r/mealtimevideos • u/diabetic_debate • Jun 01 '22
[24.55] Why don't Americans use electric kettles? 15-30 Minutes
https://youtu.be/_yMMTVVJI4c258
Jun 01 '22
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u/ballsy_elon Jun 01 '22
Everyone I know has one of these. lol
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u/AGSattack Jun 02 '22
Yeah seriously, anecdotal but I donāt know anyone WITHOUT one.
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u/happybarfday Jun 02 '22
Weird, I live in the USA and I never saw one of these until I went to college and saw someone using one in their dorm roomā¦
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u/Psychological-Pea249 Jun 02 '22
I live in Alabama, and I don't know a single person that has one!
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u/katastrophyx Jun 02 '22
Yeah, we don't even drink tea too terribly often but we have an electric kettle. We're far too impatient for a stovetop kettle.
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u/WorkingInAColdMind Jun 01 '22
Not sure Iām willing to commit 25min to watch this, but we switched to an electric kettle about 1yr ago and never looked back. A friend of ours installed a 220v outlet just so he could use a 220v āinternationalā model
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u/lolmemelol Jun 01 '22
His videos are always very insightful and entertaining. He did like 4 videos in a series on dishwasher detergent/dishwashers; I watched every minute and I don't even have a dishwasher.
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u/Rich-Dealer Jun 02 '22
Watching his video on dishwashers taught me about putting dishwashing detergent in the prewash section - never knew that (and to revert to liquid).
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Jun 01 '22
I didnāt think Iād watch an hour video on dishwashers. But Technology Connection makes it worth it.
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u/stopthemeyham Jun 02 '22
Dude that's how I always sell his channel to people. He made me worship a toaster in a tad under an hour, no clue how.
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u/SemanticShenanigans Jun 02 '22
No clue how
Are you kidding with HOW FUCKING RAD that toaster and how it works is?! Shit was AWESOME.
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u/whereami1928 Jun 02 '22
Dude I don't even own a dishwasher and I watched all his videos in that series.
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u/Septopuss7 Jun 01 '22
Bro I'm on a Technology Connection binge going on 1.5 hours now. Just took a break to check Reddit and found the video that started it all haha. It's a great channel.
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u/TheLyingNetherlander Jun 02 '22
Your friend is gonna love this. https://www.quooker.co.uk/
We installed one a few years ago.
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u/cocoagiant Jun 02 '22
Not sure Iām willing to commit 25min to watch this,
Sounds like you haven't had a chance to watch his video on toasters!
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u/WorkingInAColdMind Jun 02 '22
Yāall have convinced me to watch this when I get some time today. Iām guessing itās entertaining geekiness which is right up my alley
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 02 '22
Weāve always had an electric kettle. I honestly donāt know how youāre supposed to boil water with out one. You get out a pan and fill it with water and turn on the stove every time you want tea or coffee? What the fuck?
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u/Shalmanese Jun 02 '22
I honestly donāt know how youāre supposed to boil water without one.
A stovetop kettle.
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u/Fmeson Jun 02 '22
Honestly, I've used both extensively, and I prefer the stove top ones over rhe electric ones.
They are more durable, easier to wash (can be dishwashed), cheaper, essentially just as quick and easy to use.
The main downside is that they don't turn off automatically, but for my use, I don't find that important. The speed and efficiency gain doesn't matter much to me either. I'm never waiting around on the kettle.
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u/Sarkos Jun 02 '22
Why would you ever need to wash a kettle?
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u/nauticalsandwich Jun 02 '22
Mineral deposits from hard water and oil/food splatter if you keep your kettle close to where you cook.
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Jun 02 '22
On one hand, yuck about not cleaning your kettle like OP apparently, but on the other:
Mineral deposits from hard water
Drop vinegar in it ?
and oil/food splatter if you keep your kettle close to where you cook.
Clean it ? They're electrical appliances made to hold water, not cotton candy. You need to have a bottlebrush around anyway.
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Jun 02 '22
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u/Phuntis Jun 06 '22
you can't get mould in a kettle all that goes in it is water the only thing that makes sense is hard water deposits but that's not cleaning that's descaling and that's not something you have to do often
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u/fishy_commishy Jun 02 '22
No one installs 220. It's 240
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u/irridisregardless Jun 02 '22
A friend of ours installed a 220v outlet just so he could use a 220v āinternationalā model
More power to 'em
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u/800-lumens Jun 01 '22
I do! It's one of the few single-use appliances I have. That and a rice cooker. I find both indispensable.
