# Tea kettle advice needed



## Janet H

I need new tea kettle and am looking for some advice and hoping you will share your experiences.

I currently have a chantal stainless kettle that is disaster.  The handle gets hot enough to raise blisters, it leaks around the bottom where the bottom is crimped onto the sides but it has an amazing two tone whistle that has averted many disasters.


Does you have a tea kettle you love?  Any advice about a replacement?


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## roadfix

We went electric years ago and have not looked back.


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## Katie H

Electric for us, too. And, for small portions, the microwave.


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## Andy M.

Electric gets my vote too. We have a SS electric pot that boils water super fast and keeps it hot. It's cordless so you can take it to the table or wherever.


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## Dawgluver

I have a SS Cuisinart non-electric kettle.  Very sturdy, with a hefty whistle I can hear from anywhere in the house.


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## Kayelle

I haven't had a tea kettle for many years, and got tired of cleaning it of cooking splatters, besides I don't really need one. Do all of you drink hot tea? SC makes a gallon of ice tea often and he just uses a sauce pan to brew the strong tea before straining it into cold water.


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## Dawgluver

Mine came free with a coupon I got when I bought some pots and pans, otherwise I probably wouldn't have one either.


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## Cooking Goddess

I have an *OXO Good Grips Brushed Stainless Steel Tea Kettle* and LOVE it! It is a well-balanced design. The handle is well-padded with soft rubber anywhere you might want to grab it. So is the thumb tab for the cover over the pour spout. The entire body of the unit is molded from one piece of steel; the spout appears to have been attached but it's difficult to find a true seam line. The handle pivots more than 90 degree in one direction, making it easy to remove the lid fo filling. The thing whistles so loud I can hear it practically anywhere in the house, basement or second floor, with the kitchen being on the first floor. Front porch, too, even with the door/windows closed. $39.99 list price, but the ubiquitous BedBath&Beyond coupon drops the price by 20%.

I did have an electric. Hated it. If you go electric, be sure to check the minimum volume of water you need to heat. I make one cup of tea at a time, 14 oz max. I needed to boil more than 1 1/4 quart (42 oz) for proper operation. I was tossing over half the water I had to heat because I like to start with fresh water for each cup of tea. Got rid of it last year. No one wanted it from my garage sale, so I took it to Salvation Army.


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## roadfix

Cooking Goddess said:


> I make one cup of tea at a time, 14 oz max. I needed to boil more than 1 1/4 quart (42 oz) for proper operation. I was tossing over half the water I had to heat because I like to start with fresh water for each cup of tea.


Today's electric kettles are different.  Most will operate with water level as little as a couple of cups (16oz) or less.


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## PrincessFiona60

I have the OXO for top of the stove, mostly because I think a stove looks naked without one.  I also have a cordless, electric Hamilton Beach, fire engine red.  'Tis a sight to behold.  Love it.


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## expatgirl

I have both......electric and one for the top range......I like both of them.......but if you're burning your hands it's not worth the trouble........get rid of it before you or someone else really hurt themselves...........


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## di reston

I have two kettles: one electric, that I use when I'm looking for water at boiling point quickly, and the tea kettle, that heats up more slowly and is better, IMHO, for good quality tea. My electric furs up very quickly whereas the tea kettle doesn't get to that point, but I'd have to be a scientist to understand why, it just produces better water for tea. To my great surprise, I discovered pretty quickly after we moved from UK to Italy, that Italians love good tea. For the coffee I have my Bialetti for the Espresso, but my friends love afternoon tea, so the tea has to be good, and the results are better with the traditional kettle. Of course, the teapot matters as well!

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast   Oscar Wilde


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## expatgirl

I wouldn't know a good tea from a bad one...........sigh.........


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## Addie

I have a Revere tea kettle with a copper bottom. I received it about 40 years ago and it is still going strong. I always keep water in it just in case someone turns the burner on by accident.


