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 had been heating water in the microwave for tea – but, some of the handles of my favorite mugs get to hot. So, I’ve started just putting water in a pan on the stove top – uggg. I’ve been lookin’ for a nice lookin’ kettle and this electric would be plum ducky!!!
I microwave a mug full of water.
I have an electric one, love so much more then using a tea kettle on stove (I walk away and get distracted) or the microwave. The problem with the one I have is that the switch is easily bumped by someone else and turns it on…….and I may not know it or be there!!
I’m a stovetop kettle boiler. I, too, like the way they look out on the stove, but I have friends with an electric kettle and I have to say, the speed is remarkable. Would love to have one on the counter all winter for quick cups of Earl Grey!
We are stove-top kettle folks over here! We all enjoy tea throughout the day and sometimes a nice warm mug of Homemade Hot Cocoa!! This would be a great way to heat our water for our mugs of yummy ness!!
I have a red kettle on my stovetop at home and a HB electric kettle at the office. I have a fancy stovetop that regulates heat so things don’t burn and turns off if the item on top hasn’t moved in 10 minutes, so it is both time consuming to get boiling hot water (takes about 20 minutes) and difficult to keep hot water at the ready while at home.
I use the micro, but I tried some amazing tea recently and was just saying need a tea kettle!!
I’ve never used an electric kettle before. Now, I don’t know how I’ll go on without one! My water boiling method consists of just one way – pot on the stove. I feel so primitive!
Although I love a good electric kettle, we currently use a stovetop kettle for everything. Best (next to tea) is heating water for fresh-squeezed lemon and raw honey in the morning.
I have an adorable stove-top tea kettle (a cheery yellow Le Creuset from my mother, actually!), but some mornings it’s just too slow! We use a ceramic pour-over coffee brewer every morning, so the kettle gets a pretty good workout.
Stove top slow as ever i think my stove is giving up!
I would love to win this! It would make my canning process quicker and so much easier. Thanks for giving some of these away….
Vickei
I boil water in a kettle for tea and coffee press daily. I’ve been shopping for one of these as the cost of my propane is outrageous in winter!
I use a kettle on the stove. As a green tea drinker, being able to set the exact temperature would make life soooo much easier…. Thanks for the chance
I use a very sad electric kettle now.
I boil the exact amount of water I need in a kettle on the stove.
I use a stovetop kettle but have always been intrigued by the electric kettles. Excited by the opportunity to win one!
Kettle on the stovetop. I don’t have a stove in my apartment, though (I live in a studio in a communal house), so this would make morning tea much simpler.
I boil water on the stove in a cooking pot, not even a kettle. I need to get with it and at least get a tea kettle. Jeez Louise!
My 17 year old son has started drinking tea to soothe and prepare his throat and vocal chords for singing. Our stove top kettle is so slow and I feel like heating water for one cup of tea wastes energy. Also, I love the idea of getting the temperature to 200 degrees for french press coffee. Thanks for the offer of an electric kettle. It will be well used in our house.
I microwave H20 for my tea, would love to upgrade. PS – I love your applesauce recipe in your book!
i usually use a fun red stovetop kettle. But one of my close friends uses an electric kettle and hers recently broke, so winning this would be perfect.
We still use the stove-top kettle. I use it to make tea and oatmeal in the morning, and through out the day too. I would LOVE to have an electric kettle!!
I currently have a Le Creuset stovetop kettle, but don’t use it any more because our terrible hard water has destroyed the inside of it and I can’t get the film off no matter what I try. So now I am stuck with a measuring cup in the microwave, which takes forever and doesn’t seem to really work that well. I would LOVE an electric kettle. It would be so useful for canning and bullion mixing too.
A beautiful old copper kettle passed down from my husband’s family is on our stove, and would stay there, even if we had an electric version. BUT, I love the idea of saving energy and speeding up cooking and canning with this souped-up model!
Stove top kettle here. A cow that moos once boiling, and becomes rather annoying if forgotten about.
