To make coffee and infusions or to cook faster: how to choose the right kettle

You’re in the kitchen and you have guests, and someone orders some tea. Do you boil water in the microwave? You may know that there is a small appliance dedicated to this purpose, which can even provide you with water at the exact temperature you need.

Using a container to boil water has been done for centuries, especially in Asian cultures, where tea is part of daily life. The tetsubin Japanese cast iron pots, although now used to infuse tea, were intended to heat water. With the Industrial Revolution, the typical kettle with a flat bottom to place on the stove or charcoal stove, with a whistle that warned when the water boiled.

Having a kettle has many advantages over other methods. To begin with, a kettle modern cooking is significantly faster to boil water than using a pot on the stove, which means we will save time and energy.

The kettle Modern ones are designed to be more energy efficient, and although they usually have a high power (more than 1,000 W), they work for a very short time, consuming only the amount of energy necessary to heat the water we have put in. A kettle also provides us with water at a suitable temperature and in a larger quantity, something more difficult to achieve by heating a cup in the microwave.

In addition, having hot water quickly can be very useful for other tasks in the kitchen, such as blanching vegetables before sautéing them so that they are more tender, or taking less time to cook pasta, potatoes or rice. Most also have automatic shut-off and boil-dry protection, which also makes them safer.

Boil or heat

The first decision we must make is whether we want the kettle to only boil water, or look for one that heats the water to a certain temperature. Kettles that only boil water are the simplest and most economical. They have an electrical resistance and a thermostat that, when the water reaches 100 degrees, cuts off the current and stops heating.

However, boiling water is not the best option for making infusions or coffee. That is why there are other, slightly more sophisticated models that allow you to heat the water to different temperatures for each use:

In addition to temperature control, there are models that have the option of keeping the water at a constant temperature for a period of time, while others have different colored lights to identify the water temperature. This function is useful for those who consume several cups of coffee or infusions throughout the day, since they will always have the water ready at the right temperature.

There are preparations that require greater precision, for example, to make coffee with Chemex-type funnel coffee makers. These kettles provide a more precise measurement of temperature, in some models degree by degree, and have a gooseneck spout that provides precise control to slowly pour hot water over ground coffee.

Materials for the kettle

The kettle Simpler and cheaper electric heaters are made of plastic and have an exposed tubular resistor. They are light and resistant, but over time and exposure to heat the plastic can degrade and absorb odors, and they are also more difficult to clean when limescale accumulates.

Those made of stainless steel are more resistant, durable and aesthetically elegant. In these more expensive models, the resistance is usually hidden in the bottom, which makes cleaning easier. Other models have a transparent glass jug with a stainless steel bottom, allowing you to see the water level.

Type of water and cleaning kettle

The type of tap water in our area is an important factor to take into account. When water is boiled or heated, dissolved salts precipitate, such as calcium and magnesium carbonates, which are more abundant in so-called ‘hard’ water. These salts stick to the walls of the kettle and are difficult to clean.

To prepare infusions and coffee it is much better to use soft water, with little mineral content, since hard water can change the flavor and even make it unpleasant. If your tap water is hard, it is best to use bottled or filtered water in the kettle. For those who live in regions with soft water, this problem is not so important.

When boiling hard water, cleaning is a necessity. Lime scale in a kettle electric make them less energy efficient, and consume more, since the heating time increases. In addition, scale can damage the resistance.

To clean limescale from a kettle electric, you can use a mixture of equal parts of water and white vinegar, or water and lemon juice. It fills the kettle With the solution, boil the liquid and let it sit for about 20 minutes before rinsing it well with clean water. There are also specific descaling products for this purpose. With hard water it is advisable to carry out this cleaning every one or two months, depending on the frequency of use.