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 use my Keurig for hot water but have been looking at these for sometime. Love the site and would love to win
I use a stove top kettle as well, but an electric kettle would be wonderful! What a brilliant idea to use it for small-batch canning!
I boil water in a stove-top kettle and do it frequently, because we love tea (and sometimes instant coffee – gasp!) here. People rave about these electric kettles and I am curious…
I love my basic electric kettle, but being able to set the temp would be great. I am always boiling my water for green tea and you really shouldn’t.
I usually stumble out into the kitchen at 5:30am bleary eyed and turn on my gas stove to heat water for my french press coffee. Can you imagine the extra sleep I could get if I had a programmable version..Heaven
i’ve had a chantal tea kettle forever. looks great, works well. but those electric kettles must be something wonderful— i remember seeing them in many homes in ireland. not this model of course. but if those tea drinkers find it useful, i probably should have one. someone brought one when we went camping this winter. it was a treat to have hot water so quickly, and quietly! thank goodness there was electricity in that cabin! and i can choose the temperature too!? yes, i need that!
I have a kettle at work and a kettle at home. My brother and I drink a LOT of hot tea at home and the odds are good the kettle is flipped on within 30 seconds of the light switch in the kitchen. I tend to flip it on before I start cooking just to have hot water handy. Either to save time on the stove with braising/poaching/steaming, or just to have a cup of hot tea while I fix a meal.
Thanks for this post. I didn’t know these kettles exist! We mostly drink hot tea and it’s a pain to wake up in the morning and wait for the water to boil (on the stove top).
I probably use my keurig for hot water for drinks more than actually making coffee with the thing. If I need more than just a cup, or for actual boiling water, I use the microwave.
I use my coffeemaker for coffee and microwave a mug of water for hot tea.
I use the hot water from our tap usually. We have such a small water heater that we keep it as hot as it will go. Give me Green tea with honey morning, noon and night!
I use a stainless steel tea kettle which is always on the stove, so of course it has to be constantly polished due to the spatters..I cook everything from scratch and can everything I can get my hands on, including tuna. A kettle that sets on the counter is a wonderful idea and for the life of me, I cannot think why I haven’t thought of it myself!
I have a stove top kettle, but I’ve been thinking about switching to an electric kettle.
Electric kettles are the best! My husband introduced me to them. I’d love to have one with a programmable temperature for green tea and oolong tea!
I use boiling water to make French Press coffee or Holy Basil tea. Generally, coffee in the morning and then switch to Holy Basil tea in the afternoon. Depending on time, I either use a mug of water in the microwave or put a pan on the stove that is filled with water. I don’t have a tea kettle or electric kettle.
I have a stove-top kettle that I like because it sounds like a lovely train whistle when it goes off. But, an electric kettle would rock! I used those when I worked in a tea shop and they were fabulous.
I brought home the idea of an electric kettle after living overseas for several years, where they are more common. I gave one to my mother, to replace her old stovetop kettle that was always filled with lime, and she loved it. I love that it’s so fast and easy to make a cup of tea.
Most often I use an electric kettle and most often use it to make tea for iced tea. In the winter, I’ll keep an old-fashioned kettle on the wood stove whenever the fire is burning.
My water boiling is very boring! In a pot on the stove
At work, there’s an electric kettle & it’s wonderful! I have quite a few tomato plants going in the garden & an electric kettle would be lots of help!
I heat water for tea in the microwave and also use a tea kettle on the stove when I have the time to wait. I drink tea and many other hot beverages and think one of these electric kettles would be wonderful !
I usually heat water a pot on the stove unless I am using my Keurig for coffee or hot chocolate.
We are a stove top kettle household and primarily use it for making French press coffee in the mornings. I arrange my morning habits around waiting for the water to heat and often get so impatient that I pull it off the stove before the whistle goes.
I grew up in Canada where every house had an electric kettle, and I miss how quickly they work. I think my parents had the same one for nearly 20 years before it finally died on them.
I boil water in a 1 quart Emeril proclad pot. I now have two because I left the first one on the stove to boil dry and viola! – one stained mottled blackened one (I use for oatmeal); I got him a new one that he won’t let me use. He won’t even let me touch it – LOL.
