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 a tea “cattle” to heat the water for my tea in the morning. It has black on white spots and everything. LOL.
Lisa
sewlisa14@a-znet.com
I’m a stove top kettle gal. I use it for my mid-afternoon tea. However, I’ve been researching how to make the perfect cup of joe – my electric coffee maker just isn’t cutting it – and an electric tea kettle is the place to start. My water doesn’t get hot enough. So, thanks for a chance to win a HB kettle!
Stove-top for me…but during a year in Europe, the flat we were living in had an electric kettle – we’ve had delightful memories of it!
I am fairly old school- tea kettle on stove top! This look so neat.
This kettle looks very impressive, since I usually am a slacker who microwaves mugs of water for tea. This would be nice for summer to do large amounts of water for ice tea.
This would be a wonderful Father’s Day gift for my husband because he is a daily TEA drinker. I drink too but more coffee. He currently microwaves his water but it would be much better having water from the electric kettle!:-). I even asked if he wanted for Christmas but he didn’t want me to spend any more money.
I’m a microwave person right now, but this would be lovely!
Oh my, I can think of so many ways I would use this through out the year. What a neat item.
i bought a plastic electric kettle ages ago. sadly it died. although, fortunately it died as it was plastic. we microwave water for hummingbird food, for canning i heat water on the stove, and use an electric coffee pot for the necessity of life.
we use a stove top kettle too – but this sounds awesome!
I use an electric kettle… many many times a day, for many cups of tea and coffee.
I use a stove top one but mostly because it was free. I love getting presents.
I’m a stovetop girl. I’ve always been intrigued by the electric kettles though, especially during trips to Europe!
It’s a plain, old stovetop kettle for me. I spent a year abroad in England, though, and I do appreciate the convenience of an electric kettle.
Stove top for this house. But having spent several months abroad, I definitely appreciate the speed of the electric kettle!
I have a kettle on the stove, but I must admit I mostly microwave cups of water. I have often thought this would be something I would use a lot. Thank you for the offer.
I use to have an instant hot that I loved! Instant gratification, but sadly it’s been broken and we can’t seem to get it fixed. So…stove top it has been. Of course it works just fine but it’s hard to wait some times!
I heat a mug in the microwave. Heating water in the microwave is about the only reason I ever use the microwave!
Zapping in the microwave for a cuppa instant coffee first thing… (at that time of the morning is is purely a caffeine delivery method). THEN a tea kettle and french press for the good stuff.
Mostly, I boil water for iced tea and for canning. Sometimes, there just aren’t enough burners!
Stovetop kettle. I always wanted to try an electric kettle.
My husband and I are tea drinkers and we use an electric pot, I love almost instant hot water.
I am a stove top tea kettle kinda girl. I also have an old tea kettle I use on camping trips!
I use mainly a stove top tea kettle but also the microwave at times. I have a small porcelain electric “kettle” that I loved but it has developed a leak and I can’t use it any more.
We have an electric hot water kettle that I received as a gift from my (then future) mother in law. I asked her for something to replace my stove top kettle that her son forgot about when he was heating water for coffee that ended up melting into the burners of my electric stove. The kettle is about nine years old and I worry that it is getting a bit ornery sometimes and might need replacing. Thank you for sharign eight of these with your readers.
A very stained old “stainless” steel kettle sitting on my stovetop but I’d love to try an electric one!
I’m a microwaver. Love tea in the morning. This would be an awesome win!
my favorite winter drink, aside from decaf coffee in the morning, is just warm water with honey and lemon in it. such a comfort. I usually just do it by the cupful in the microwave, and only drink it once in a while as a treat. I would drink more if I had this around. I also see this working with some home dehydrated soup bases too.
Ever since I melted my tea kettle into an electric burner on my stove I have thought that an electric kettle would be a better option for me. Don’t want to burn my house down!!!
We boil on the stovetop for coffee and tea. Unfortunately my husband has ruined three pots by forgetting about them and letting them boil away until dry. One pot even fused to the burner which was rather shocking. Sigh.
