I came to the world of electric kettles fairly late. I was raised with a stove top kettle and thought it the best way to manage my hot water needs (plus, I’ve always liked the way they looked sitting out on a burner). But then in the fall of 2011, I went to visit my sister. She had a relatively inexpensive electric kettle that boiled water at miraculous speed. There was no ten+ minute wait for a pokey stove to heat and transfer its warmth. I was sold.
Soon after I got home, I ordered my first electric kettle. I got this
Soon enough, I was using it multiple times a day. It served up hot water for morning cups of coffee and tea. In the afternoon, I’d use the cooled water in the kettle to help feed my sourdough starter (boiling helps evaporate out any chlorine in the water supply that can harm or kill the sour bacteria. Just make sure the water is under 100F when you add it to your starter). During dinner prep, I’d heat water to hydrate spoonfuls of Better Than Bouillon or to speed up soup making.
I also found myself turning to the electric kettle during canning. As you know, I make a lot of small batches of preserves, and often I make three or four things in succession (I like to take advantage of a hot canning pot). These small batches range in size from two half pints to four or five. If I don’t plan well, I can wind up trying to process jars without having enough hot water to cover. Instead of adding hot tap water and hoping that the pot returns to a boil quickly, I can keep the kettle hot and top off the canning pot immediately. It has sped things up immeasurably.
This summer was also the first time I had the electric kettle during tomato canning season. I do the bulk of my tomatoes whole, peeled and packed in water (makes for a shorter processing time) and with an electric kettle, having that hot water takes no time at all.
Thanks to the kind folks at Hamilton Beach, I recently upgraded my electric kettle to their programmable model (my previous kettle was also made by HB, but I bought it with my own dollars, long before I started teaming up with them for giveaways). This guy allows you to select the temperature to which your water heats. That makes it particularly great if you have fussy coffee habits (I say this lovingly and as someone who regularly weighs her beans to ensure a close-to-perfect brew), drink green tea, or live at high elevations where water boils at lower temperatures.
It also has a outside fill indicator (the trade-off is that there’s a small amount of plastic inside the kettle to allow for this) and pours far more smoothly than my previous kettle. I also like the fact that it has a timer, so you can schedule the moment you want it to switch on to boil. With a fast boiling kettle, it’s not really entirely necessary, but I have been enjoying the luxury of walking into the kitchen each morning to a just-boiled kettle of water. It’s the little things.
Finally, the giveaway. Hamilton Beach has generously given me eight of these Programmable 1.7 Liter Electric Kettles to give away to my readers. Here’s how to enter.
- Leave a comment on this post and share your water boiling habits. Stove top kettle? Electric tap in the sink? Microwaved mug? If you don’t do hot drinks, what gets you moving in the morning?
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog over the weekend.
- Giveaway open US residents only.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.
Disclosure: Hamilton Beach gave me one Programmable Electric Kettle for review and photography purposes and they’re providing eight additional units for this giveaway. They did not pay for inclusion on the blog and my opinions remain entirely my own.
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I boil water in my stovetop kettle or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave, but I would LOVE an electric kettle.
Our old stove recently died (finally! Yay!) and we were lucky to get a new stove that was really close to the stove of our dreams! One of the front burners has a kick butt “power boil” feature that boils water in seconds! (Ok, maybe not really seconds but..) As a multiple pot of coffee a day drinker, I have found myself straying away towards cups of tea just because it is sooo much quicker to boil the water than the coffee maker! Plus, switching to a few cups of green tea a day isn’t a bad health decision either! I really love your idea of keeping the boiling water ready for topping off the pot while canning! Thanks for all of your insights and info! Great website!
Right now I use the microwave but would so LOVE to have an electric one. I drink hot tea and drink 6 to 8 cups a day. OMG this would be wonderful.
I normally do a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave. I only have a 16 oz. cup, though, so there’s trouble when Hubby and I both want coffee!
stove top kettle but I would like this for my classroom!
I have an electric kettle, very basic, and unfortunately made of plastic. I’ve been seeking to upgrade!
This could not be more timely!!
I have been dying to get an electric kettle to replace my charming but inefficient stovetop kettle, but as a grad student, I’ve been holding out on making the investment.
I often use a pressure cooker for big batches of soup and beans, and the ability to reduce the sometimes seemingly interminable wait for the thing to come up to pressure would be such a help—adding already boiling water is just the thing. I also feel much better about using electricity, purchased through our utility’s 100% wind power program, than gas to make tea for myself… So nice to have hot drinks in the winter especially, but sometimes I talk myself out of it thinking about my current kettle. I’ve also been in exactly the same place with needing to top up a small-batch canning bath…
I’ve been using my Keurig for my hot water, but since I’ve become more varied in my tea consumption, I’ve been in the market for an electric kettle! I’d certainly drink more green tea, not having to wait by the stove with a thermometer.
I use an electric kettle too, but it’s not nearly as nice as that and it’s aging quickly. We use it for coffee (of course), tea, and Choffy (brewed chocolate). It would be SO nice to have a kettle set on a timer, so it’s all ready to use when we get up in the morning! Keeping my fingers crossed that I win one of these.
I have been a stove top kettle girl all my life, but I would probably use an electric kettle for all of the things you mention. Plus, I have been thinking about how nice it would be to have hot water whenever I wanted it in my office (a library carrel) without having to walk down to the coffeeshop.
I’ve always wanted an electric kettle, but have been waiting for someone to endorse one instead of buying blind!