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## Cooking Goddess

*expatgirl*, if you do any online shopping for food, check out *Harney Tea*. They have a wonderful, diverse selection of teas. Their website is full of information about the different teas, with details on flavor and tea color. I've shopped their stores, stumbling upon their little shop in the home town that John Harney had first started and meeting the great man himself. I've toured their processing facility, and have shopped a number of times at their "new" store and cafe in Millerton, NY. I have found them very helpful when shopping at the store, explaining and suggesting. IF you are totally clueless when it comes to tea, you might want to send them an email asking for suggestions on the types a real novice would enjoy. I bet they could make suggestions that you would be happy with.

What I like about shopping the store is you can sniff the tea leaves, the brewed tea, and sip a few samples. Think "Penzeys for Tea". Since you don't have that luxury, I hope the website gives you some help.

****************

*Addie*, those copper bottom Revere kettles are the best, aren't they? When we replaced our old electric stove with heating coils with the new, glass-top one, I couldn't use it anymore. The rim around the bottom edge that bound the bottom to the sides was too thick, and the kettle bottom didn't sit flat on the stovetop. After decades of wonderful service, I moved it to our daughter's. She has a gas stove, so I still get to use it when we're back home to visit.


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## expatgirl

Thanks so much, CG........I'll give it a try though it won't be until around Thanksgiving when I return from Oman..........I really appreciate all your tips but I'm pretty much a dunce at teas ............I'll try them then.......thanks a lot for your input!!!


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## Dawgluver

I don't drink regular tea very often, but I like to keep a pitcher of jamaica (hibiscus flower tea) in the fridge.  Deep red, citrusy  flavored, doesn't even need sugar.  My freebie Cuisinart kettle makes just the right amount of boiled water to pour over a handful of jamaica flowers in my little pitcher.  I don't even bother straining it.


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## PrincessFiona60

Let's not get into teapots...I can see 4 from here and my back is to the room.


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## expatgirl

Dawgluver said:


> I don't drink regular tea very often, but I like to keep a pitcher of jamaica (hibiscus flower tea) in the fridge.  Deep red, citrusy  flavored, doesn't even need sugar.  My freebie Cuisinart kettle makes just the right amount of boiled water to pour over a handful of jamaica flowers in my little pitcher.  I don't even bother straining it.



This is one of the best teas for bringing down high blood pressure......well, at least for many people and it tastes delicious as well as being visually a beautiful red color!  Here in Houston, you can get it at most HEB stores!


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## di reston

I've been reading about the quality of water for making tea and coffee. Out of all the types of water - from the faucet, and from other sources, they said that the best was spring water. Guess what guys! We have a well that we didn't know we had when we first arrived, but stopped using it because it's heavy work bringing all that water up to the top, and using the pump leaves water everywhere. I'm going to start using it again! It's also good for hand washing, and it works the muscles in your arms too. Our dog loves it too, especially in the hot weather when it's nice and cold. The tea? It's just great. All we have to do is to get the water analysed. Water for free!

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast    Oscar Wilde


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## Mad Cook

Janet H said:


> I need new tea kettle and am looking for some advice and hoping you will share your experiences.
> 
> I currently have a chantal stainless kettle that is disaster.  The handle gets hot enough to raise blisters, it leaks around the bottom where the bottom is crimped onto the sides but it has an amazing two tone whistle that has averted many disasters.
> 
> 
> Does you have a tea kettle you love?  Any advice about a replacement?


I've got an enamel one with a handle that feels like rubber which I bought from Amazon. Doesn't get hot. Attractive but  slow compared with my electric one. 

A work colleague who was a keen save the world-er once told us that it's more economical to use an electric kettle than a stove-top one. You "pays your money and you takes your choice" as my grandad used to say.


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## Janet H

Thanks for the suggestions - keep em coming. Electric is off the list.  I have a gas stove and use the tea kettle daily for boiling water (coffee and tea) and as handy water to thin sauces and deglaze.  The tea kettle lives on the stove top and is a work horse.


