tea kettles

[zwol]

I have this old stovetop tea kettle which allegedly won some kind of industrial design award, but I don't understand why, because it has serious design issues. There's no lid (you fill it through the spout) so it can't be cleaned. The handle is a graceful curve that forces an awkward hand position when pouring boiling water (people unfamiliar with it have scalded themselves on several occasions). It's entirely made of metal, so the handle is almost always too hot to hold when the water boils, and the little hook to open the spout gets hot enough to burn your finger. And, last but not least, it has the world's loudest and most annoying whistle. The only upside is, it's built like a brick oven, which is good, since it gets used about once an hour every day.

I'm wondering if people have recommendations for a replacement. An electric kettle is not an option, as there is no convenient outlet. Ideally I'd like something that was easy to clean, had a whistle that wasn't loud enough to wake up my housemates (who invariably sleep later than me), and had no metallic handles or hooks or levers. Oh, and it should boil water fast and hold up under heavy usage.

Comments

[fyfer.livejournal.com]

I loved the standard Revere teakettle I used to have. The kettle I have now has all the problems you describe, and I miss my old one. I don't remember how loud the whistle was, though. One particularly good feature was how balanced it felt while pouring water.

[fyfer.livejournal.com]

Oops, I guess it fails on "easy to clean" though. (Not that I imagine you'd need to clean it much, unless you have mineral buildup from your water or something.)

[zwol.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how much the thing needs cleaning, because I can't see inside. We do have relatively hard water, I think. That complaint's more an in-principle "this is used for food preparation so it should be cleanable dammit" thing.

(googles "Revere kettle") Ooh, that does look like a good design. And cheap too. Thanks for the tip.

[marphod.livejournal.com]

'Beaker, wooden chopstick, and Microwave'?

It may fail on the electric outlet item, but assuming you already have one, its cheap, it doesn';t have a loud beep, its faster and more efficient than stovetop for small servings, and it is fairly easy to clean.

[zwol.livejournal.com]

"doesn't have a loud beep"? You've never used my microwave, then.