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Jan 5th, '17, 05:02
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Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by Balthazar » Jan 5th, '17, 05:02

I've recently moved to a new flat, and to make a long story short am no longer able to use an electric kettle in the kitchen. (The make the short story somewhat longer: this is due to the weak power capacity of the electric system and the huge wattage most electric kettles use - luckily no other kitchen item I own has any problem)

Thus, I need to get myself a stovetop kettle. Our stovetop is a ceramic glass (i.e. flat) variety.

I want to get myself something decent and at around 1.7-2.3 liters capacity, but am not quite sure where to look. I don't have the money for a tetsubin at the moment, so that's out of the question. Here are two candidates:

Ceramic kettle from KitchenAid

Sori Yanagi Stainless Steel Kettle - I'm always a sucker for "made in Japan", but this is somewhat pricey and recent reviews suggest it's not the same quality that it once was?

Does anyone have experience with these? Would appreciate other suggestions too, preferable something you've tried yourself over a longer period of time.

Jan 5th, '17, 13:08
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by Bef » Jan 5th, '17, 13:08

What is your budget?

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Jan 5th, '17, 13:56
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by Balthazar » Jan 5th, '17, 13:56

Depends on the quality. If it it's a great quality kettle likely to last ten years of normal usage, I would be willing to pay as much as $100 shipping included ($140 shipping included). But preferable something below that, although I don't really have a very strict budget.

Another kettle I've been considering is the stainless steel kettle from Miyazaki, this one looks to be the right size. However, it seems to be a mix of stainless steel and aluminium, and I'd prefer something pure stainless steel.

Edit: A fourth candidate is the Alessi Michael Graves Kettle, which I had originally written off as a pricey but probably not very good design kettle. It actually looks to be pure stainless steel (except for the whistle and handle), and 18/10 to boot. Better yet, I am able to pick it up locally for as "little" as $115 (which is $17 less than the selling price at Amazon). But as usual some of the reviews leave me concerned, with some reviewers complaining about a quality reduction (rust, broken handles) compared to the same kettle produced 10+ years ago.

Jan 5th, '17, 14:23
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by .m. » Jan 5th, '17, 14:23

The stainless steel kettles seem to have nicer spout than the enamelled one. That should give a better control of the pour if you're planning to brew tea (or coffee) with it.
In the last link, the aluminium is in the core, cover by stainless steel so it shouldn't come in any contact with the water.

Glass kettles are a nice option too. Easy to observe the different stages of boiling.

Personally, if i was in the market for a kettle i'd go a bit above your budget and ask Petr Novak for a ceramic one
(he's been developing some very beautiful and heat resistant lately). Or, i'd go with a chaozhou one from chawangshop, but those need quite a careful treatment.

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Jan 5th, '17, 14:36
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by Balthazar » Jan 5th, '17, 14:36

Do Petr Novak's ceramic kettles work on flat ceramic stoves? I always imagined they didn't, but have no idea why... I've seen some of his pieces. Tempting indeed.

I've considered glass, but both me and my wife are fairly clumsy and I'm afraid a glass kettle would suffer a horrible and very untimely death within months.

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Jan 5th, '17, 15:23
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by jayinhk » Jan 5th, '17, 15:23

If you have an induction stove like I do, you'll need an induction-stove friendly kettle...that pretty much means either stainless or iron. You'll have to make sure the stainless one is compatible with your stove

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Jan 5th, '17, 15:30
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by Balthazar » Jan 5th, '17, 15:30

It's not an induction stove, it's a ceramic-glass stove. Thanks though!

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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by pizzapotamus » Jan 5th, '17, 15:44

Like .m. I'd not consider clad aluminum to be an issue, it's pretty standard for high quality cookware. Unlike pots and pans I'm not really sure there'd be any benefit to aluminum core for a kettle but properly made I don't see any downsides either.

For one of Petr's kettles the only issue I could see as far the kettle itself is concerned is the intensity/(un)evenness of a heat source causing damage, but never having used a ceramic cooktop I'd expect the cermaic surface acts a bit of diffuser making that not an issue? My bigger worry would be the bottom of the kettle scratching the stove surface if you cared about keeping the stove-top pristine

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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by jayinhk » Jan 5th, '17, 15:46

Balthazar wrote:It's not an induction stove, it's a ceramic-glass stove. Thanks though!
Ah ok, I didn't know ceramic-glass stoves existed! Looks better than my induction stove :)

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Jan 5th, '17, 16:24
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by stevorama » Jan 5th, '17, 16:24

In my experience ceramic glass cooktops are very slow for boiling water. However I'm sure different models will vary. My suggestion would be a kettle that will heat quickly, perhaps a thinner metal kettle with a larger surface for heating.

I'm currently using the Yama Glass Chinese Water Kettle on a gas stove. It has a superb pour, but is fragile and has a small capacity. It also has a tendency to superheat on my stove.

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Jan 5th, '17, 20:09
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by victoria3 » Jan 5th, '17, 20:09

Recently I used this kettle at a friend's and really liked it, although a stainless body/with glass lid would be even better to see bubbles forming; Bodum Osiris Stainless Steel Kettle by C Jorgensen for MOMA
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bodum-O ... 1864292663

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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by Bef » Jan 5th, '17, 20:40

On a budget: http://bonavitaworld.com/products/10l-s ... eck-kettle

Not on a budget: a Lin's Ceramic kettle.

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Jan 8th, '17, 10:26
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Re: Stovetop kettle - reccomendations?

by Balthazar » Jan 8th, '17, 10:26

Thanks for all of the comments and recommendations. I ended up getting a "Bredemeijer Duet Design 8800" due to the Alessi being sold out.

Having used Bredemeijer a couple of times, I have to say I'm satisfied. It has a fairly big spout, but I already feel quite in control of the pour. Contrary to the super-cheap electric kettle I've used for the past two years, I also feel like this kettle has less of an effect on the taste of the water. What I will miss from the electric kettle is the heating speed and the variable temperature control. Need to start practicing the ol' back-and-forth pour to be able to continue enjoying my morning sencha, I guess.

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