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## GotGarlic

di reston said:


> I've been reading about the quality of water for making tea and coffee. Out of all the types of water - from the faucet, and from other sources, they said that the best was spring water. Guess what guys! We have a well that we didn't know we had when we first arrived, but stopped using it because it's heavy work bringing all that water up to the top, and using the pump leaves water everywhere. I'm going to start using it again! It's also good for hand washing, and it works the muscles in your arms too. Our dog loves it too, especially in the hot weather when it's nice and cold. The tea? It's just great. All we have to do is to get the water analysed. Water for free!



That depends on where you live and what kind of water you have. Our well water has a lot of iron in it. It has stained everything red in the backyard where we use the sprinkler to water the garden. We don't drink it, but it's nice to have.


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## Addie

Cooking Goddess said:


> *expatgirl*, if you do any online shopping for food, check out *Harney Tea*. They have a wonderful, diverse selection of teas. Their website is full of information about the different teas, with details on flavor and tea color. I've shopped their stores, stumbling upon their little shop in the home town that John Harney had first started and meeting the great man himself. I've toured their processing facility, and have shopped a number of times at their "new" store and cafe in Millerton, NY. I have found them very helpful when shopping at the store, explaining and suggesting. IF you are totally clueless when it comes to tea, you might want to send them an email asking for suggestions on the types a real novice would enjoy. I bet they could make suggestions that you would be happy with.
> 
> What I like about shopping the store is you can sniff the tea leaves, the brewed tea, and sip a few samples. Think "Penzeys for Tea". Since you don't have that luxury, I hope the website gives you some help.
> 
> ****************
> 
> *Addie*, those copper bottom Revere kettles are the best, aren't they? When we replaced our old electric stove with heating coils with the new, glass-top one, I couldn't use it anymore. The rim around the bottom edge that bound the bottom to the sides was too thick, and the kettle bottom didn't sit flat on the stovetop. After decades of wonderful service, I moved it to our daughter's. She has a gas stove, so I still get to use it when we're back home to visit.



You are so right. I would never get rid of mine. My granddaughter bought me a new kettle that looked like a flying saucer. It flew out the door in about two weeks. Out came my Revere ware kettle never to be replaced again.


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## erehweslefox

My British friends think my boiling water for tea on the stove is something approaching hedonistic barbarism. It seems everyone in England has a nice electrick water boiler, and they use that neat and quick to feed the teapot.

You can get an electric kettle it seems overseas in any convenience store, haberdashery, or grocery. 

I, for my many sins, am now and likely in the future cursed with an electric range. I know, it is horrible, I really want a gas range. 

So, in this fallen world I find myself in, I take some comfort in CAST IRON.


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## Addie

erehweslefox said:


> My British friends think my boiling water for tea on the stove is something approaching hedonistic barbarism. It seems everyone in England has a nice electrick water boiler, and they use that neat and quick to feed the teapot.
> 
> You can get an electric kettle it seems overseas in any convenience store, haberdashery, or grocery.
> 
> I, for my many sins, am now and likely in the future cursed with an electric range. I know, it is horrible, I really want a gas range.
> 
> So, in this fallen world I find myself in, I take some comfort in CAST IRON.



On the rare occasion I make tea, I always boil the water. Having been married to an Englishman, I wouldn't dare not to.


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## expatgirl

Cooking Goddess said:


> *expatgirl*, if you do any online shopping for food, check out *Harney Tea*. They have a wonderful, diverse selection of teas. Their website is full of information about the different teas, with details on flavor and tea color. I've shopped their stores, stumbling upon their little shop in the home town that John Harney had first started and meeting the great man himself. I've toured their processing facility, and have shopped a number of times at their "new" store and cafe in Millerton, NY. I have found them very helpful when shopping at the store, explaining and suggesting. IF you are totally clueless when it comes to tea, you might want to send them an email asking for suggestions on the types a real novice would enjoy. I bet they could make suggestions that you would be happy with.
> 
> What I like about shopping the store is you can sniff the tea leaves, the brewed tea, and sip a few samples. Think "Penzeys for Tea". Since you don't have that luxury, I hope the website gives you some help.
> 
> ****************
> 
> *Addie*, those copper bottom Revere kettles are the best, aren't they? When we replaced our old electric stove with heating coils with the new, glass-top one, I couldn't use it anymore. The rim around the bottom edge that bound the bottom to the sides was too thick, and the kettle bottom didn't sit flat on the stovetop. After decades of wonderful service, I moved it to our daughter's. She has a gas stove, so I still get to use it when we're back home to visit.