I love the look and feel and whistle of my stovetop kettle, but I always love using my mom’s electric kettle when I visit – it’s so quick!
I have used a stove top glass teapot for years to heat water and I broke it last month. This would be a perfect replacement!
I use an electric kettle, but it isn’t programmable!
I use the ‘nuke’. I would love to try electric. I really dislike having to go through all my cups to find the one(s) that work in the microwave without becoming so hot you can’t touch it without burning yourself.
coffee pot to make hot water to make my pot of tea…. of course, I need to run the water thru twice – 1st time to remove the coffee flavor from the basket, then the 2nd time for my tea….
I usually put the tea kettle on the stove burner and wait for it to ‘Blow’. Mom heats her water in the microwave.
I have an all-glass stovetop kettle, which is a vast improvement on my last kettle in that it whistles. My last one was cute but just boils with no alert system, and I often nearly forgot I was trying to make coffee. Now I use it to water plants.
I boil water in a small pot on the stove. Would love to win this. Thanks
I use a pan on the stove for my tea, but I’ve been thinking about an electric kettle for a while. I love the idea of a programmed timer. It could be ready when I come down from my shower, that would make things a bit smoother in the morning.
I love electric kettles! My South African relatives all have them, and near-instant tea 6x/day is a highlight of our visits out there. At home, we use the red enamel teapot my best friend gave us as a wedding present. (Can you understand why I haven’t switched to an electric kettle??)
Tea at work has to be microwaved, or made using hot water from the Keurig, which usually tastes…bleh. But so-so tea is better than no tea at all!
I use my electric kettle each morning to make coffee. I’d love to program it so I can walk into the kitchen and have the water hot already!
I use my cordless electric kettle all through the day to make my endless cups of tea.
I have an old stovetop kettle that I’ve had for years and it takes about forever to boil.
It’s ugly, worn and my husband hates it. I’ve looked at electric kettles and have never splurged on one because I still had the stovetop one that holds water.
An electric kettle would be really nice for our whole family for tea, hot chocolate, adding hot water to pots, etc..
I use the electric kettle in the kitchen at work. It’s disgusting!!!! Full of brown crud, but I can’t bring myself to buy my own. Save me from myself!
I do love my electric kettle, though not programmable. T’would be lovely!
Electric water kettles are the best! I don’t know what I’d do without mine…. but the one I have right now is plastic, and I’ve started to worry about that a bit. I’d love to have this spiffy one!
Thanks so much for the giveaway!
We microwave. My 16 year old daughter is hooked on hot tea in the mornings-she would love this kettle!
Microwaved mug!
Boring! Microwaved mug.
I still boil water on the stove.
When I’m sick, it’s a stovetop kettle that gets used all day long. But usually it’s just a mug in the microwave. Now day dreaming of pour overs at work.
I am a stove top kettle person, but have been envious of a friends electric kettle. Tea in the morning and evening, quick hot chocolate, boiling water to cover a canning lid or two, nearly instant miso soup, a kettle is a beautiful thing!
We have a small plastic water kettle thats on its last leg. This one looks a lot nicer.
I used to be a stove top kettle girl but after a semester in Scotland I became an electric kettle fan — but that was 20 years ago before we could find them in the States! Alas, I’ve been waiting for the U.S. to catch up and be cultured enough for a 120v option. I guess that day is finally here!
I heat a cup of water everyday and drink it before eating anything. It has a lot of benefits, mainly in my case takes care of sinus problems. This kettle would be a lot of help.
Id love an electric kettle. I dont have one and use a plain old pan to heat water, sloowwwwwly
for canning, tea, and french press coffee its be great
I have an electric kettle, but mine does not have any of those nifty features. I didn’t even know they existed. Now I must have them.
I currently have a stove top kettle which works ok as long as I remember to start it boiling before it’s time to run out the door. I purchased my daughter an electric kettle for her dorm room and she LOVES it!
We don’t drink coffee, but hot cocoa on cold mornings is the best. We usually heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
I use a kettle on the stove, I always turn it on right before I shower. Keeps me quick, because otherwise it squeals really obnoxiously.
What a great giveaway. I fill a measuring cup with water in heat it in the microwave.
Electric kettle. Love it.
I use a kettle on my stove….then make a pot of tea
I boil water in the microwave or on the stove for anything, but have been using my Keurig lately for cups of tea – without the k-cups, just using it as kind of a glorified kettle for spitting out hot water quickish. Kind of a hassle to do larger amounts of water, though, than just a quick cup.
Cool! I have an electric kettle that my husband got on sale. Never saw a use for one but like you I am a convert. However, while I love its speed and convenience it is all plastic! Plus it does not understand that if the water is gone it should turn off so it keeps boiling the empty plastic pot. How about that for a potential fire hazard?
I love my electric kettle, but would love a programmable one even more!!!
To boil water for hot drinks, I use a Sunbeam “Hot Shot” which quickly heats up to 2 cups of water and dispenses it into a mug.
Boiling water in kettle on gas stove at home. Kettle at work!
Ooh, that looks like a really nice kettle. My current electric kettle has no display and is just on/off, and like you, Marisa, I’ve found it superhandy not just for tea and coffee, but for canning, for speeding up cooking pasta, etc., especially since my stove is super-slow. My family gave me a Keurig coffee maker last Christmas and I end up using it for coffee most of the time, since I’m the only coffee drinker in the house. It’s pretty decent (I’m the opposite of a coffee snob – as long as it has caffeine and sugar in it I’m good to go).