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u/muddyclunge Jun 02 '22
White rice cooker do you have? My old one broke and the company don't mske them anymore.
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u/800-lumens Jun 02 '22
I have a Zojirushi, maybe about 10 years old. The clock conked out years ago, but it works fine otherwise. It uses fuzzy logic, which as I understand it makes a better pot of rice. Set and forget. Itās a higher cost up front, but worth it if you use it frequently.
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 02 '22 edited Jun 02 '22
A kettle isnāt a single use item any more than a knife is.
Edit: really? You guys use your knife to cut one thing and nothing else? You only use your knife for one recipe? You only use your knife to cut one style of thing?
I use my kettle for:
Tea
Coffee
Oatmeal
Soup
Pasta
Rice
Warming water for baked goods
Potatoes
Eggs
Cleaning dishes
Cleaning my AC duct
Hot water for my dog in the sink (bathing)
Literally any time I need hot water which is about 50% of things I cook and many non-food related tasks
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u/McSlurryHole Jun 02 '22
Id say you're incorrect only because people arent boiling milk or deep frying in their electric kettles.
knives can be used to cut basically anything, kettles boil water and rice cookers well, you know.
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 02 '22
āMaking things hotā isnāt the function of a kettle. Thatās obviously too vague. A kettle isnāt supposed to compete with a deep fryer.
āBoiling waterā is its function.
āMaking things smallerā isnāt the function of a knife. That could apply to a blender, or a mandolin, or a garlic press etc.
āCutting things into discrete pieces along a planeā is.
Yes there are many ways to make water hot, just like there are many ways to cut things.
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 02 '22
Tell me, how many recipes include boiled water?
How many things require you to boil them in water?
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u/marvelous__magpie Jun 02 '22
Almost every meal has a carb that needs boiling in water (rice, potato, pasta, quinoa, couscous)
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u/EDfloppy Jun 02 '22
2 minute noodles (ramen) Making instant mashed potato from potato flakes Cup of soup Gravy from a packet Coffee Tea Jelly (jello)
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u/OBLIVIATER Jun 02 '22
Single purpose just means it can only boil water, what you do with that water doesn't really matter.
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u/10Bens Jun 02 '22
You must mean a Swiss Army knife. All knives do is cut stuff.
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 02 '22 edited Jun 02 '22
No. I donāt mean that. Or those are the words I would have used.
stuff
Knives cut everything. You need a knife for 95% of anything you cook that isnāt a stouffers microwave meal.
In the same vein, any time you need to boil water which many many recipes call for, you use a kettle.
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u/blakeman8192 Jun 02 '22 edited Jun 26 '23
.
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u/Oscar_Geare Jun 02 '22
I use the kettle to heat up the water to add it to the pot to get you going quicker. I doubt they actually try to cook pasta in the kettle itself.
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 02 '22
An electric kettle is wayyyyy faster and more efficient for those things. I use my kettle because I like not wasting time and energy.
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Jun 02 '22
But kettles get things to temperature way faster. Anytime you need hot to boiling water, kettle is there.
have a water heater in your home right?
Doesn't deliver 100Ā°C water, and might require you to flush the cold water first. Obviously if you want 20L of 60Ā°C water, get it from tap, but small volumes or high temp, kettle.
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 02 '22
Your hot water heater produces boiling water?
Oh? No?
Hmmmm
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u/blakeman8192 Jun 02 '22 edited Jun 26 '23
.
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u/BigDaddyAnusTart Jun 03 '22
Did you know that water doesnāt go from room temperature straight to boiling ? Did you know water doesnāt remain boiling forever? Did you know you can combine water of different temperatures to achieve a required temperature?
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u/A55per Jun 01 '22
Great youtuber love their content. However people drink iced tea in the south and other cold teas on the west coast. There just isn't a large interest in daily hot tea drinking over here.
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u/delitomatoes Jun 01 '22
Everything is cold brewed?
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Jun 01 '22
our teas are generally brewed hot and then iced, but generally done in large batches, not on a per-cup basis.