Alton Brown uses an electric kettle and recommends it. I’d love one that would allow me to heat water to different temps for different teas. We are tea mavens here….
I have a very basic electric kettle in my office that I use to make tea throughout the day. At home I rarely drink tea, mostly I think because I don’t have an electric kettle there! Hmm.
I use an electric kettle. I love it! Have been using one for the past 15 years. I didn’t even know there programmable kettles
Stovetop or microwave, but using this for canning would be wonderful! It would also improve my tea and maybe ease me into some really good coffee…
I always boil my water on the stovetop in a kettle, but often much of it boils away because I forget about it! Never had a fire yet, but maybe an electric kettle is the way to go. I think it is just me, but tea made with water boiled in the microwave does not taste as good.
Microwave for tea and stove for large quantities. Sounds wonderful!
Usually I boil my water in a saucepan on the stovetop. It is much tastier than microwaving it, although I will microwave a mug of water for tea when necessary. I like the idea of an electric kettle! It would go well with my Hamilton Beach electric skillet.
Stove top at home, electric kettle at work.
Oh man, could I use one of those. My house tends to be freezing and the ancient stove takes forever to heat water for coffee in the morning, which makes it impossible to want to get out of bed to get the water going. My boyfriend and I have been joking about moving an electric kettle and pourover coffee setup to my nightstand to make mornings a little easier.
I typically use a whistling stovetop kettle, which is fine for coffee and black teas, but some of my more delicate teas require cooler temperatures. I love the whistle of my teakettle, but it takes less energy to run an electric, so I’ve been eyeballing them for a while.
We use an insinkerator hot water dispenser which I don’t think I could live without, but you can’t get more than 2-3 hot mugs worth before the water gets less hot. I’d love to use the kettle with our chemex for coffee!
Definitely an electric kettle for my morning Americano. I even have one at work!
Stovetop boil at home and microwave at work. Would love one for work! Drink tea just about everyday and this would make it easier.
I have a pretty yellow whistling teapot on the stove. It makes water for my hot cider and hot coco or herb tea. My daughters have recently introduced me to the electric kettle. I’m just not sure about having something else on the counter.
What timing! My partner and I currently use a stovetop kettle, but we were discussing last night transitioning to an electric. This looks like a marvellous option.
Kettle me up! Perfect for my morning mate.
I’ll admit it, I’m a microwave girl these days. Been meaning to get a new tea kettle and just haven’t gotten there yet!
I currently use a stove top kettle but have been considering investing in an electric kettle for the same reason, speed.
I use a stovetop kettle. It’s always in the way and always seems to be schumutzed up from spatters no matter how often I seem to wash it. An electric kettle sounds like a great solution to both issues.
Stovetop kettle in the shape of an apple. Used for tea, which I drink a minimum of 3 hefty cups per day. Needless to say, it gets a lot of use.
Oh, this is perfect timing! I’ve been using an electric kettle I got for $4 at a garage sale years ago and it finally gave out.
Train whistle stove top kettle for me!
Now that I think about it, I’ve had the same kettle for 40 years…stove top all the way…for tea every day. When cold, water for the dog and plants.
I have an older, iffy-ish electric kettle and while I miss the whistle of the stovetop kettle, I’m never going back. I first learned of the wonders of the electric kettle when I studied abroad in England, and I’ve never looked back!
I ADORE my electric kettle. It may be my favorite kitchen appliance, which is saying quite a bit since I also love my Kitchenaide mixer and my Cuisenart. I’m a drink-tea-throughout-the-day kinda girl, and the kettle gets lots of uses when my tea-loving friends are over in the evening. Mine’s a very basic model, and I would love an upgrade (the old one will go to my desk at work!)
I am fully stove-top kettle. My sis gave me a gorgeous Le Creuset for Xmas, and it is highly cherished and used daily. The speed and precision temp of the electric kettle sounds amazing though, for green tea and coffee especially. I, too, can in small batches and this would be sooo useful.
I usually heat up water in the microwave so an electric kettle would be great!
I have always been a stove top water boiler. Recently though, I have been thinking of switching out the french press for a programmable coffee maker to speed things up in the morning. I never thought of an electric kettle but it seems like a great solution!