Our everyday life the electric kettle has become one of the most essential household appliances in the kitchen. Without it, a quick full dinner is practically impossible. Modern teapots allow you to boil water and make tea, water colors or other drink in a few seconds. According to the results of reviews when choosing a kettle most of the buyers are interested first of all in the external appearance and price, then the brand and lastly the technical and operational characteristics. Our aim is to help you in an objective assessment of the performance of kettles.
The market offers a wide range of teapots with various designs, colors and prices. They can have a correct or irregular shape. “Swan” shapes were long ago supplanted by spherical and cylindrical ones. The most widespread were the “glücki” forms. There are categories of buyers who are attracted to the older traditional shapes. The “retro” style combines the forms of teapots from our grandmothers’ times, such as teapots with a whistle, with the essence and technical characteristics of modern products. Some customers buy the kettle according to the style of their kitchen.
Design strongly influences the price. The simplest teapots are 7-8 times cheaper than the most prestigious ones. About privateness of different design solutions it’s better not to argue: everyone has his own taste. However, when choosing a color, we recommend you not to forget that blue is the safest color of plastic, tasteless with water, and suits any kitchen. The white plastics themselves are not flaccid, they contain fewer flaccid houses than the color ones, and have less influence on water entrapment.
Gourmands differentiate by the taste of tea prepared in teapots of different materials. Gourmands and health-conscious consumers prefer environmentally friendly materials.
The price depends on the prestige of the brand and the value of materials from which the kettle is made. On the market kettles made of plastic, warehouse, aluminum alloys and stainless steel. The choice of price determines the size of your kettle.
The cheapest teapots have a plastic housing and an open heating element. Plastic is used to manufacture all kinds of kettle bodies. Plastic teapots are privatized for their appearance and are the easiest to use. Water in the plastic kettle heats up more than in the metal one, but also more completely settles down. The body of the kettle remains less hot.
Disadvantages of plastic teapots are less durability and impact of plastic on water setting after boiling. Plastic exceeds metal in strength. The plastic wears and ages in service and loses its adhesive properties. To prolong the service life and to preserve the initial appearance, the kettle should be washed more often all over and outside.
Slotting kettles are more expensive but environmentally friendly and have a very attractive exterior. Unfortunately, they are shock-hazardous.
Even more expensive kettles with stainless steel, the choice is less diverse. Best properties in terms of durability, longevity and hygienic design. They heat up more quickly (you can boil water faster) and wash out faster. The body of the metal kettle can be scalded.
Alumina alloy kettles are close to stainless steel kettles in terms of durability.
As a rule, handles and thumbscrews of metal kettles are made of plastic so as not to be crushed.
The most expensive thermos kettles which have a stainless steel inner bulb and a plastic outer casing. These kettles heat up water quickly and stay hot for a long time when the outside walls are cold. They have the lowest heat output and are economical to operate.
Some sellers of thermos kettles call it a thermopot. The need for the inclusion of a new and incomprehensible term in the list of household appliances is clearly not substantiated.
Among the consumption indicators the most important are performance ones: how much water and in how much time you can boil it? The maximum volume of water that you can boil at a time depends on the size of the kettle and is determined by the needs of your family.
On the market there are kettles with a capacity from 1 to 3.2 liters. The minimum volume of water that can be poured for boiling is from 1 to 2 liters ? 2 cans to 2 cans depending on the construction of the kettle. To boil the minimum volume of water just a few seconds and a very small amount of electricity. This parameter is the lowest in metal kettles, the worst in glass ones, even worse in plastic ones with an open heating element.
If the water in the kettle is less than the specified maximum volume, you must refill it. When turning on an empty kettle or with very little water, you can cause damage, even if there is an emergency automatic shutdown.
Time of bringing water to boiling influences the design and power of the heating element. Heaters can be of the open type. Particular electric heaters of open type (heating elements) are installed in the middle of the kettle at the bottom. They heat water quite efficiently but are more likely to get out of harmony than closed kettles. Scale builds up on exposed elements and is very difficult to remove. This kettle is more difficult to wash than a flat-bottomed kettle with a closed heater.
The closed heating elements are shielded from the eyes and do not come into contact with water. This can be an electric spiral in the middle or in the ledge on the inner wall of the kettle, or THEN or a flat disc heater under the bottom. The heater under the bottom boils water faster and is the safest.