Hey, Addie, thanks for the reference.....we have many British friends and others but none have recommended "Harney's"  my daughter and sister drink nothing but hot tea.....so I will definitely look into it......too bad I just arrived back in Oman before seeing your post....well,,,,,,,Christmas is around the corner and I'll be back in the states!


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## erehweslefox

I probably just like hot water, and I'll put my kettle on it, cast iron kettle, and a replacement for the sheet steel kettle. I am just, BTW about to buy some tea from Upton,


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## expatgirl

btw......every Brit we know, uses an electric kettle  (must be the oil industry!!!).......love 'em especially when I need to add hot water to a roux, soup, beans, etc., so it doesn't slow down the cooking temp and hence the time......also my hot water heater is up in the 2nd floor attic and it takes forever for the water to get hot, so I use my "British kettle" to make hot water for washing up dishes, etc.


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## Addie

expatgirl said:


> Hey, Addie, thanks for the reference.....we have many British friends and others but none have recommended "Harney's"  my daughter and sister drink nothing but hot tea.....so I will definitely look into it......too bad I just arrived back in Oman before seeing your post....well,,,,,,,Christmas is around the corner and I'll be back in the states!



That was Cooking Goddess that made the reference. Look at the Harney site and see if they ship overseas. Also look into shipping costs for overseas. It may be too expensive.


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## Cooking Goddess

Janet H said:


> Thanks for the suggestions - keep em coming. Electric is off the list.  I have a gas stove and use the tea kettle daily for boiling water (coffee and tea) and as handy water to thin sauces and deglaze.  The tea kettle lives on the stove top and is a work horse.


Since you have gas, *Janet*, a gas stove, Janet, in spite of the fact that I L.O.V.E. my OXO kettle, I think you could not go wrong with a Revere. If I had a stove top surface that would have accommodated the bottom of the kettle so that the entire surface had been in contact with the glass, I would not have moved it along to our daughter's home. 

********************************************



expatgirl said:


> Hey, Addie, thanks for the reference.....we have many British friends and others but none have recommended "Harney's"  my daughter and sister drink nothing but hot tea.....so I will definitely look into it......too bad I just arrived back in Oman before seeing your post....well,,,,,,,Christmas is around the corner and I'll be back in the states!


*expat*, I was the one who recommended Harney's.  In spite of a British sounding name, the company is U.S. based. They started in the basement of John and Elise Harney's home in Salisbury, CT, but the company now has a large processing and shipping plant just over the border in Millerton, NY. John passed away a couple years ago, but his sons and their families worked with their dad and have continued the tradition. They do ship everywhere, so you might want to try an order when they have a deal. Also, when you are back home, try checking some of the stores that carry a wide variety of tea brands, especially tea shops. Many carry tins of Harney Tea.


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## expatgirl

Sorry, Cooking Goddess, thank you for the reference.......I'm now in Oman and totally jetlagged........I will definitely look into this site.......many thanks again!


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## PrincessFiona60

Just ordered from Harney's....

Janet, I have a nice Chantal enameled tea pot I also keep on/around the stove.  Love it.


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## Janet H

I went shopping this weekend to try out new teakettles and came home empty handed.  Still looking. Some were poorly balanced, others that that crimped seam around the base (that  leaks on my current teapot) others were too small.  My current pot is 2.5 quarts and I don't want to go much smaller.   I looked at a chantal enamel kettle that doesn't have that crimp but it's 1.8 quarts - too small, imo.

Others I saw had handles that might melt if the burner flame were turned up too high (could happen) - a number of these handles are mounted part way down the side of the kettle...

Still hunting - keep the suggestions coming...


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