4 ms·

I don't understand the concept of a kettle with a dial on it, although I've gathered it is common in some places other than the US. Is this mainly for people wh

I don't understand the concept of a kettle with a dial on it, although I've gathered it is common in some places other than the US. Is this mainly for people who don't have an electric burner? I think I've encountered claims it is faster, but heating water on the stove seems very quick to me and I don't quite understand how the heat transfer could be much greater.

zrail 6y ago
Standalone kettles are usually induction plates. They’re more efficient and less dangerous than a typical stove.
- perl4ever 6y ago
  I am not clear that they are significantly more efficient. Note the bit below "that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use". http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ "An electric stovetop is about 70 percent efficient, although that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use. Most of the energy is lost heating the air around the stove. An electric teakettle is about 80 percent efficient, although again this varies from kettle to kettle. Electric kettles are generally very well insulated, and the heating coils sit directly in the water, so less heat is lost to the air. An induction stove or hot plate is about 85 percent efficient. It creates an electromagnetic current directly in a pot to generate heat, losing very little to the air." [as a footnote, the above apparently implies that kettles are not necessarily induction, and of course there are stovetops that are induction]
bonniemuffin 6y ago
I had a stand-alone electric kettle on my countertop for years because I drink a lot of tea, and it's so much faster than heating water on the stove or in the microwave. If I'm cooking pasta or hard-boiling eggs, I'll start by boiling water in the kettle to make the whole process faster, then pour it into a pot on the stove. I'm passionate enough about having nearly-boiling water available at all times, that when I remodeled my kitchen, I put in tea spigot: a tiny water heater under my sink that keeps water nearly-boiling and ready to dispense at all times, with a little dedicated spigot built into the sink. So now I don't have a kettle on the counter, but only because it's built into the sink. If I had to guess, it probably gets used 5+ times a day.
gcheong 6y ago
Induction heats much faster than a stove burner coil. As for the dial, apparently different kinds of tea taste better at different temperatures according to the variety.
- perl4ever 6y ago
  Everybody always says this, but without numbers that I can relate to. Also, this thing about kettles being all induction does not sound right. I got to go make a cup of coffee/tea and see how long it takes me. Edit: I just put my metal, non-electric kettle with 500 mL of cold tap water on a completely cold electric range and the time from turning the dial to Hi to the kettle whistling was 3 minutes +/- about 1 second. First google hit for "electric kettle test time to boil" is from consumer reports (I assume they are US only): "The electric kettles bring the water to a boil in about 4 to 5½ minutes" ...then again, I wouldn't have thought it but maybe electric kettles in the UK are faster? https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/article/how-we-test-kettles https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/article/how-we-test-... "The fastest kettles can boil a litre in less than two minutes and 18 seconds, but we've also tested kettles that take nearly twice as long - leaving you waiting around for your cuppa." So, my conclusion is an electric kettle might be noticeably faster on a percentage basis, but it reminds me of people who think a car that goes from 0-60 in 2.6 seconds is way higher performance than one that takes 3.6 seconds.
  - sp332 6y ago
    I think induction cooktops were a separate option from kettles.
  - Izkata 6y ago
    > ...then again, I wouldn't have thought it but maybe electric kettles in the UK are faster? I can imagine it being related to 120 volt outlets vs 240 volts, though I don't really know.
    - tialaramex 6y ago
      Ordinary sockets in a UK home supply ~240 volts at up to 13 amps = 3kW of power. In comparison a typical US outlet is ~120 volts (can be 110, can be 120, it varies) at up to 15 amps = 1.8kW. In both countries a home will have some beefier power for special purposes. In the UK (unless it's a really big house) this would be different sockets rated for more current at 240 volts or just stuff wired permanently for the higher current. e.g. an electric oven might be 20A at 240V = 4.8kW. In the US the weird way they get 110V means most homes (except maybe smaller dwellings in a multi-residence building) get 2x opposite 110V supplies so you can do 220V (which may be closer to 250V in some cases, again it varies) by wiring across the two sides to deliver power for an oven or central air conditioning system or other power hungry equipment. Again this is either wired in or uses less common sockets so that you don't plug the wrong stuff in.
lifeformed 6y ago
The temperature control is good for fine teas and coffees that require more fine tuned temperature settings.

