In Search of a High-Speed, Low-Temperature Kettle

[Larry Sanbourne]

Hello eGullet folks,

 

I'm in need of a specialized water kettle and I'm hoping someone here might have some recommendations. My requirements are quite specific: I need a boiler that can quickly heat water to 98.6°F (92-100 is fine; 104 is already too hot). It's vital that the unit be transparent so I can see the water level inside. Additionally, it would be ideal if it could also bring water to a full boil.

 

I'm open to any suggestions, whether it's a consumer product or a more custom solution (bimetallic thermostat, analog temperature gauge, ...). Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!

 

Cheers!

Larry

[heidih]

Your "why" would help

[Larry Sanbourne]

Hi Heidi,

 

I'm looking for a kettle that can heat water for coffee or tea to boiling, but I need it to be controllable to lower temperatures for other (non-culinary) purposes. Thank you for any suggestions you might have!

 

Larry

[rotuts]

@Larry Sanbourne 

 

your best bet might be the microwave .

 

I use a pyrex measuring cup , because of the handle   it does not heat up

 

 

for boiling water for drip coffee.

 

if your ' cold ' tap water is a constant temp

 

timing for both a boil , and a warm=up  should be reasonably consistent.

Edited November 23, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[TdeV]

Hi @Larry Sanbourne. Welcome to a great forum!

 

Here's what you want: a Zojirushi

https://www.zojirushi.com/category/water_boilers_warmers/

 

Zojirushi is more expensive than some, however they are really excellent devices. I own a Zojirushi bread maker and Zojirushi rice cooker, but I have inspected many of their devices . . . 😁

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by TdeV (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Just a thought, I've not received it yet but I ordered a Fellow Stagg kettle that is currently on sale:

(eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

Like Zojirushi, the Fellow is not cheap even when on sale -- however the Fellow's cost is small change compared to that of my non-electric iron kettle that requires ceremonial levels of attention and care.

 

 

[Larry Sanbourne]

Hello to both of you,

 

Thanks for your reply. The Zojirushi water boilers/warmers would be PERFECT, but the models I found only went down to 165F. Is there a version that goes all the way down to 98.6?

 

JoNorvelleWalker - unfortunately it looks like the Stagg doesn't go low enough either.

 

Larry

[pastrygirl]

Do any immersion circulators get to boiling?

[Duvel]

It might be a bit of a workaround, but look into baby milk warmers. They won’t boil your water, but they will allow you to warm/keep water at exactly 98.6 F in translucent bottles …

[Larry Sanbourne]

Thanks Duvel! I looked into these briefly. They take 3mins, which is slow.

 

My current solution is a fine-spouted Oxo kettle that goes only down to 104F but has a temp gauge, so I turn it on and just watch the temp like a hawk and hope I don't miss if it goes wrong. It's quite annoying to use because you have to press the main button to turn it on, then again to initiate the warming, and then watch it like a hawk. After warming and using, you have to replace the kettle, then press the button again, … It's just a crazy amount of faffing for what should be very simple! I have to do this twice a day, so the little annoyances add up.

 

I keep figuring I'm missing some easy solution… Instant-read thermometer in a larger clear kettle? Clear kettle that at least has a temp readout and fewer button presses?

 

I'm very interested in immersion circulators since I'd love to try sous vide-ing steak someday but don't want to invest in a huge sous vide bath for something I'd do infrequently. The water I'm heating to 98.6F will go into small bottles with 5/8" spouts, so it might be a bit impractical to use a large immersion circulator for this purpose every day? But the steak would be amazing....

[TdeV]

Immersion circulators are quite exact, @Larry Sanbourne. And very fast. A good idea you've got there.

 

[TdeV]

P.S. Pork roast is good too.

[blue_dolphin]

What is the volume of water that needs to reach the desired temps very quickly?

Do you have advance notice of the need for this water or is it something sprung on you without notice and you need to have it ready in a couple of minutes? 

 

I agree with @TdeV that an immersion circulator is quite precise but assuming you're placing a container of water into the circulating bath, it's likely to take a while to get up to temp AND allow the container to equilibrate to the temp of the bath.  You're never going to get a full boil in a container that you place into the circulating bath and if you need boiling water, then lukewarm water, then boiling water again in quick succession, it's not going to work.  

 

Unless your volumes are large I tend to think that @rotuts's microwave suggestion may be the best.  Takes a few tests to nail down the timing but once that's done, it's pretty easy and inexpensive microwaves are readily available. I warm up my cats' food to the lower temp you are targeting and I know how many seconds it takes to get one serving or two up to that temp from either refrigerator temp or room temp. I also know how many seconds it takes to get either a cup or a half cup of water to that temp because that's what I use for proofing yeast. 

 

You could invest in a precision induction hob like a Control Freak but that seems like overkill. 

[TdeV]

Although you might want one of these, @Larry Sanbourne.

 

(You've sorted out that eGulleteers are real enablers, right? 🤣 )

 

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by TdeV (log)

[Larry Sanbourne]

Hi all, I own a Thermapen and love it!

 

The volume for 98.6F (37C) is just 240mL. I need it twice a day and don't want to keep it warm for hours since that seems wasteful. With the Oxo kettle, the one that only goes down to 104F, I have to watch it like a hawk but it does heat it to 98.6 within a couple minutes…

 

I could always use my kettles for boiling water and use the immersion circulator for the 98.6F, though I am having trouble imagining if these could be thin enough and stable enough on their own for this not to be annoying.

 

I don't own a micro but at friends' houses I've tried this and it's indeed very efficient and repeatable.

 

I wish some kettle mfrs would just let their kettles go down to below 104! Seems like some mods should be possible but I'm no electrical engineer...

 

Larry

[TdeV]

@Larry Sanbourne, my microwave cost $50. Smaller than the one it replaced. With a little practise I could figure out how many seconds it takes to warm a bit of water.

 

[Larry Sanbourne]

Thanks TdeV, I will look into microwaves. I have previously been anti-micro but it sure is helpful for leftover soups etc.

 

For fun I looked into how to DIY this with my existing kettle. I was pointed to Inkbird ITC-308 which is only $35 and can be used for home brewing and other stuff. Seems a bit crazy but maybe really useful?

 

https://inkbird.com/products/temperature-controller-itc-308

 

Does anyone have experience with these? Would it do the trick or am I totally off base?

[weinoo]

If stuff is used for non-culinary purposes (like, let's say a Netti Pot), isn't it safer to first bring the water to a boil and let it cool down?  

[Larry Sanbourne]

Yes indeed, the 37C use case is for sinus rinse! In that case I always pre-boil and then let it cool down before heating anew to desired temp. But I realize we can't discuss non-culinary things here and don't want to focus on that, even though it's one use! I'm hoping that the resulting setup, whether micro or immersion circulator or homebrew thermostat, will be useful for a wide range of applications, especially culinary (since I want to try sous-vide steak someday).

Edited November 28, 2023 by Larry Sanbourne (log)

[Vapre]

4 hours ago, Larry Sanbourne said:

Does anyone have experience with these? Would it do the trick or am I totally off base?

 

Yes, in a non-culinary sense. I use it in a grow tent attached to a small ceramic heater. It keeps the plants at an even temperature. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

When you are setting the temperature, the range, and other options, don't forget to hold the 'set' button again for about 3 seconds or it defaults back to factory settings.

 

As far as using it in a kettle, it could work I  suppose. The range is -50°C~120°C / -58°F~248°F.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Vapre (log)