Tea kettles anyone?

[NotSoFast]

Does anyone have a favorite tea kettle? My last one just went south and I'm looking to purchase a new one. I've had whistling tea kettles in the past but I think I'd rather not go back to that. Presently I'm cooking on electric but hope to eventually switch to gas.

So what do you prefer? Cast Iron, copper, stainless steel, enameled? I know I don't want glass or ceramic though. This will be for heating water, not just holding it.

Chuck

[NCLee]

Currently we're using a stainless steel one on the gas stove. Been using it a couple of years, and so far it works fine. The prior one was enameled on the outside. Not sure of the metal. It now resides in the camper. Like the SS one better because the spout is smaller.

Design, itself may be more important than the material ie SS vs enamel. Both of the ones we have in use have the little tab that raises the lid. Have a couple of ceramic tea pots (don't use) that you have to be careful and not drop the lid.

Oh, from what I understand, Alton Brown swears by his electric kettle. Never used one, so don't know from experience if they are better than an old fashioned one stitting on the stove.

Lee

[Anon001]

I have a stainless kettle that whistles. I keep it on the wood stove 24/7 and full. When I need hot water, I have it. If I want it hotter, it takes less time on the cookstove and thus less propane to heat it. I use it for coffee during the day with a French Press and then for hot chocolate in the evenings.

Paul

[NotSoFast]

I had two electric ones. The oster is still ticking but the Hamilton Beach just bit the dust. It had a short in the base and I tossed it yesterday. So I'm in the market for a stove top replacement.

[NotSoFast]

I used to have a whistler. I have changed my mind on them since then.

But so far stainless has it over anything else.

So why did you choose stainless over, say, cast iron? That's where I'm leaning right now.

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Mountain-10129-Pre-Seasoned-2-Quart/dp/B001AT5CF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264613998&sr=8-1

[AlchemyAcres]

I've always preferred glass.
They're super easy to keep perfectly clean of mineral build-up which is essential for the best tasting tea, etc.
I wouldn't begin to consider a tea kettle that I couldn't get my hand down into for proper cleaning.
Glass tea kettles can be found very easily at rubbish sales for a song; I always keep a couple extra around.




~Martin

[bookwormom]

I have never seen a glass tea kettle. Teapot, yes, but not kettle. We have a three quart green enamel sitting on the woodstove. a whistling teakettle would drive me nuts, as bad as a cukoo clock. but if I had an electric stove I would like for it to tell me when the water is boiling. We don't get much build up here. Our water is really good tasting and I am thankful, what a blessing good water is. I like enamel, green is my favorite color, there is more way than one way to skin a cat, and I guess what suits one person just fine is not so great for the next guy.

[AlchemyAcres]

I have never seen a glass tea kettle. Teapot, yes, but not kettle.

Really? :eek:

Corning made many a Pyrex tea kettle.

There are even whistlers available from Medelco.

http://www.amazon.com/Medelco-12-Cup-Stovetop-Whistling-Kettle/dp/B000V5X826


~Martin

[NCLee]

So why did you choose stainless over, say, cast iron? That's where I'm leaning right now.

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Mountain-10129-Pre-Seasoned-2-Quart/dp/B001AT5CF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264613998&sr=8-1

Rust is the problem with cast iron kettles. There's just no way to keep it out. Even the best seasoned one will yield to rust, as nothing is done to continue to build and cure the seasoning as it's done with a skillet, for example. Everytime you fry bacon you reinforce the seasoning.

Please read the reviews on the one that you're checking out on Amazon. This may be like one I bought a few years ago to go by the fireplace. The tag said it was not for drinking water. That wasn't a problem for me, as I didn't intend to use it for heating water for that purpose.

I've stripped and reseasoned a few of the old ones for friends and neighbors. And everyone of them had the same problem. Rust build up on the inside. Takes a special electrolysis setup to clear that interior rust. Or carefully boiling a white vinegar & water solution in it, along with lots of elbow grease and steel wool. Even then, it's almost impossible to clean the spout.

Using one for a humidifier is fine, as you don't have to worry about the rust. However, eventually they will rust through. May take many years.

For heating water for the kitchen, I'd stay with stainless, enamel, or glass. The post above reminded me that I had a small one years and years ago that sat on a wire trivet. Wonder if I still have it packed up somewhere. ?????

Lee

[Anon001]

I, too, had never seen a glass tea kettle.

I don't have to worry about the mineral deposits since I use nothing but rainwater.

I agree with Lee. I may cook in nothing but cast iron but, I certainly would never use one for me kettle. Everything, including pies, breads, etc, get cooked in cast iron, but all cast iron that comes in contact with water will rust if it isn't dried and seasoned very soon.

Paul

[NotSoFast]

Thanks. I guess it's stainless then if I can find one in the thrift store. I'll definitely be shopping for one Saturday.

[NCLee]

If you run across an enameled one, that's fine, too. Stains from mineral deposits inside don't hurt anything. With enamel the main thing to consider are chips on the bottom and along the edges. Tiny chips aren't material. Big chips can lead to rust that'll put a hole through it.

For the stains, if you wish to clean it up, I understand a little CLR will take care of it. Have some CLR but haven't tried it for this purpose, so can't speak from first hand experience. Guess I haven't used it because stained enamelware doesn't bother me. Have a few old pieces, and the stains are like wrinkles in the faces of people. Just shows they are aging gracefully and those are lines of experience that I'm seeing. :)

Lee

[NCLee]

NotSoFast, ran across this link that may be of interest.
http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/kitchen/teapots/c2210.aspx

Don't know anything about the company. Prices don't look bad.

Lee

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I've always preferred glass.



I have never seen a glass tea kettle either. You couldn't use them on a gas stove, could you?

Ours is stainless. Our water has a lot of minerals, so I have to clean it with vinegar a couple of times a month to deter the calcium. We have a french press, so we heat water in the kettle to make coffee as well as tea or hot chocolate.

[Anon001]

Lee,

That was a good link. But, looking further, the stainless looks mighty thin and it was stated that they are not for heating water, because they are a "tea pot" not a kettle. They state that they are for serving tea.

Paul

[NCLee]

Thanks, Paul, for the heads up.

The link for those was off this page. Down at the bottom of the page is their link for tea "servers". I should have read in more depth on the "brewer's" page. Good catch!

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/kitchen/coffee-tea-brewing/c2064.aspx

Lee

[Anon001]

LOL.... The only reason I caught it was because, even though I don't need another SS kettle, they were so inexpensive, I almost ordered it anyway. lol But, I read the descriptions on several. Where I found that was in the Q & A on one of them.

Paul

[AlchemyAcres]

You couldn't use them on a gas stove, could you?


A gas stove is not a problem.

They work fine on either gas or electric.


~Martin