IHHS Trend Part Two – Electric Water Kettles

As mentioned in the previous article about the International Home and Housewares show in Chicago, I spotted two trends. The first one, pizza cutters, seemed odd to me, but hey you have to write about the trends you see.

The second trend is much more interesting and involves electric water kettles. To me it indicates that consumers increasing knowledge has led manufacturers to create an improved product. There are some who say the change in equipment is due to our increasingly tech savvy world. It is more than likely a combination of both.

What is an improved water kettle?

It has adjustable temperature settings which can bring water to a certain temperature without first allowing the water to boil. As we will see, water that is allowed to come to a full boil, or 212 F, loses something in the process that has negative affects.

The average drinker of tea and coffee is beginning to understand the importance of proper water temperature when brewing or steeping. And as consumers begin to understand this principle and how it improves the resulting brew, they expect more from their appliances. In fact, tea drinking may be driving this change more so than coffee. I say this because I see an increase in the number of machines designed to brew tea perfectly and the machines are improving with time.

So what if the water comes to a boil?

When water comes to a boil anything brewed or steeped in that water will have a noticeable difference in taste and color. In order to maximize the flavor of tea or coffee, you should bring the water to the correct temperature without boiling it. Now I know what some of you are thinking, “I have been making delicious tea and/or coffee for years with water brought to the boil then cooled to the desired temperature.”

Well, we all thought this, most of us anyway. If you think about it for a second, electric coffee and tea machines do not boil water first and they are responsible for some of the best coffee available.

There are press coffee advocates who may disagree, but let me challenge you to a taste test. Try brewing your coffee in water that has not reached the boil and see if you don’t like the resulting coffee better. After trying this experiment in my press pot, I found the coffee had better flavor extraction and was less harsh. I found the same results from my tea experiments.

Why Should I Care?

If you buy and brew high quality tea and coffee, why not get the fullest extraction of flavor and benefit? Steeping your coffee or tea using water not brought to the boil will accomplish this goal.

Some may not have the taste sensitivity that will discern much difference, but I believe most people will see a taste difference.

The issue is particularly acute for tea drinkers. The type and style of tea will determine the ideal temperature. For instance, in societies such as China and Japan, where tea is a major part of life, there are as many as 5 definitions of boiling water.

James Norwood Pratt in his book ‘The New Tea Lover’s Treasury” states – “The Chinese distinguish five stages of tea water as the boiling point is approached: “shrimp eyes,” the first tiny bubbles that start to appear on the surface of the kettle water, “crab eyes,” the secondary, larger bubbles, then “fish eyes,” followed by “rope of pearls,” and finally “raging torrent.”

Shrimp Eyes – Individual bubbles slowly rising to the top. Approximately 155°-174°F. Ideal for green teas.

Crab Eyes – Streaming bubbles moving faster still. Approximately 175°F. Good for white, green and premium high quality oolong teas.

Fish Eyes – Larger bubbles still. Approximately 175°-180°F. Ideal for green tea or white teas. At this level you should use caution as some teas may taste bitter. And remember that not all green or white teas are the same. Different regions and different processors sometimes create drastic differences.

Rope of Pearls – A steady stream of large bubbles rise to the surface. Approximately 195°-205°F. This temperature is ideal for black (whole and broken leaf), pu-erh teas and coffee. I would recommend starting at 195 and going up from there until you reach the desired extraction. I find that coffee is best in the 200 to 205 range. Remember to use the same extraction time while configuring the best temperature, then if necessary increase the time. A longer extraction increases elements we perceive as strength.

Raging Torrent – This level is defined as “ruined water” and is considered to be de-oxgyenated, flat or what they call “old man water.” The only product universally recommended for a full 212°F boil is herbal tisanes; exceptions to the rule may be teas with spices and flavorings.

If you search the internet and published books, you will find varying temperatures that are “correct” for each style and type. Brewing coffee or tea in not an exact science, so experiment for yourself and keep notes on the results.

The Machines

I am not going to look at non-adjustable and manual water kettles. This article is about a very specific trend in electric kettles.

Adjustable electric kettles look and feel pretty much like the normal electric ones. They boil water faster than a stovetop model. The main variance in the styles is how the temperature is set. Some models have preset buttons indicating the type of tea or beverage the water will be used for, others adjustable digital settings using up and down arrows. I assume the latter style is supposed to impart a sense of control, which I like. If you are a bread baker, having the ability to set water to a temperature of 100 or 105 degrees would be great for proofing yeast.

Regardless of how the temperature is set, the actual execution of the temperatures will vary by a couple degrees plus or minus. This variance is fine as the key is to get in the range of temperature not be 100% accurate.

