apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I got my Revere kettle as a gift when I went away to university, and I've had it for more than 15 years. It's moved with me countless times, I use it almost every day, and it still looks fabulous. The stainless steel body (is that what you call it?) cleans up like a dream, and the copper bottom has a wonderful patina.

I love the fact that they haven't changed the design one iota since mine was made. Why fix what ain't broke?

Ah, the mysterious tea kettle link reappears!

Purely on looks and reputation, I would add to the list Richard Sapper's water kettle for Alessi, which I believe predates Graves' whistling bird. And, like Sapper's Tizio lamp, this design has stood the test of time fairly well. I also think Sapper's kettle has some of the harmonic whistling features mentioned above.

Crate & Barrel also seems to have entered the name-brand tea kettle game, specifically, yet another kettle designed by Michael Graves.

Hey AT -- are you going to move over all of the kettle posts that are hanging out over under Thread Collective?

Mary--
I think we should just start discussing Thread Collective here. ;)

I always thought that electric kettles were silly until I lived in the UK for a bit. They heat up the water faster, generally shut off automatically after the water's boiled (preventing fires and sprinting to the kitchen to the panicked sound of a whistle gone wild) and are great if you have a two-burner mini-stove. I am also under the impression that they use less energy. I've become an absolute devotee.

You should add Chantal Whistling Kettle to your list. German-made, retails for around $100.

I have a Bodum Otoni kettle. Probably the very one you had in mind when you said most kettles are too fancy. But I like the brass trim, and the little cobalt glass ball atop the conical lid. I love grabbing onto warm mahogany when I lift it off the burner. I like the fact that it does not screech insistently when the water boils. In short, I love having a little bit of functional art on my stove that I use and admire every day.

I have a Siemens TW9100 Porsche kettle. It was the first appliance I bought for my apartment. That means I have it over 3 years and it's still in perfect working order.

I have to 2nd the Alessi Model by Sapper...

This primarly becouse I just spent a bit over 210usd for one last week. but now I see the cusinart at a fraction of the price...

I will mention the that it does have the "harmonic "whistles which can be swapped out for notes of your preference.

pics on demand when it gets here...

I was raised with Revere ware kettles, and still keep one (though my partner thinks it's dirty and needs to be replaced . . .); I have always been amazed at how clumsy and/or dangerous most of the designer kettles are.

The electic kettles in UK are great, however, since they are designed to work with current twice as powerful as ours, they never really provide the same kick on our 110 volt ConEd juice. They probably are more energy efficient. Here in NYC, however, most apartment dwellers get free gas or pay a fixed minimum each month (about 5-6 mos of actual use!), there is greater efficiency as a consumer to use anything they can put on the stove top. Not to mention, who had the spare counterspace for electic appliances? My mom gave me some kind of electric vegetable steamer one christmas -- it went right back to the store!

When can we see a pic of the Chinese kettle??? Very curious -- show us "your love"!!!!!

My friend had a kettle that whistled in harmony - there were several notes in the whistle that came out as a pleasant chord. Does anyone know where to find these? Hers was a gift, so she doesn't know...

My mother used to have the old Revereware tea kettle pictured above. I would suggest the downside is the difficulty of properly cleaning out the interior of a kettle of that design or similar without a large opening.

IKEA has some good cheap tea kettles. I bought one that has to be filled from the spout (no lid) and it's pretty good looking, even compared to more expensive kettles. I can't remember the exact price, but it was less than $10.

I'm sorry, I simply must call attention to the Bodum Ibis.It's a beautiful plastic workhorse that boils water in just a few minutes. I use mine *constantly*, all day long. I often go to Ireland - where making tea is like breathing - and I don't know of a single household that doesn't have the more modern plastic electric kettles. Of course they also have more brands to choose from there. For some reason the U.S. is slow to catch on to these faster wonders. For a while Bodum offered them in an array of beautiful colors (mine is translucent tangerine) but on their web site today I only see black & white. They also offer a smaller version - the mini Ibis. They have a great store in the Meatpacking district.

I love my Oxo tea kettle - it's burn-proof for my clumsy self, but I suggest you get the brushed finish instead of the mirror finish. I think it's a pain to keep it clean of mineral deposits.

I melted my pretty apple-green enamel kettle and bought the classic revereware kettle in my neighborhood hardware store. I'm very happy with the unbelievably loud shriek that brings me running from any other room in the house. no more meltdowns.

Hey, something funky's going on!
I thought I just added the above Sapper kettle comment to a thread about tea kettles, which seems to have disappeared...
Posted by patrick (the other one) at

Ooh... thank you Patrick. I do believe that is the kettle my friend had - that or a knock-off. It made a strong impression on me because their five-year-old son - who has perfect pitch - was naming off the notes while the kettle whistled...

