http://www.amazon.com/ChefsChoice-Smart ... B001I1BH98
I just recently bought a Utilitea and Ingenuitea and I love both so far.
But I recently saw this electric kettle on amazon.com and its only $16 more than what I payed for the Utilitea. and since I'm still within the 30 day return period from target.com for my Utilitea I've been contemplating switching to this model since this one seems to have a much more accurate temp gauge system (advertised as having +-2F accuracy)
I've only seen one mention of this tea kettle on this site and was wondering if there were any other owners of this tea kettle here.
Can anyone tell me how the two tea kettles compare?
The specs list the 688 as having 1500 watts and 7 cup max capacity.
Not sure how many watts the utilitea has but the max capacity is 4 cups I believe.
Jan 29th, '09, 22:23
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ya thats what i figured. i searched for it before i posted and i came across only 1 person who had the chef's choice.
did you guys take a look at the link from amazon?
is it just me or does it seem like its better than the utilitea in every way?
it holds more, its stainless steel, not sure if 1500 watts is more than the utilitea, it has a much more specific temperature setting.
the only con i can think of is its probably bigger than the utilitea and its $16 more.
did you guys take a look at the link from amazon?
is it just me or does it seem like its better than the utilitea in every way?
it holds more, its stainless steel, not sure if 1500 watts is more than the utilitea, it has a much more specific temperature setting.
the only con i can think of is its probably bigger than the utilitea and its $16 more.
Jan 29th, '09, 22:32
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I would be very, very skeptical about the accuracy of any kettle's temperature settings. I have a very nice Upton kettle, very similar to the UtiliTea, and the temperature gauge is only a very approximate measure. The gauge is only consistent if you start with a full kettle of water, not if you are reheating and it does not hold a temperature ... something the Zoji does do.
The UtiliTea gets rave reviews and one or two people who have had experience with both my Upton kettle and with the UtiliTea say the UtiliTea is better, but I don't remember why.
The UtiliTea gets rave reviews and one or two people who have had experience with both my Upton kettle and with the UtiliTea say the UtiliTea is better, but I don't remember why.
I looked up a kamjove, what it the hype about? I saw it doesn't control temperature. Sure sounds like a regular tea kettle. Is it a special material?Salsero wrote:It's entirely possible that no one has experience with both kettles. I don't recall hearing many people mentioning the Chef's Choice.
Now mention Zoji or Kamjove and hordes will descend upon you.
Jan 29th, '09, 22:36
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There are many Kamjove models. I think some hold temps or at least hold water at just under boiling. Some of them are very cool looking and you seem them used a lot by people in Asia brewing tea on YouTube and what not.
I have not actually found one that I am convinced I would really like, however. There seem to be a lot of inferior models. I use a Zoji at home and the Upton kettle at work.
I have not actually found one that I am convinced I would really like, however. There seem to be a lot of inferior models. I use a Zoji at home and the Upton kettle at work.
Jan 29th, '09, 23:17
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I have one that sort of holds temperature - but unfortunately for you it is only supplied with UK voltagesTea Noob wrote:I looked up a kamjove, what it the hype about? I saw it doesn't control temperature. Sure sounds like a regular tea kettle. Is it a special material?Salsero wrote:It's entirely possible that no one has experience with both kettles. I don't recall hearing many people mentioning the Chef's Choice.
Now mention Zoji or Kamjove and hordes will descend upon you.
You can set the desired temperature and it fires up until that temperature is reached. It then switches off and fires up again once the temperature decreases by about 10 degrees - it is really good for gong fu in that it could slow your drinking down to 1 pot every 5 minutes - but you can speed it up by pressing fast boil then going back to temperature setting again and it quickly gets back to the optimum temperature.
I have calibrated it with a thermometer to about 5 settings in the range 160 to 200 and it seems to be spot on!