We use a stove top kettle for our morning tea and coffee, but I’ve been a bit envious of my parents’ nice electric kettle. After reading your post explaining all the smart ways you use your’s, I’d love to win myself one!
I too usually do stove top but just got a hot water dispenser at work and use it all the time!
I boil water in a pan on the stove top.
My highly inefficient electric stove heats my hot water for my morning cup of joe. I’ve been dying for an electric kettle!
I have been wanting an electric kettle. I microwave my mug of water for hot tea.
I have an electric teakettle also, but to wake up to hot water for tea would be divine.
I have Never seen so many comments here. I use a whistling tea kettle on the electric stove and make many cups of herbal tea on days I’m home. Yesterday I came back from an errand in the neighborhood and discovered I’d left a burner turned to high. No kettle on it, thankfully, but scary to see that red glow and feel the heat in the kitchen.
Currently use the microwave… would love to quit doing that and have a nice kettle like this instead!
We use the microwave or pan on the stove. We’d love a chance to try an electric kettle.
I use an old stove-top kettle but bought an electric kettle for my mom for Christmas. Why? Because as she went to take her hot water out of the microwave (we both use french press for coffee), a large bubble of water burst out. It burnt my mom a bit above her eyebrow and up her forehead and on her upper cheek. Luckily she was wearing her reading glasses and ducked behind the open microwave door. My old Bessie of a Kettle has expanded on the bottom and makes popping noise when it boils. It’s starting to scare me. I need an electric one too.
Stove-top in my awesome red kettle, but we have an electric one at work and time saving is one of its merits.
Marisa, I had to switch from coffee to tea four months ago and now in the morning
I have to wait for the water to get hot before I can make a pot of tea. It would be
wonderful to have a programmable electric pot and have hot water waiting for me
when I get up in the morning. It would also be good for softening raisins, mixing
with baking soda for muffins, etc,etc. I would love to have one.
I ruined a beautiful kettle by forgetting it on the burner. I now use a pan every morning for press coffee. Tea during the day. Also, micro bullion often. A kettle would be much safer and it sounds like it would also save some toe-taping time.
I use a little sauce pan stovetop. An electric kettle would sure be awesome.
I actually found out about electric many years ago. Love them. my Dad always says you can tell the difference from electrically heated water.. Huh???
wouldn’t be without one and mine is getting close to 9 years old now
I LOVE my electric kettle and upgraded from a plastic model to a HB model. I only used the plastic model a few times because I wasn’t comfortable with boiling water in plastic, over and over. It’s plain, not programmable and love the speed at which I can fix coffee in the morning. It makes using my French press a dream. While the water is heating, I’m readying the beans and heating my creamer so the five minute wait for the coffee to brew is over, relatively quickly. Like you, the electric kettle is used a lot…canning, soup, beverages, cleaning the sinks or dog bowls. I’m not really sure how I’ve done without one all these years -smile-.
Very nice giveaway, thank you for the opportunity.
I live in an apartment, and cook with a tiny 24″ stove. We can applesauce, peaches, and various jams every year. I have wanted an electric kettle for a long time, but have not found the cash to get a good one. I like your idea about boiling water in the kettle to top off the canner.
Did you know that a natural drain cleaner is baking soda and vinegar followed by boiling water? It would be so useful to have an electric kettle for this use as well. Half of my drains are upstairs and far away from the stove, where I heat my water in a regular kettle.
We’ve always used the old tea kettle on the stove method. But recently my parents purchased an electric kettle similar to the Hamilton Beach models you are showing here, and I’m very impressed with it. It boils in a flash!
Stovetop kettle all the way, ever since we moved and I killed my beloved electric kettle by accidentally plugging it in empty and turned on in the new kitchen. Sigh. Love tea. A major civilizing substance.
Sometimes I microwave a cup of water. Other times I’ll boil water in a pan on top of the stove. This appliance looks awesome!
I usually use a stovetop kettle at home, but it doesn’t whistle and I’m too rushed most mornings to get in a cup of tea before I leave for work. A programmable tea kettle would be awesome! I use a plain old regular electric kettle at work, but it’s all plastic– which probably isn’t the best thing.