Best Kettle

Chris Amirault · February 5, 2005

A dear friend of ours, having asked for tea at our house last week, took the filled electric kettle and, instead of placing it on the electric base, turned on the stove and placed the plastic bottom onto the burner. Poof. :blink:

We are now in need of a new kettle. Speed, volume, and lack of expense are our primary goals, but if it looks spiffy in a 1950s modern kitchen, that would be swell, too.

What do you use for your Lady Grey, French press, Jasmine, and Irish Breakfast?

Fat Guy · February 5, 2005

Two words: Russell Hobbs

The Russell Hobbs cordless electric kettles (cordless in the sense that the heating element is in the kettle and you set it into a base to power it) are the best, the most long-lived, the fastest, and the most attractive kettles out there. They are almost universally favored by in-the-know Brits who are serious about tea.

And they are not that easy to find. At least, it's difficult to find one that was made in England.

The one I have, you can sometimes find on ebay, for example here's a new one. I have been wailing on one of these for more than a decade -- not that I use it every day or even every week, but when I use it I treat it harshly. And in the UK it is not uncommon for people to use these things several times a day for decades.

The currently available (sometimes) unit that I'd consider most strongly is the RHOK3123. This is a great looking one, and would fit in very well with the decor scheme you're describing -- very retro-futuristic. I'm pretty sure this is manufactured in Hong Kong by or for Salton, but it looks promising.

**andiesenji** · February 5, 2005

Check out the new General Electric Cordless electric kettle.

It is a beauty and at Wal-mart it is less than $30.00.

I saw it a couple of days ago and need another teakettle like I need a hole in my head, since I have an automatic hot water dispenser at my sink, but I came close to buying one of these.

fou de Bassan · February 5, 2005

Go for the Russell Hobbs. I have a Flama cordless made in Portugal and while it suits me just fine I miss the look of my MIL's RH. They are definitely worth whatever they cost, and on E-bay that could be less than a buck!(sans shipping) :wink:

**andiesenji** · February 5, 2005

If you do go for the Russell Hobbs, make sure you don't get this one.

Chris Amirault · February 8, 2005

Hmmm.... Tough choices. Thanks for the input, and I'll let people know.

jamiemaw · February 8, 2005

Hmmm.... Tough choices. Thanks for the input, and I'll let people know.
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I've used my Russell Hobbs corded model at least once a day for almost 20 years. There is little sign of wear, its exterior is still spotless when given a quick buff and it's very fast, qualities also enjoyed by my fiancee.

Jamie

Chris Amirault · February 17, 2005

If you do go for the Russell Hobbs, make sure you don't get this one.
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Damn.... I misread this.... I just got a Mona kettle off of eBay for not much....

Here's the story.

Does anyone know any updates about this? Also, how does one determine whether or not one's Russell Hobbs is poisoning one's family??

:angry:

Safran · February 17, 2005

[
Damn.... I misread this.... I just got a Mona kettle off of eBay for not much....
Also, how does one determine whether or not one's Russell Hobbs is poisoning one's family??

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Simply use one of those lead detecting kits. Easy to use and fairly inexpensive. Can't remember where I bought mine.

food mom · February 19, 2005

Re: tea kettles:

Your kettle is not going to make you a good cup of tea. You water and your tea determines the quality of your tea.

Are you looking for an electric kettle or a stove-top one? For electric kettles, a very good and inexpensive one is made by Proctor-Silex, and sells in KMart for around $15.oo. I've used it to brew at least 2 liters/tea every day for the past year now, and it works wonderfully well. Has an automatic shut-off should one forget to watch the kettle.

If you'd prefer a stove-top, purchase a glass one. If one brews different teas, one can easily see through the glass to determine if the water is simmering/boiling. (Good) green teas do not have to have water at the full rolling boil stage, for example. This is mainly for CTC teas, where a brisk, quickly-steeping cup is preferred to finesse.

Again, the water is more important. Cold, freshly-drawn filtered water is preferred, as it is oxygenated (the oxygen being the flavour carrier).

jpr54_ · February 19, 2005

i use the whistler tea kettle-glass

works fine and lasts a long time

joanne

waves2ya · February 20, 2005

Our Simplex Kettle gets rave reviews.

When its time for sockjuice the kettle sings fast.

(Ok, ok - we have *lots* of nice teas, too...)

Chris Amirault · February 23, 2005

Serendipity intervenes!

The eBay seller sent the wrong kettle in a Russell Hobbs box, so I returned it for full refund. Meanwhile, we decided to go with an OXO Uplift Tea Kettle -- again off of eBay.

But it has been impossible to find those Russell Hobbs kettles anywhere. The Monas have all been pulled (for good reason, it seems), but most of the rest also seem to have been discontinued. Any ideas on this?

emmalish · February 23, 2005

I always look at the OXO uplift kettles in the store, but I can't justify getting rid of mine since I still like the way it looks and, really, there's nothing wrong with it (had it forever, can't remember what kind it is). But the design of the OXO kettles is very nice.

