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As I understand it, electric kettles never became as popular in the United States (though of course they do exist) because the electrical standards here mean th
by Turing_Machine 5y ago
As I understand it, electric kettles never became as popular in the United States (though of course they do exist) because the electrical standards here mean that it's infeasible to make one that works really well -- a British electric kettle might be rated at 3,000 W (about 13 A at 230 V), but a standard U.S. convenience outlet can only provide about 1,800 W (15 A, 120 V). Even the higher-rated 20 amp outlets are only going to get you 2,400 watts. To get 3,000 watts, you'd either need a special circuit (like the ones for RV hookups), or plug it into a dryer or electric range outlet.
- txg 5y agoOn my twelfth year of North-American kettle operation I've gotten past the tedium of waiting extra minutes for the water to boil. Visiting my family, however, I now have to flick the switch on twice - autopilot usually means the water has cooled below the supposed optimal infusion temperature by the time I return to the kitchen.
- bryanlarsen 5y ago15A outlets are only rated that for instantaneous current. For continuous current, appliances are only allowed to pull 80%. So kettles in the US are 1400W, half that of British kettles. Like many modern kitchens, I have 20A outlets. Current code says that you either have to have 20A circuits in the kitchen or split 15A circuits. What the electrician chooses to install depends on whether 14/3 or 12/2 wire is cheaper that day. One of my pet peeves is that I can't buy a 20A 1900W kettle. There has to be enough market demand for one? Put a big picture of a NEMA 5-20 outlet on the front so that fewer people get confused.
- ssully 5y agoI just assumed they never took off here because tea isn't as popular in America. The only people I know who own kettles in America are people who regularly drink tea, including myself.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- wtetzner 5y agoI also use mine to make coffee (via a French press).
- masklinn 5y agoLikewise (via aeropress).
- time_to_smile 5y agoOr pourover coffee which, at least anecdotally, I've seen become much more popular over the years.
- txg 5y agoI drink both, but now use my kettle almost exclusively for the awful indulgence of pre-mug warming before dropping in the espresso from my stove-top pot.
- geekbird 5y agoSo, my roomie is an ex barista. She only does pour over coffee with a Melitta cone and filter. (My wife like K-cups, but they need filtering to get the grounds out.) We have an electric kettle, which we just had to replace because the 15 year old one stopped heating completely. We also just bought a couple of hot water bottles...
- etblg 5y agoElectric kettles are very common in Canada and we have the same power systems as the USA. I've never found that the electric kettles here are painfully slow or anything, it's just a culture thing on who wants boiling water on demand more I guess.
- gotorazor 5y agoI think that's because it is more common for Canadians to have resistive electric stoves. Americans typically have gas stoves. Boiling water on resistive electric stoves vs electric kettles are kind of the same.
- ska 5y ago> I've never found that the electric kettles here are painfully slow or anything, You probably would if you were used to UK kettles...
- elliottkember 5y agoI recently bought a Zojirushi water boiler. Instant hot water all day. Never going back to a kettle.
- js2 5y agoI bought an electric kettle[1] a decade ago shortly after I switched to an Aeropress for coffee. I now drink green tea a couple times a day in addition to my morning coffee. I think most Americans just don't have much cause to heat water for anything except coffee, and they use a coffee maker for that. My kettle is 1500 watts and I just timed it. Heating a bit over 1L (~36 oz) of water from 68°F (20°C) to 200°F (93°C) took 4:20. It's one of those things where the first time you use it, you can't imagine ever not having one, assuming you have cause to heat water on a regular basis. Still don't own a toaster though. A toaster oven does fine with toast and can be used for a lot more besides. Don't own a rice maker either. That's been an ongoing negotiation with my wife for 25 years now. :-) [1] https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter...