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u/milliegrace2 Jun 01 '22 edited Jun 02 '22
I have a hot water tank for my kitchen sink that dispenses 210 degree water instantlyā¦and I love it.
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u/its_whot_it_is Jun 02 '22
Sounds like a waste of energy to have it on constantly
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u/zeros-and-1s Jun 02 '22
It's very well insulated and uses very little extra energy on top of a normal kettle.
The real cost is the space it takes in your kitchen if you don't regularly use boiling water.
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u/AdrianBrony Jun 02 '22
I'm sure there's ones you can get built into a faucet as a third spout.
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u/ideasplace Jun 01 '22
We have something called a Quooker tap that dispenses potable boiling water, as well as chilled filtered and even sparkling water.
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Jun 01 '22
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Jun 02 '22
I'd love to have a superheated water tap. I'd have no use for it except telling people I have a superheated water tap
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Jun 01 '22
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u/_Scarecrow_ Jun 02 '22
If they're referring to a similar device to what I have, it's not just tap water from your regular boiler, it's a separate hot water tank installed specifically for dispensing at the sink. There's no piping to speak of and the water tank is stainless steel.
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u/john_andrew_smith101 Jun 02 '22
Yup, modern houses generally don't have this problem. Tom Scott covers this in a video. Basically, older houses would have hot water heaters that didn't have to be maintained to the same standard as plumbing for drinking water. To reflect this, none of those houses have mixer taps at the sink, in order to prevent cross contamination.
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u/milliegrace2 Jun 02 '22
water will boil at about 202 degrees in Denver, due to the lower air pressure at such high elevations, so seems like in Denver I'd be fine to use it, maybe I should move lol
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u/connorkmiec93 Jun 02 '22
You are misunderstand the comment you are replying to.
They are talking about this
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u/Yelov Jun 02 '22
I assume that's 210F and not 210C. Even then, that's around 100C. I don't know what my water tank's temperature is, but I assume it's lower. Now that I think about it, I don't know why I use the kettle to warm up water for my coffee when I could just use the warmest tap water, which is pretty much the same temperature I heat up the water in the kettle.
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u/MichaelRossJD Jun 01 '22
Haven't watched the video, but my answer is because it is a single use appliance and you have to have space to store it. A pot can boil water and has a multitude of uses.
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u/its_whot_it_is Jun 02 '22
I disagree, as much as I hate redundancies in the kitchen and consider countertop space a valuable real estate if you boil water as much as we do the kettle is most efficient and quickest way to go. Also electricity is cheaper than gas in our household for some reason
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u/foxymoxy18 Jun 01 '22
Technically, it's eventually cheaper to boil the water in an electric kettle and then pour it into the pot for cooking if you do it enough and the kettle lasts long enough. I'm not willing to do the math so maybe that's an unreasonable amount of time.
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u/nauticalsandwich Jun 02 '22
Similarly, I'd say an electric kettle takes up counter space, whereas a stovetop kettle I can just leave on my stove, or quickly pull out of a cabinet and stow away again without having to wrangle an electric cable and plug/unplug it.
I've definitely considered an electric kettle. I would get one if I had more counter-space, honestly, but that is precious real estate for other appliances and cooking.
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u/Lootboxboy Jul 01 '22
And if youāre just having a single cup thereās nothing wrong with just putting a cup of water in the microwave. It only takes 90 to 120 seconds.
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Jun 02 '22
I usually like his videos, but this one is kinda dumb. Electric kettles don't take up any more space than stove-top ones do, so "not drinking a lot of tea" doesn't make sense as the reason why Americans don't use electric kettles as much.
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u/nauticalsandwich Jun 02 '22
A stovetop kettle doesn't take up counter space. It can rest on your stove or in a cupboard. An electric kettle requires counter space, unless you're fishing it out of a cupboard and plugging it in every time you use it, which negates its advantage of convenience.
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Jun 02 '22
I just use the microwave. I already own it, it's constantly out, and I don't need or want boiling water so it's literally a minute to heat up my water for tea (I like to drink it immediately). It seems like people are considering the alternative is the stove? If my options are stove or electric kettle, I would definitely go electric kettle.
I also see zero other uses where I would prefer not to microwave something for a kettle other than maybe ramen noodles. Otherwise they weight themselves equally (as far as uses for boiling water go) and the microwave can do more that a kettle cannot (like steam vegetables). I just don't need boiling water enough to take up counter/cupboard space with a device that only does that.
