Is it true, Americans don't.......
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I have had them in the past, but they didnt last. Add the cost of a kettle to the equasion and I bet they are not that economical.
Mine is perfectly smooth inside so it's easy to clean. A 2200 watt element built into the base (but not visible) boils water faster than can be done on my gas range.
I have a few theories as to why they are not very common in the USA.
1) Coffee has been our hot beverage of choice since 1773. Tea isn't nearly as popular here as it is in other British colonies.
2) Having a (rarely used) kettle sitting on the counter all the time just wastes space. It's easier to have it sitting on an unused burner on the stove.
1) Coffee has been our hot beverage of choice since 1773. Tea isn't nearly as popular here as it is in other British colonies.
2) Having a (rarely used) kettle sitting on the counter all the time just wastes space. It's easier to have it sitting on an unused burner on the stove.
The only electric kettle we owned was hand carried by a Brit to our home. Free kettle only a $300 wiring job to use it (just kidding)
No electric kettles here. I have a SS stove top kettle with a whistle spout. It's around here somewhere, haven't seen it in years.
I use a 1200 watt microwave. Can boil 8 oz. of water in 2 minutes.
I use a 1200 watt microwave. Can boil 8 oz. of water in 2 minutes.
Yes, we use them. My newest one is from Japan and has Fuzzy Logic....straight from the kettle into the Brown Betty, best tea on the planet!
Yes.
Gas stove and only cast iron or enameled cookware in our kitchen. OK Ok we do have electric, toaster,mixer, coffee maker and a blender(margaritas!).. Other wise I like my gas range.
Gas stove and only cast iron or enameled cookware in our kitchen. OK Ok we do have electric, toaster,mixer, coffee maker and a blender(margaritas!).. Other wise I like my gas range.
Originally Posted By: Kiwi_ME
A 2200 watt element built into the base (but not visible) boils water faster than can be done on my gas range.
You can't draw 2200 watts out of the standard 15 amp, 120V receptacles in the USA. 1800 watts is max, and if we apply the 80% rule then it drops to 1440 watts. (The 80% rule is that a circuit should not be loaded to more than 80% of the overcurrent protection's rating).
Perhaps this is why electric kettles are not common in the USA.
EDIT: The larger burners on typical electric stoves in the USA are rated at 2350 watts.
A 2200 watt element built into the base (but not visible) boils water faster than can be done on my gas range.
You can't draw 2200 watts out of the standard 15 amp, 120V receptacles in the USA. 1800 watts is max, and if we apply the 80% rule then it drops to 1440 watts. (The 80% rule is that a circuit should not be loaded to more than 80% of the overcurrent protection's rating).
Perhaps this is why electric kettles are not common in the USA.
EDIT: The larger burners on typical electric stoves in the USA are rated at 2350 watts.
Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: Kiwi_ME
A 2200 watt element built into the base (but not visible) boils water faster than can be done on my gas range.
You can't draw 2200 watts out of the standard 15 amp, 120V receptacles in the USA. 1800 watts is max, and if we apply the 80% rule then it drops to 1440 watts. (The 80% rule is that a circuit should not be loaded to more than 80% of the overcurrent protection's rating).
Perhaps this is why electric kettles are not common in the USA.
and perhaps why my lights dim when i boil water
Originally Posted By: Kiwi_ME
A 2200 watt element built into the base (but not visible) boils water faster than can be done on my gas range.
You can't draw 2200 watts out of the standard 15 amp, 120V receptacles in the USA. 1800 watts is max, and if we apply the 80% rule then it drops to 1440 watts. (The 80% rule is that a circuit should not be loaded to more than 80% of the overcurrent protection's rating).
Perhaps this is why electric kettles are not common in the USA.
and perhaps why my lights dim when i boil water
By code, kitchens need a least two or three 20 AMP circuits. No whimpy 15 amp circuits allowed in the kitchen.
Originally Posted By: Pablo
By code, kitchens need a least two or three 20 AMP circuits. No whimpy 15 amp circuits allowed in the kitchen.
Yes, but...an appliance that consumes enough electricity to require a 20-amp circuit will also (by UL requirement) have a plug on it that requires a 20 amp T-slot receptacle. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of kitchens I've seen that were wired with 20-amp T-slot receptacles, which look like this:
So a 1920 watt kettle could be made, it would just have a plug on it that most kitchens don't have a mating receptacle for.