- vel0city 5y agoI have a basic rice cooker and I absolutely love it. Perfect rice every time without having to think too hard about measurements or the time, as the measurements are stamped on the bowl (fill rice here, fill water here) and it will always switch to warming mode at exactly the right time. I wouldn't bother getting a fancy computerized model, the old thermostatic ones are pretty much perfect. Technology Connections video on old-style rice cookers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSTNhvDGbYI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSTNhvDGbYI We have that exact same kettle, its wonderful.
- greenonions 5y agoMy wife convinced me to buy what I would consider an expensive rice cooker, computerized. Now the rice is fantastic, I'll admit. However, I'm not really convinced that it's worth 6x a basic rice cooker.
- Tcepsa 5y agoFWIW we used to make rice on the stove for years and it was fine, but then we got an Instant Pot and it's even better--makes rice that was comparable to what we'd get with the stove, plus all the other stuff you can use it for. So personally I'd encourage you to consider a "smart" pressure cooker with a rice setting rather than a dedicated rice maker. EDIT: Might also help you tip the balance of the negotiations in your favor ;)
- extrapickles 5y agoUnless you are in an apartment/condo in the US (which can have 208V), you likely have 240V power in your house. I have a 240V 15A outlet in my kitchen so I can use a British kettle with a swapped plug. It would be nice if it was standard to have 240V outlets in US kitchens. Note: If you are wanting to do this yourself, if you get one with any electronics in it (even an led power light), you should modify the capacitive dropper power supply for the electronics to operate on 60hz. For a well designed circuit, forgetting to do so means a resistor/zenier will be running hotter, for a very cheap circuit it can let magic smoke out.
- vel0city 5y agoI dunno, tons of people I know in the US have electric kettles. Its not like its incredibly painful to use them, and they'll still usually beat out using the microwave to heat water quickly, but only slightly. While it is about half as much power than most of Europe, its still only a few minutes to go from tap water to boiling. It is not like we're talking hours to get it to boil. From my experience one of the biggest reasons why people don't have an electric kettle is because they often don't think they have a use for them. Tons of people in the US would really only use it for making coffee, of which drip coffee makers were incredibly popular for a long time. So needing fast hot water is somewhat rare, and usually when its needed in regards to cooking you can just measure your water in a measuring cup and microwave it for a couple of minutes which is just about as fast. The people I know who actually use electric kettles in the US are: * Those who brew a lot of tea (far less common in US than globally) * Those who often do alternative coffee brewing methods (pour over, french press, aeropress, etc) * Those who make a lot of ramen or other instant noodles and have limited kitchen spaces (college students)
- 0xbadcafebee 5y agoOur electric kettles work just fine on 110VAC. We're just isolated from the rest of the world so external cultural changes don't take hold. We still use Imperial measurements and serve half-pints of beer. Same reason Japan has an "old" World Wide Web; it works fine for them, and their culture doesn't change easily.
- Turing_Machine 5y agoIt depends on whether taking more than twice as long to heat the water is "just fine" for your use case. Me, I use the high output burner on the gas range and a traditional kettle. Note that other European and Asian kitchen gadgets have had no trouble making inroads in the United States. While some people obviously do have electric kettles here, they're far, far from being the ubiquitous thing they are in British kitchens.
- hadlock 5y agoElectric kettles are finally starting to get traction here, we use ours for tea and instant coffee, and pre-boiling water for making noodles on the stove since it's so much more efficient.
- lewsid 5y agoI live in the US and have an electric kettle. I was made aware of their existence in my travels abroad. It was a game-changer. Even with our electrical standards my kettle can get to boiling in a mere minute or two.
- refurb 5y agoI always figured it was the popularity of tea in the UK. Electric Kettles are (or were) ubiquitous when I grew up in Canada and the US. They take a little longer to heat up, but you’re talking 3-4 min instead of 1-2. My friend got me a gift of a hot water dispenser like they use in Asia and I’ve never looked back. On demand hot water? Even waiting a min for a kettle to warm seems like a burden. They use very little electricity since they are well insulated.