And yes, strange appearances and disappearances today...
Posted by faith at

I can only suppose that with the new server and its associated hiccups (most likely creating these strange comings and goings), the only tea MGR & Co. will want by day's end is the Long Island Iced variety!!
Posted by patrick (the other one) at

I'm guessing that another one of those hiccups is that I seem to be posting about kettles on the Thread Collective page... hmmm...

I bought my sister one of the Bodum tea kettle/water boilers for Christmas after learning that she melted two normal kettles during finals week. I got it at Crate and Barrel, and it was a beautiful bright red...
Posted by mary at

Bought my kettle at Paris Flea Market, antique copper...

I bought a cheap traditional ikea kettle, oh the horrible train engline sound it makes is awful, it boggles the mind.

I bought a tea kettle from Dapy in the early 90's for my sister. They only had one left and I've been looking for another one ever since. It has a shape similar to the OXO kettle, but a wide rimmed spout resembling a wine decanter. It had a harmonica whistle that played "Tea for Two" when the water was boiling. It had the nicest shape and the nicest sounding whistle of any tea kettle I've seen or heard. Has anyone seen this tea kettle?

We had a Russell Hobbs cordless electric stainless steel tea kettle that worked brilliantly for 15 years. What I loved about it was its classic functional design: it was niether over-designed, nor under-designed. The shape worked no matter what sort of house we lived in -- a cheap and cheerful cottage, or a midcentury modern bungalow. Just brilliant! And like all the best British design, it stayed the same for years and years... that is, until now.

Now the powers-that-be have replaced it with what I find to be a very silly looking rounded tea kettle resembling something owned by Mickey Mouse. The clean, sober non-descript tea kettle I loved so much is gone, gone, gone!

I really loved their traditional design, and am in mourning for it!

As for the tea kettle of my future, well, Michael Graves does a better job of witty tea kettles, and Richard Sapper's is the most elegant. They are both way more than I want to pay, but nothing else appeals.

Sur La Table has a Demeyere Rondo Whistling Kettle that combines the simplicity of the Revere with some actual good heat conductive metal and a pleasant whistle tone. This is my favorite kettle after looking at 30 kettles in the last month. Though I wouldn't go so far as to call it attractive, the great quality, the very rapid boiling, and the abscence of enamel or other silly contrivances makes it a winner.

Find stainless steel tea kettles in china.

china manufacturer of electric tea kettles.

I am a huge fan of the RevereWare kettle. Things it does that all kettles should, but far too few do are:

1. Make a healthy sound when the water boils
2. Not burn your hand with a hot handle or with escaping steam in the path of the pouring water.
3. Pour water without splashing and steaming uncontrollably
4. Look good on the stove, simply because it's perfect at its job.

Yeah.

Have nothing in your house that you do not KNOW to be useful or BELIEVE to be beautiful. (Wm. Morris)

Also, some kettles are just too HEAVY! Enameled cast iron might look pretty, but, full of water, and dangerously hot to boot, a heavy kettle can be scary!

find cookware in china.

Has anyone ever found the tea kettle that sings tea for two? And if so where!

I also have the Revereware kettle pictured at the top. I have had it for about 4 years now and am very happy with it but now find that the water I boil has an odd smell to it. The copper bottom on the inside now looks tanished and it worries me to continure using it. Does anyone know what the best way is to clean the inside?

Well they are really nice products.Do you have a better definision about tea kettes,water kettles,I dont know the difference about them.

You may find very good tea kettles in China.

All-clad gets bad reviews by amazon.com users, many of whom otherwise love all-clad pots/pans.

Caution about inexpensive Chinese tea kettles. We bought a cheap one ($12) in NY chinatown and before long we noticed some sort of metal flakes pealing off at the bottom of the kettle's interior. We probably drank all the stuff that we didn't see. If the kettle did not have a cover to pour in water, we may never have noticed!

I am an electric kettle snob due to my British heritage. I have purchased 2 Russell Hobbs here in the U.S., but they all broke down within 2years so 5 years ago I went home (London that is) and i brought back on which I took to an electrician who changed the plug.. can I say, hot water shut-off kettle working without fail..don't know why

I am wondering if anyone has used the Chemex Hand Blown Glass Water Kettle. Not the Coffee Carafes but the water kettle. If so, what do you think of it? Does the neck become too hot to hold? I love the design and am thinking of getting one but would like to hear from others first. Here is a link in case you haven't ever heard of it:
http://www.coffeemakersetc.com/chemex-handblown-glass-water-kettle-p-1261.html

I have been using one for about a year. I found it about a week after I found the brewer at another thrift shop. It was a steal @ $1.99 . I absolutely love it! The handle gets warm, but not too warm to hold it. It pours very well, and is a real work of art.