Other than larger room air conditioners, I've only ever seen one appliance that had this type of 20-amp plug, a UPS. I think there might have been an SGI server (big thing on wheels) at one of my jobs that needed this sort of socket too.
By code, kitchens need a least two or three 20 AMP circuits. No whimpy 15 amp circuits allowed in the kitchen.
Yes, but...an appliance that consumes enough electricity to require a 20-amp circuit will also (by UL requirement) have a plug on it that requires a 20 amp T-slot receptacle. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of kitchens I've seen that were wired with 20-amp T-slot receptacles, which look like this:
So a 1920 watt kettle could be made, it would just have a plug on it that most kitchens don't have a mating receptacle for.
Other than larger room air conditioners, I've only ever seen one appliance that had this type of 20-amp plug, a UPS. I think there might have been an SGI server (big thing on wheels) at one of my jobs that needed this sort of socket too.
How do Americans discipline their children, when there's no electric jug cord easily at hand ?
How do you make tea/coffee in your motel room ?
My Nan used to have a kettle on the wood stove for ever, and it ended up a great big ball of chalky looking stuff, but had a good old electric jug to make tea coffee and gravy (water for).
Can't remember ever not having an electric jug/kettle in the house.
$30 for our current stainless (element out of the water, below the stainless base), with no cord when removed from the base station.
How do you make tea/coffee in your motel room ?
My Nan used to have a kettle on the wood stove for ever, and it ended up a great big ball of chalky looking stuff, but had a good old electric jug to make tea coffee and gravy (water for).
Can't remember ever not having an electric jug/kettle in the house.
$30 for our current stainless (element out of the water, below the stainless base), with no cord when removed from the base station.
How do you make tea/coffee in your motel room ?
With the microwave.
With the microwave.
I have a kettle to use on a stove element for emergency use only - it's too noisy to use all the time.Electric kettles are quicker and quieter,and last a very long time.I liked the ceramic ones the Aussies had - all sorts of different colours and you could repair the element by twisting the wire back together.I brought one back home and used it for years until the plastic lid fell apart.
yes, but most hotel rooms also have coffee makers.
Does a "Hot Pot" count?
These usually have a plastic body, low price, heated non-stick plate is most of the "floor" of the otherwise plastic tank. Sort of a poor relation to the stainless steel electric kettle. The term Hot Pot is used generically- believe that the Rival brand actually calls theirs Hot Pot. Rival, West Bend, Hamilton Beach, Proctor Silex, & many other brands all have one or more versions- but you may have to get it online. Several house-brand versions available too. I just checked, Amazon has the Rival for ~$11.
They're still pretty popular with college students, especially dorm residents.
Walgreens carries a line of small kitchen appliances/gadgets called Kitchen Gourmet, normally priced at ~$10 each. I have 2- one is a small, 1.5 qt Crock-Pot-type slow cooker(this thing is *It* for making a batch of Ro-Tel dip!
). The other is the hot pot, capacity ~1 qt., will boil water *fast*. It's excellent for making tea, hot chocolate, instant soup/oatmeal/grits/Ramen noodles/pour-brew-it-yourself coffee, anything requiring up to a quart(liter?) of boiled water. You can turn it down & just keep the water hot for a long time too. Got the little mini-Crock Pot & Hot Pot on some kind of arcane WG compound discount that finaly worked out to ~$6.50 each.
Here's a link to someones review on the Walgreen version, includes a pic. FWIW, it looks almost exactly like the Rival.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1849937/kitchen_gourmet_hot_pot_my_favorite.html?cat=22
They're still pretty popular with college students, especially dorm residents.
Walgreens carries a line of small kitchen appliances/gadgets called Kitchen Gourmet, normally priced at ~$10 each. I have 2- one is a small, 1.5 qt Crock-Pot-type slow cooker(this thing is *It* for making a batch of Ro-Tel dip!
Here's a link to someones review on the Walgreen version, includes a pic. FWIW, it looks almost exactly like the Rival.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1849937/kitchen_gourmet_hot_pot_my_favorite.html?cat=22
The non-Americans need to realize that most of us drink coffee and not tea so having hot water available isn't even a consideration.
Coffee is one of the ways the colonists separated themselves from the English, along with the way we hold our silverware.
Coffee is one of the ways the colonists separated themselves from the English, along with the way we hold our silverware.
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