The size of the kettles are more or less the same, somewhere between 48 – 51 ounces. However, a couple of companies make 3 liter pots which can store lots of heated water for dispensing over a long period of time. The best of that lot is the Zojirushi.

All have an auto shut off features when the water in the kettle reaches the boiling point. This is standard with any electric kettle and these are no exception. The handles will generally stay cool, but the sides of stainless kettles can get hot. All the kettles have concealed heating elements to prevent scaling problems and all have 1000 or 1500 watt heating elements. This means they can boil 2 cups of water in less than a minute and a full kettle faster than is possible on the stove.

Where the variable temperature kettles differ is in how the temperatures are set and whether they keep the water warm at the selected temperature, varying by a few degrees of course.

Breville – The Breville model has 5 Pre-set brewing temperatures including: 175F for green tea; 185F for white tea; 195F for oolong tea; 200F for french press: and 212F for boiling and black tea. When the temperature is reached, it will shut off unless you press the Hold Temp button. Doing this will hold the temperature for 20 minutes. The water level indicator is on two sides for right or left handed use. I like this easy to read design. It retails for $149.

Chef’s Choice – The user can select any temperature range from 68 – 212 using arrows and a digital display. There is a “keep warm” feature that will hold non-boiling water at the indicated temperature until the kettle is lifted from the base or 20 minutes have elapsed. There are safety features to keep the kettle from boiling dry under any circumstances. The water level indicator is under the handle and not as easy to see. This model has beeps for every occasion, which you will find helpful or annoying. It retails for $99.

Capresso – This model uses a turnable dial to indicate which preset temperature you want. The settings are 100, 160, 175, 195 and full boil. While it has auto shut off feature, there is no beep or indicator other than a light change to know it is finished. There is no “keep warm” function. It has a glass carafe with water level indicators. It also has a pull out guide for matching the temperature settings to a type of beverage. It retails for $89.

Cuisinart – The Cuisinart Perfectemp uses 6 preset buttons for setting the water temperature. The settings are 160, 175, 180, 190, 200 and full boil. It comes with a “keep warm” function which will hold the water at temp for 30 minutes. The kettle can even be removed from the power base for up to 2 minutes without shutting off. It has a back lit water level indicator under the handle. I love the back lighting but wish the indicator were not under the handle. It retails for $99.

Pino – Pino Digital Kettle Pro is from a small company in California. It has a user selectable temperature range of 105 – 212. It has a “keep warm” function which will hold the desired temperature until it is turned off or runs out of water. There have been some issues with the water level gauge falling off due to its poor design. The temperatures seem to vary more than pricier models. This lack of more involved sensors, short 90 day warranty, 1000 watt base are reasons for the value price of $69. For the price it is solid little model.

Sunpentown – The last model here has the least features of the lot. It is really just a standard electric kettle with a temperature dial on the side displays in Celsius: 20, 40, 60 and 80. These convert loosely to Fahrenheit as: 68, 104, 140, 176. It must shut off by hand to achieve temps less than full boil, which means you must stand there and watch the gauge. There is the standard auto shut-off when the full boil is reached. The retail price $49 on Amazon makes it maybe worth it. If you were of a mind to buy this one, read the next section for a better alternative.

For me, I like elements of all these kettles but don’t find any one of them that has everything I want in a variable temperature kettle. That said, the biggest concern I have with these new kettles is the longevity of the sensors that measure water temperature. I realize that modern microchip technology is very reliable, but at this point we just don’t know how long these machines will function as intended. And if they stop sensing the subtle pre-boiling temperatures, will they stop boiling water altogether?

I believe these models represent a very good start and I know technology will improve, but will they last as long as a basic electric kettle?

Now as always, there is a work around using any style of kettle, electric or otherwise. It requires you to stand there and watch the temperature or ideally use a temperature probe with an alarm setting, then turn off the kettle before the boiling point.

All you have to do is stick the probe into the water in the kettle and turn it off when you get the desired results. I use my remote temperature probe set to the desired temperature and turn off the kettle when the alarm goes off. And yes, this works even with a stovetop kettle (see below).

This work around uses the kettle you already own and a probe or long stem thermometer. The better remote probes cost around $25.

If I were to buy an advanced variable temperature kettle, I think the Chef’s Choice SmartKettle comes closest to my ideal model. After that, the Cuisinart Perfectemp is a very close second because of its rich feature set and wide range of preset temperatures. The Pino model has great value with this ability to set my own temps and would be a great choice also.

For the meantime, I will continue to use my homemade rig for getting the temperatures I desire.

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