zrail 6y ago

Standalone kettles are usually induction plates. They’re more efficient and less dangerous than a typical stove.

perl4ever 6y ago
I am not clear that they are significantly more efficient. Note the bit below "that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use". http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/ "An electric stovetop is about 70 percent efficient, although that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use. Most of the energy is lost heating the air around the stove. An electric teakettle is about 80 percent efficient, although again this varies from kettle to kettle. Electric kettles are generally very well insulated, and the heating coils sit directly in the water, so less heat is lost to the air. An induction stove or hot plate is about 85 percent efficient. It creates an electromagnetic current directly in a pot to generate heat, losing very little to the air." [as a footnote, the above apparently implies that kettles are not necessarily induction, and of course there are stovetops that are induction]

bonniemuffin 6y ago

I had a stand-alone electric kettle on my countertop for years because I drink a lot of tea, and it's so much faster than heating water on the stove or in the microwave. If I'm cooking pasta or hard-boiling eggs, I'll start by boiling water in the kettle to make the whole process faster, then pour it into a pot on the stove. I'm passionate enough about having nearly-boiling water available at all times, that when I remodeled my kitchen, I put in tea spigot: a tiny water heater under my sink that keeps water nearly-boiling and ready to dispense at all times, with a little dedicated spigot built into the sink. So now I don't have a kettle on the counter, but only because it's built into the sink. If I had to guess, it probably gets used 5+ times a day.

gcheong 6y ago

Induction heats much faster than a stove burner coil. As for the dial, apparently different kinds of tea taste better at different temperatures according to the variety.

perl4ever 6y ago
Everybody always says this, but without numbers that I can relate to. Also, this thing about kettles being all induction does not sound right. I got to go make a cup of coffee/tea and see how long it takes me. Edit: I just put my metal, non-electric kettle with 500 mL of cold tap water on a completely cold electric range and the time from turning the dial to Hi to the kettle whistling was 3 minutes +/- about 1 second. First google hit for "electric kettle test time to boil" is from consumer reports (I assume they are US only): "The electric kettles bring the water to a boil in about 4 to 5½ minutes" ...then again, I wouldn't have thought it but maybe electric kettles in the UK are faster? https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/article/how-we-test-kettles https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/article/how-we-test-... "The fastest kettles can boil a litre in less than two minutes and 18 seconds, but we've also tested kettles that take nearly twice as long - leaving you waiting around for your cuppa." So, my conclusion is an electric kettle might be noticeably faster on a percentage basis, but it reminds me of people who think a car that goes from 0-60 in 2.6 seconds is way higher performance than one that takes 3.6 seconds.
- sp332 6y ago
  I think induction cooktops were a separate option from kettles.
- Izkata 6y ago
  > ...then again, I wouldn't have thought it but maybe electric kettles in the UK are faster? I can imagine it being related to 120 volt outlets vs 240 volts, though I don't really know.
  - tialaramex 6y ago
    Ordinary sockets in a UK home supply ~240 volts at up to 13 amps = 3kW of power. In comparison a typical US outlet is ~120 volts (can be 110, can be 120, it varies) at up to 15 amps = 1.8kW. In both countries a home will have some beefier power for special purposes. In the UK (unless it's a really big house) this would be different sockets rated for more current at 240 volts or just stuff wired permanently for the higher current. e.g. an electric oven might be 20A at 240V = 4.8kW. In the US the weird way they get 110V means most homes (except maybe smaller dwellings in a multi-residence building) get 2x opposite 110V supplies so you can do 220V (which may be closer to 250V in some cases, again it varies) by wiring across the two sides to deliver power for an oven or central air conditioning system or other power hungry equipment. Again this is either wired in or uses less common sockets so that you don't plug the wrong stuff in.

lifeformed 6y ago

The temperature control is good for fine teas and coffees that require more fine tuned temperature settings.