I heat up water for my yummy green tea in the microwave….I would love to try an electric kettle…pick me! lol
I have a lovely kettle on the stove and I would keep it, but this would be a happy edition to my kitchen.
I’ve got a Revereware kettle with a copper bottom that I love, but the whistle has been broken for a while now, so I’ve almost boiled it dry a couple of times. I’d love to have this one to replace it!
Oh, man. Hot water is an issue here. We don’t have hot water in the kitchen! Yeah, well, don’t ask. No microwave either! So ALL my hot water is heated up on the range. I have two teakettles on the stove all the time. Inconvenient? You might say.
I have teapots for tea, but they are not electric. They benefit from ye ol tea cozy. But, you don’t even need a tea cozy for an electric kettle! Just a plug! WOOT!
So, a programmable electric kettle is love. Hm. Alright, then! <3<3<3
I just use the old basic whistler on the stovetop.
I’m still in the stovetop kettle realm, and would love to never have to clean bacon grease off the kettle again! Also, BRILLIANT idea to use it to top off the canning bath!
I use a tea kettle, but I’ve been eyeing one of these for a while. Thanks for the opportunity to win one!
I used to be able to use an electric kettle at work but at my new job, I’m stuck with a stove top kettle. I miss that electric thing!
I have an old tea kettle that I heat up on my stove. I have been thinking about an electric kettle, and your post just sold me on the idea! I live at 7500 feet so the idea of a programmable temperature is enticing. I use hot water for yerba mate, tea, coffee, and my beloved chai. I would love the one you describe!
I have an electric kettle. ( for my oatmeal every morning)
If I need water in a hurry, I use my Keurig without a cartridge. Otherwise, I’m an old-fashioned stove-top boiler.
On the few occasions when I drink a hot drink in the morning, I boil a cupful in the microwave (I don’t have a kettle.)
This kettle would come in handy for all kinds of things. Thanks for the opportunity!
I’ve loved my electric kettle for many years, but it has seen better days and I’d love to replace it.
It really is terrific for canning–I can attest to that!
I use it in the mornings to fix a large mug of Lady Grey (always with half & half) to get me going.
Thanks!
I boil water on the stove top. I would be thrilled to when one of these!
I have a stovetop kettle that was a wedding present almost 13 years ago. It has rusted slightly on the bottom and the enamel is wearing away. I was just noticing this over the weekend and thinking I should look for a replacement soon. I am intrigued by the electric kettle and will look into these.
This would be perfect for me–my old electric kettle is on its last legs.
My four-cup Pyrex measurer in the microwave
My water boiling habits has many faces. If I’m making tea I like to boil in the kettle, if I’m heating it up for hot cocoa it goes in the microwave. Most of the time I boil in the kettle on the stovetop prior to cooking because I can always use boiled water for something….
I boil in a small pot on the stove for 1-2 cups of tea. I have a plastic electric kettle, but I’d love to upgrade to a (mostly) metal one!
Electric kettle all the way. I can’t live without it!
I just discovered the electric kettle a few years ago when a few of my coworkers would use one to heat water for tea. I never knew such a thing existed! I’m not a huge hot beverage drinker (I’m a morning person, I just get up and go) but a kettle for canning would be so helpful. I keep meaning to buy one, but haven’t gotten around to it. Now I’m thinking that an electric kettle would be better than the traditional one (plus, it wouldn’t take up space on the stove!).
Stovetop teapot all the way, though I *love* the idea of being able to program it AND having it heat the water faster.
I have always used the tea kettle on the stove. Though one of my favorite people in the world used an electric version. She passed away one year ago yesterday. I miss her horribly. Makes me think that I should give the electric kettle a chance. Plus I did like the idea of using it at canning time for tomatoes.
I usually boil water in the microwave, but not so much anymore. So, I bring a pot of water to boil on the stove…and it takes forever! I have thought of buying one of these electric kettles, but have never gotten around to doing it. It would sure come in handy for my canning!