Jan 29th, '09, 23:18
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I just saw on another post that it didn't have temperature controls. That must be a different model. if it maintains temperature, that is a definite plus.Herb_Master wrote: I have one that sort of holds temperature - but unfortunately for you it is only supplied with UK voltages
You can set the desired temperature and it fires up until that temperature is reached. It then switches off and fires up again once the temperature decreases by about 10 degrees - it is really good for gong fu in that it could slow your drinking down to 1 pot every 5 minutes - but you can speed it up by pressing fast boil then going back to temperature setting again and it quickly gets back to the optimum temperature.
I have calibrated it with a thermometer to about 5 settings in the range 160 to 200 and it seems to be spot on!
I do have to say the Utilitea is terrible at controlling temp. I will have the dial in the green zone and it will boil. If I want to reheat the water, while it is still warm, it will heat the water above the temp that it originally shut off at. Not reliable, but convenient.
Last edited by Tea Noob on Jan 30th, '09, 00:24, edited 1 time in total.
Jan 29th, '09, 23:50
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Check out the Kamjoves at Dragon TeaHouse though I am not sure if there are any for the USTea Noob wrote:
I just saw on another post that it didn't have temperature controls. That must be a different model. if it maintains temperature, that is a definite plus.
I do have to say the Utilitea is terrible at controlling temp. I will have the dial in the green zone and it will boil. If I want to reheat the water, while it is still warm, it will heat the water above the temp that it originally shut off at. Not reliable, but convenient.
here is a temperature controlled one
http://cgi.ebay.com/Temperature-Adjusta ... 634.c0.m14
True, I don't tend to brew a lot of greens, but I think temperature control is overrated. As long as the kettle has a switch, you can turn it off when it gets to the right temperature... or bring it to a low boil and then let it cool from there. You can do a lot with how, from what height, and where you pour too, in terms of controlling what temperature water actually hits the tea.
To me, the most important things about a kettle are that you can pour with control and that it feels comfortable in your hands. Also, obviously it shouldn't impart any obvious off taste to the tea, and hopefully retains heat fairly well.
I'm a big fan of this one... a bit overpriced at $80, but they're built like tanks. You can probably get it a little cheaper if a store near you sells it. Imperial Tea Court sells a couple kettles by the same manufacturer, including this one. I have one at home and a similar one (by a different manufacturer) at work.
http://www.tentea.com/electricteapot.html
When I get around to getting a good glass or iron kettle, I'm going low tech - electric hot plate and kettle.
To me, the most important things about a kettle are that you can pour with control and that it feels comfortable in your hands. Also, obviously it shouldn't impart any obvious off taste to the tea, and hopefully retains heat fairly well.
It is pretty much a regular tea kettle. But most electric tea kettles don't have a normal spout, so the pour is usually not as good. That's the main difference. The Kamjove brand kettles vary in quality, but they work well enough and are generally pretty inexpensive. Some of the newer ones are a little small or difficult to hold, though.I looked up a kamjove, what it the hype about? I saw it doesn't control temperature. Sure sounds like a regular tea kettle.
I'm a big fan of this one... a bit overpriced at $80, but they're built like tanks. You can probably get it a little cheaper if a store near you sells it. Imperial Tea Court sells a couple kettles by the same manufacturer, including this one. I have one at home and a similar one (by a different manufacturer) at work.
http://www.tentea.com/electricteapot.html
When I get around to getting a good glass or iron kettle, I'm going low tech - electric hot plate and kettle.
wyardley sent me towards this one when I was looking for a kettle and I love it. He's right, It's built really well, and , in my opinion, is much more aesthetically pleasing than nearly all of the electric kettles out there. The price is a bit steep, but you really get what you pay for, as the pour is great. If you can afford it, I'd second wyardley's advice.wyardley wrote:I'm a big fan of this one... a bit overpriced at $80, but they're built like tanks. You can probably get it a little cheaper if a store near you sells it. Imperial Tea Court sells a couple kettles by the same manufacturer, including this one. I have one at home and a similar one (by a different manufacturer) at work.
http://www.tentea.com/electricteapot.html