How does the tipping mechanism work with a full kettle? Well-balanced? I've only played with the empty ones in-store.

Chris Amirault · February 24, 2005

I always look at the OXO uplift kettles in the store, but I can't justify getting rid of mine since I still like the way it looks and, really, there's nothing wrong with it (had it forever, can't remember what kind it is). But the design of the OXO kettles is very nice.
How does the tipping mechanism work with a full kettle? Well-balanced? I've only played with the empty ones in-store.
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I'll let you know when it comes. It does look pretty great, and that OXO line has generally been very good.

emmalish · February 24, 2005

What colour are you getting? I was watching Moving Up on TLC last night (shut up!) and one of the couples had a green one on their stove. Me want! :wub:

Chris Amirault · February 24, 2005

What colour are you getting? I was watching Moving Up on TLC last night (shut up!) and one of the couples had a green one on their stove. Me want!
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Brushed stainless, thanks for asking!

Marmish · February 25, 2005

I always look at the OXO uplift kettles in the store, but I can't justify getting rid of mine since I still like the way it looks and, really, there's nothing wrong with it (had it forever, can't remember what kind it is). But the design of the OXO kettles is very nice.
How does the tipping mechanism work with a full kettle? Well-balanced? I've only played with the empty ones in-store.
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We have the OXO. I think it is well balanced. We've had it a couple of years and use it twice a day. It's still in good shape, though it could use a good scrubbing, but that's another issue I suppose.

Chris Amirault · March 2, 2005

How does the tipping mechanism work with a full kettle? Well-balanced? I've only played with the empty ones in-store.
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Just got it and we love it. It's very well balanced, and has a great train-like whistle. It's also black, not brushed stainless, I'm afraid -- thank you eBay! -- but the water, strangely, tastes fine.... :wink:

emmalish · March 2, 2005

Just got it and we love it. It's very well balanced, and has a great train-like whistle. It's also black, not brushed stainless, I'm afraid -- thank you eBay! -- but the water, strangely, tastes fine....
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I'm partial to the black, myself (all of my counter-top on-display appliances have a black gloss finish), but brushed stainless would be my 2nd choice. Even though I love the green one, I'd be afraid that my taste in colour would change -- black & brushed seem safest.

I was looking at them in the store again this weekend. How can I justify replacing my old kettle, which has nothing wrong with it? :hmmm:

Chris Amirault · March 2, 2005

I was looking at them in the store again this weekend. How can I justify replacing my old kettle, which has nothing wrong with it?
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One must overvalue at least a few things in life, and spend accordingly, don't cha think? :wink:

emmalish · March 2, 2005

I was looking at them in the store again this weekend. How can I justify replacing my old kettle, which has nothing wrong with it?
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One must overvalue at least a few things in life, and spend accordingly, don't cha think?
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Unfortunately, I tend to do this with everything :rolleyes:

racheld · April 6, 2005

Our white T-Fal Vitesse 1.7 liter has made LOVELY tea , cocoa and French-Press coffee for almost a year now. The clear window indicates both water level and vigor of bubble, making it easy to pour just at the right moment of boil.

It sits on a round thin pancake of a base, begins a throaty purr at the touch of a button, shuts itself off automatically, and did not suffer any performance damage when I dropped it onto the slate floor, save for a tiny chip out of the lid---a purely cosmetic injury, and who among us is aesthetically perfect?

I had watched Nigella reach for her "kettle" frequently during almost every show and meant to buy one; this kettle of our own was a birthday gift, and I would recommend it to any tea drinker.

**andiesenji** · April 6, 2005

Cooking.com has two Russell Hobbs water kettles in stock.

They also have a large selections of others.

I am partial to my old Russell Hobbs, the one with the odd round plug as it was one of the early imports, converted to US current.

I have several others but since having a hot water dispenser installed at my sink, I rarely use them.

I have one of the Chef's Choice cordless which is quite rapid, as is the Braun AquaExpress.

Mainly these are used when we are outside and also I have one in my bathroom as the master suite in my house is a long, long way from the kitchen.

I saw one kettle in BBC Good Food a couple of years ago that I was hoping would cross the pond.

The entire kettle changed color as the water heated, from blue to pink and I thought that was jazzy and I am into collecting the odd and etc., in appliances.

Edited April 6, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

cdh · April 9, 2005

My attention has been drawn to kettles with thermostats that bring water to ideal temperatures for brewing Darjeelings and non-black teas.

I'm wondering if anybody here has had any experience with the performance of these gadgets. One is available from Ten Ren for a lot of money. And another is available from Adagio Tea for a bit less money.

Does anybody have any options about their value and utility? To me they sound like the greatest thing since the toaster... but I'm reticent to put my money where my fancies direct without somebody vouching for the quality of these toys.

Edited April 9, 2005 by cdh (log)

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