The power of heating elements in teapots is from 0,7 to 3 kW. The high power allows you to boil 1.5-2 liters of water in 2-3 minutes, but requires a special electrical wiring in the apartment. When selecting the power of the heating element the possibility of simultaneous switching on the refrigerator, TV and washing machine must necessarily be taken into account. If the electrical wiring is not designed for high total loads, you may encounter serious problems.
Most kettles have a separable base with a central contact. Central contact allows you to put the kettle with any hand and in any position relative to the axis: it can be rotated 360 degrees.
The messenger cable is connected to the pad and it does not obstruct removal of the kettle. The holder is provided with a bin for placing the power cord. The length of the measurement cords for the kettles from 0,6 to 1,3 m. A long power cord can be a nuisance: one can get caught on it, it can damage the insulation. Therefore, you should not use the power cord. It is better to find a suitable place for the kettle near the electric socket.
The water level indicator, which looks like a small vertical tip on one or two sides of the kettle, controls the water level in the kettle. Some teapots have an indicator in the form of a ring which shines around the body. This is the most convenient (the level of water can be seen from either side) and beautiful.
Modern teapots have removable crickets with a lock, which protects inadvertent spillage of hot water. The lid can be opened by pushing the button on top. Removing the crickets makes it easier to wash the kettle.
Some large kettles with a water weight of over 5 kg have a built-in electric pump. Such a kettle does not need to be lifted up to pour the sprinkle. Just press the pouring knob or touch the button under the teapot spout with the edge of the cup.
Scale builds up when boiling water in any kettle, even with a gold-plated heating element. Filtered water does not wash out as household filters only retain solid particles and do not catch decomposed water. Scale degrades the quality of the water and causes its turbidity. It can lead to premature disconnection of the kettle to boiling water, to overheating and burning of the heating element.
In the book on operation the manufacturers offer concrete recommendations for the maintenance of the kettle. The market offers a special scale removal products. If there are no special devices, the scale is removed with a solution of citric acid and baking soda. Per 1 liter of water add 1 teaspoon of citric acid and some soda as well. This solution must be boiled and left for the night. In time the solution must be drained, the kettle must be rinsed and then it can be used further. Descaling is recommended to be performed 2 times a year.
In order to prevent limescale from getting into your body, an easy-to-use filter is installed in the kettle draining spout. The filter is the most unreliable part of the kettle, but it is very easy to replace it. To increase the longevity of the filter it is recommended to wash it more often. Prestige kettles have built-in three-stage water filters which reduce the risk of scum particles getting into the tableware by up to 99%. In the first stage, the limescale particles are swallowed by the swirling flow of boiling water and are caught in the trapping cage at the kettle’s bottom. When pouring hot water into the crockery solid particles are trapped by the nylon mesh in the kettle’s spout. When you put the kettle on the stand and set it in a vertical position the pieces of nylon thread fall on the metal thread and are retained on it.
Boil water only once, because after boiling the concentration of salts increases in hard water. This impairs the quality of water and drinks. According to the opinion of experts, to obtain the highest quality of tea drinking it is necessary to have good tea, good water and good dishes.
Automation
Everyone knows that the simple metal kettle can not be left unattended on the open floor. The electric kettle is monitored by automation. Automation turns the kettle off when boiling and does not allow the water to “boil over”. All electric kettles have a lighted on indicator which lights up when the kettle is on. The thermostat monitors the temperature of the water and protects the heating element from overheating. Dear teapots have a few functions with electronic control, which controls the moment of boiling water, boiling time up to 4 shifts (may be necessary to remove chlorine from tap water), the moment of disconnection and automatic maintenance of the temperature close to 98 degrees to 4 years. You can set the water temperature to 85 or 60 degrees Celsius.
Safety ****
The design of modern electric kettles provides protection against electric shock and injury in any, even less real situations. Locking the cups on the kettles does not allow them to accidentally open when pouring the water into a cup or other dishes. Automation switches the power supply off when the water boils, when there is no water, when you remove the kettle from the stand, when the lid is open or partially closed. In case of short circuit of the electric wiring you need to protect the fuse box at the entrance to the apartment.
