Our very old electric kettle is finally giving up the ghost (arcing when plugged in). Reviews on available kettles seem to be all over the place. Any first hand recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
We don’t need anything overly fancy. Important things would be fast boiling; variable temp control seems like a useful upgrade as we do use it for multiple applications including different teas; something without a lot of internal plastic; durable (fat chance I know).
Thanks in advance!
I’m the market myself and find myself leaning towards Bonavita gooseneck (not sure if I need temperature control so I may go with just the straight-up no bells+whistles model).
The key / top criterion for me and B is that the kettle is all stainless steel inside. We both feel that any trace of plastic is going to leech into the boiling water, no matter if it’s BPA-free or not (which I think is just a big-time gimmick from manufacturers). We never microwave/put in dishwasher plastic of any kind and a recent guidelines from the American Academy of Peds bears out our behavior.
Scroll down to 2nd set of bullets, bullet 2:
https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Says-Some-Common-Food-Additives-May-Pose-Health-Risks-to-Children.aspx
We had a plastic one that’s now in the basement on its way into a box of donations. Replaced it with a stainless steel Bonavita. Love the pouring spout.
I got this Odette electric kettle last summer. It is stainless, it boils fast and it was inexpensive. Only thing I do not like about it is that it is nearly impossible to read the fill level so if you care about that would not recommend it.
I don’t have a variable temp control kettle, but Mei Leaf did a couple of electric kettle review.
He reviewed a few kettles:
I have an fairly inexpensive Secura stainless steel electric kettle I like. It is fully stainless with no plastic I can see at all, but it is not temperature controlled.
I have a Cuisinart one. We have had it for more than three years (5?). it is used at least three times a day. We have no complaints. It has 6 different temp selections. It is mostly SS except for plastic on the under side of the lid, on the inside of the pouring spout and where the see through water indicator is so if you are concerned about plastic take that into consideration. I’d be happy to look up which model it is if you are interested.
My mom is a crazy tea making person and switched to this one a few years ago now.
Easy to see water level, have various temps (i use a not quite boiling temp for coffee pour over), cordless, and keeps water hot a very long time
Best to use filtered water to avoid buildup from minerals etc
I tend to agree.
thanks, this one hadn’t previously been on the radar, will check it out
This one under strong consideration. The level of temp control and most other features look right. Plastic the only hesitancy.
Thanks, another new option to research.
I appreciate all the input. I will definitely post what we get and my initial impressions.
We’ve been using this one for about 8 months now with satisfactory results:
There is a tiny siliconish gasket around what seems the temperature probe at the bottom. If setting a water temperature is important to you, then something like this might be unavoidable – but I’m no hot-water-kettle engineer, so may easily be wrong.
@Rainycatcooks is your kettle this one? https://www.cuisinart.com/shopping/appliances/tea_kettles/cpk-17 ? We have one. As a kettle it’s good. As engineering I have issues. The lid is jammed closed. I don’t want to force it. Cuisinart has been non-responsive. If your lid works would you take pictures with the lid open straight down the opening and of the bottom of the lid and email them to me at dave@skolnick.org? That may be enough additional information to get the thing open again. Thanks in advance.
That is it. I probably will not be able to get you a picture until tomorrow but I noticed that there are a few pictures on amazon in the reviews. Apparently you are not the only one have problems with it. I guess I got lucky or maybe my model is older. It sure looks the same. Scan to the bottom of the reviews on this link to Andreas review. There are some other reviews further up the page looking down the whole thing but I think hers shows the mechanism best. Let me know if none of the pictures show what you are after.