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u/EDfloppy Jun 02 '22
I suppose you just get used to whatever your country usually has on the hench (counter) then, as I've never been into a New Zealand home that doesn't have an electric kettle on the bench.
I think I use mine more than the microwave, and in fact I didn't even have a microwave for about 3 years. But I've never been without a kettle (which we call "the jug").
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u/dkyguy1995 Jun 01 '22
We all have coffee pots instead. I suppose you can use a drip coffee maker the same way for hot water but I've never tried it. Electric Kettle seems a bit more efficient possibly
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u/SinkHoleDeMayo Jun 02 '22
Skipped around a bit but I'm happy he mentioned the gas stove. They're absolute dogshit. The only time they're OK is if you live in a cold climate and use it during the winter. The wasted heat is added to your house. Otherwise, dogshit.
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u/wishator Jun 02 '22
Most cooks prefer gas stoves
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u/nauticalsandwich Jun 02 '22
And the reason they prefer them is exactly for the reason OP described: heat dissipation. You just have a lot more control with a gas stove when cooking.
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Jun 02 '22
My wife got me (Iām a morning tea guy) one for Christmas this year. At first I was puzzled....why this? Now itās indispensable......
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u/AyoMarco Jun 02 '22
Living in America, though not American. I got mine from Walmart, it's stainless steel with glass body, under $25. Boils water fast AF.
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u/jondySauce Jun 02 '22
I imagine with the increasing popularity of pourover coffee lots more Americans use them than used to.
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u/LazyCatAfternoon Jun 02 '22
I can't give up my whistling tea kettle! My Mama had one just like it!
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u/Psychological-Pea249 Jun 02 '22
On the rare occasion I need a small amount of boiling water, I'll use the microwave. If I am making tea, I boil the water on the stove top as I would be making a gallon that would go into the refrigerator. Any other cooking that needs done would be done on a stovetop in a pot.
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Jun 02 '22
All these comments about tea, I feel like they'd be much more popular if someone told Americans you can make coffee without spending hundreds on a coffee machine
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u/0b0011 Jun 02 '22
You do realize most Americans are only using something like a $30 coffee maker instead of spending hundreds on a machine right?
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u/antsugi Jun 02 '22
Same reason we don't typically use a panini press, waffle iron, or popcorn machine. No need to have appliances we use once a month tops, that's just a waste of materials. Plenty of existing ways to boil water instead of buying yet another fucking thing
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u/Phuntis Jun 07 '22
you don't use a kettle once a month I use it literally every single day and I don't even drink hot drinks because you can use hot water for way more than just drinks you know things like pasta or noodles loads of cooking requires boiling and boiling the kettle is way faster than boiling a pan it's just way more efficient I would have to wait maybe 10 minutes to boil a pan of water on the stove but the kettle takes like 2 minutes
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u/JJK-85 Jun 02 '22
My wife wanted one so we got one. I still donāt see what all the fuss is about. A kettle on the stove top boils water just as good and doesnāt take up needed counter space. Im sure itāll eventually join the rest of the kitchen appliances we couldnāt live without that are now in a box collecting dust
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u/nauticalsandwich Jun 02 '22
As someone who also opts for a stovetop kettle, the advantages of an electric kettle are speed and temperature accuracy.
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u/BricksFriend Jun 02 '22
I understand the argument of "another kitchen appliance." But when I visit American friends and family, it is a bit jarring to not have an electric kettle. Heating up water on a gas or electric stove is substantially slower. Also, it is not only for tea and coffee. I like to throw in an egg every morning for breakfast. And any time you need hot water for cooking, it is much more convenient.
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Jun 02 '22
I spent 7 and a half years in prison using electric kettles, so there are many Americans using them this is now debunked.
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u/ch00f Jun 01 '22
Because I have an induction stovetop that can boil a liter of water in 100 seconds.
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u/PartyDad69 Jun 02 '22
Maybe for 1 cup in a large pan. 8-10 to bring a medium pot to boil.
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u/ch00f Jun 02 '22 edited Jun 02 '22
And just to double check, I went back and re-measured the amount of water from this experiment. 1.85L from 0 C to 100C in 6:19. (I kept a photo of the water level from each part of the experiment to make sure they were equal, but never measured them)
That works out to 200 seconds per liter to go from 0C to 100C.
