cast iron kettle was the coolest and fit in best with my kitchen. HOWEVER, I like my kettles turned to the right and I also value my hands :)). That MOMA piece looked cool too, but would be totally out of place in my house which is filled with antiquities. I decided against the Russell Hobbs due to counter space. I loved the Chantal and definitely would've ordered it, except, like I said, I value my hands. Thanks for the other suggestions. The winner was the Le Creuset. Thanks everyone.

[mb7o]

If you haven't already bought the le creuset, i'll put a mention in again of worldwidehouseware, they have them for $36 for the big 2.2 qt size. But I haven't dared buying anything from them yet, maybe this is a small enough purchase to let us know if they actually ship the goods!

http://www.worldwidehouseware.com/Whistlin...%202.2%20qt.htm

[Fat Guy]

Glenn, I believe you should have submitted to a vote of the eGullet membership. I don't appreciate your reckless decisionmaking approach.

[Marlene]

Mine is a Melita cordless kettle. It has a built in water filter as well.

[Marlene]

I have no idea whether this link will work!

http://www.melitta.com/cgi-bin/sgin0101.ex...52546&T1=66+286

Edited November 25, 2002 by Marlene (log)

[yvonne johnson]

I covet this one, sold at the Museum of Modern Art Design Store:

MoMA teakettle

That's a fine looking kettle, Sandy. Who needs a regular spout and lid? Cool.

[snowangel]

I have a great stainless steel teakettle purchased from the Pratunam (phoentic spelling) in Bangkok in 1969. We probably paid somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 baht for the thing.

Looks fine, works great.

[tsquare]

I bought the "cordless" electric Cusinart after frying two stovetop kettles, despite their whistles! It is clean, fast, and doesn't look too bad. Pretty readily available, though not often marked down. Worth it for peace of mind, if you are prone to crashing on the couch.

[glenn]

Glenn, I believe you should have submitted to a vote of the eGullet membership. I don't appreciate your reckless decisionmaking approach.

I know you contacted cooksworld.com and put the egullet whammy on me. I got an email they're out of stock on the color I ordered, black. So I can indeed redeem myself and maybe get permission to come out from the corner. What color should I get to match my black stove and wood cabinets? And what do y'all say about this place worldwidehouseware.com where as mb70 reports, it's considerably cheaper? Their color choices are a bit more limited -- blue, white, flame, red and yellow. Available elsewhere are black, citrus and jade.

(I May Be Color Blind But) I Know When I'm Blue -- Chet Atkins

[Jinmyo]

Black.

[=Mark]

I covet this one, sold at the Museum of Modern Art Design Store:

MoMA teakettle

That's a fine looking kettle, Sandy. Who needs a regular spout and lid? Cool.

I guess I just don't get it, looks plug ugly to me...

[Kim WB]

They have that MOMA Dansk kettle , or something that looks just like it, at the Dansk outlet store in Princeton. I didn't note the price at the itme, but 24.99 is popping up in my head?? It was there last week.

[Jinmyo]

Really. Black.