Go from 50C (hot water tap, 120F) to 100C and itāll take half as long. 100 seconds per liter.
Iām actually kind of surprised how that worked out since I was getting that number from their marketing materials.
Induction is ridiculously fast. We have a cute little tea kettle and we can pump way more energy into it that you can from a 120V outlet.
Not shitting on electric kettles, but if you have induction, thereās no point. Itās faster than gas and everything else.
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u/PartyDad69 Jun 02 '22
So on further review, my stovetop is actually electric glass cooktop and Iāve always thought it was induction. Itās slow as shit to boil. Consider the crow as eaten.
But one comment on the referenced study, you should not be cooking with hot water straight from the tap. Lead from corroded piping is more readily absorbed in hot water, and it can contain other gross sediment sitting at the bottom of your water heater.
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u/pikaBeam Jun 02 '22
The video actually has a section specifically about induction ranges. The video's tests say it's about comparable to the (cheap) electric kettle he bought!
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u/apollodynamo Jun 01 '22
We don't make tea as much. But I have an electric kettle for cooking so that helps :)
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u/aricberg Jun 02 '22
Had some British and Australian friends convince me to get one and I canāt believe I went so long without one! Great for making pour over coffee and amazing for boiling water to make couscous!
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u/Yevad Jun 02 '22
I didn't know this was a thing, I haven't seen a traditional kettle since my grandma used one 2 years ago
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u/mud_tug Jun 02 '22
Americans invented the electric kettle. My first encounter with an electric kettle was in the 80's in American movies. As a kid the electric kettle was the quintessential American thing to me.
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u/iwanttoclonemyself Jun 02 '22
We have these things called āmicrowavesā that do the same job and more.
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u/BernyThando Jun 02 '22
Is that a plastic kettle? The tea people must not be here yet cause they hate making tea in plastic.
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u/Snow-Dog2121 Jun 02 '22
Open lid put spaghetti noodles in, pour water out of spout when done, pour noodles onto plate. Ok Iāll give it a shot.
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u/Leber39874799 Jun 02 '22
Why boil water in a plastic container??... the plastic may leech into the water
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u/DerpyO Jun 02 '22
It should be noted that the hot water dispenser or 'urn' does have the unfortunate side effect of boiling out all of the oxygen in the water.
Tea or coffee made with this hot water that's been standing for hours is apparently sub-par.
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u/f1ng3r_ Jun 02 '22
health fads and green tea often means high end kettles with specific temps available are purchased for homes vs ramen short cuts at colleges maybe? . Filtered coffee is under siege and the kettles are coming!
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u/jumpinjetjnet Jun 02 '22
I used one for the first time when I visited Alaska. Really liked it. Quick and convenient. Planned to buy one when I got home. But, I forgot.
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u/thunderup_14 Jun 02 '22
We don't? My parents, my wife's family and My wife and I use them on the reg. Growing up we had a stove top one.
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u/jtj-H Jun 02 '22
When I found out about this a couple years ago it blew my mind.
Not having a Kettle is like not having a Toaster or Microwave in Aus.
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u/thegil13 Jun 02 '22
I would absolutely love a TC video on gas stoves. I know they are much worse than their electric (and especially induction) counterparts, but I want to know HOW much better.
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u/MeiBanFa Jun 02 '22
It is definitely the appliance that I use the most: Multiple times a day for coffee, tea and then for hot water bottles at night.
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u/rbaltimore Jun 02 '22
We drink coffee, and coffee machines heat the water for us.
Also, many Americans do use electric kettles, myself included.
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u/bik1230 Jun 02 '22
This makes literally zero sense. Almost every household in Sweden has an electric but we're a nation of coffee drinkers. And most people prefer drip over instant.
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u/Caleb10E Jun 01 '22 edited Jun 01 '22
TL;DW: Americans don't drink as much tea as other parts of the world. Kettles are simply not as common. Even then, electric kettles are still very handy to have around, and even dirt-cheap 120V electric kettles boil water faster and more efficiently than traditional stovetop kettles.
The video's still worth watching to see just how big a difference there is between electric and traditional kettles, even with only 120V. The gas vs. induction stove comparisons were also really interesting.