Americans: why don't you use kettles?

[Maurice Picarda]

I am in a holiday apartment in a mosquito sanctuary visited almost exclusively by Americans. The kitchen has a toaster, a coffee percolator, a bread maker, a primary and a secondary food mixer, a juicer, a blender, a mains-operated corkscrew (which really is the height of silliness) and then every piece of manually operated gadgetry one could possibly imagine, from garlic presses to mediaeval instruments designed to get lobsters to confess and then repent.

But there is no fucking kettle. And this has been the same in furnished holiday apartments the length and short breadth of the mosquito sanctuary. Americans, in need of a cup of tea, presumably boil water on stoves like venture scouts or survivalists. Why? Yanks of Urban, explain yourselves. And if you have not heard of kettles, does the idea of an electric water boiler with a spout appeal? Shall I send a container of them over to you so that we can make our fortunes?

 

[Pickman's model]

I am in a holiday apartment in a mosquito sanctuary visited almost exclusively by Americans. The kitchen has a toaster, a coffee percolator, a bread maker, a primary and a secondary food mixer, a juicer, a blender, a mains-operated corkscrew (which really is the height of silliness) and then every piece of manually operated gadgetry one could possibly imagine, from garlic presses to mediaeval instruments designed to get lobsters to confess and then repent.

But there is no fucking kettle. And this has been the same in furnished holiday apartments the length and short breadth of the mosquito sanctuary. Americans, in need of a cup of tea, presumably boil water on stoves like venture scouts or survivalists. Why? Yanks of Urban, explain yourselves. And if you have not heard of kettles, does the idea of an electric water boiler with a spout appeal? Shall I send a container of them over to you so that we can make our fortunes?

there is a shortage of kettles in america so when americans find them abroad they abstract them which is why you don't have a kettle.

 

[trabuquera]

can't you get boiling water straight out of a special spout in the fridge door in America?

 

[fishfinger]

It's because kettles only work in Celsius, so they won't boil in America.

 

[Orang Utan]

it's cos they don't drink tea much and they have coffee machines. order tea in the US, and you are likely to get some warm water with tea and a slice of lemon in a glass

 

[Hocus Eye.]

I heard the same story about the French who apparently boil water in a saucepan. I thought that was strange as when I heard the story I had a kettle made by Tefal - a French company.

 

[Crispy]

Also, their weedy home wiring means an American electric kettle takes about twice as long to boil.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Lower mains voltage; 120V (or 110? Can't remember, doesn't matter) coupled with limited current means a lower maximum wattage, hence takes ages to boil.

ETA snap Crispy.

 

[Hocus Eye.]

Also, their weedy home wiring means an American electric kettle takes about twice as long to boil.

Yes I just found that out in a quick web search. It seems that the American 110 volt system would not give a satisfactory boiling time compared to our 220v one.

 

[trabuquera]

Amazing - I have learned!
But how can a system support humungous flatscreen home-cinema TVs and fridges the size of Cadillacs, but be unable to boil a kettle?
(I don't understand how electricity works, obvs...)

 

[twentythreedom]

Excellent pub trivia ammo

Stupid Americans and their shitty electrics

 

[Crispy]

Amazing - I have learned!
But how can a system support humungous flatscreen home-cinema TVs and fridges the size of Cadillacs, but be unable to boil a kettle?
(I don't understand how electricity works, obvs...)

Those aren't high-power devices. Hundreds of watts, max.
UK sockets can supply 3,000W, whereas USA ones can only do 1,700 or so.
You know how over here you have to have a special high-rated fused outlet for the oven? In the USA, you need one of those for a clothes drier.

Pub trivia reason for this: The UK home wiring system was overhauled in the 40s, when it was thought that nuclear power would unleash practically unlimited energy for all. With all that juice sloshing around, why not allow 3kW per socket?

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Thank you for clearing that up, everyone. Poor Americans and their inferior leccy.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Excellent pub trivia ammo

Stupid Americans and their shitty electrics

Miss Caphat will be able to advise on how long it takes to make a brew over there.

 

[danny la rouge]

They boil kettles on the hob.

This meant that when I was at Uni, American students were always forgetting and melting the plastic electric kettles on the hobs.

Fast forward a couple of decades. We had an American woman staying with us. She was very impressed that our kettle (the now standard "cordless" type) had, in her words, "it's own cute little hob".

Footnote: American plumbing is also rubbish.

 

[TikkiB]

I am also staying in a mosquito sanctuary popular with Americans. In fact I am currently co-habiting with 8 Americans to whom I am related by marriage. We have a kettle in our kitchen. People are currently making tea (Yorkshire Gold, brought by me) with it.

However, EVERY SINGLE BIT OF FOOD HAS SUGAR IN IT. One loaf of bread popular with the inlaws has both sugar and cornsyrup, and it's a standard wholemeal loaf so therefore regarded as 'healthy'.
We saw a sachet of salt with dextrose in it yesterday.


And their chocolate is all disgusting. Am very glad I brought some proper chocolate with me so the poor benighted children could discover what real chocolate tastes like. The chocolate hobnobs and plain chocolate digestives have gone down particularly well. Once we had cleared up the biscuit/cookie/scone confusion.

 

[TikkiB]

Those aren't high-power devices. Hundreds of watts, max.
UK sockets can supply 3,000W, whereas USA ones can only do 1,700 or so.
You know how over here you have to have a special high-rated fused outlet for the oven? In the USA, you need one of those for a clothes drier.

Pub trivia reason for this: The UK home wiring system was overhauled in the 40s, when it was thought that nuclear power would unleash practically unlimited energy for all. With all that juice sloshing around, why not allow 3kW per socket?

I thought my mac was taking ages to charge - thought I was imagining it!

 

[skyscraper101]

You can get electric kettles and they work cos I had one, so I'm not sure there's much truth about the voltage thing really. That said, the kettle I did have died eventually and I ended up replacing with a whistling one for the gas stove.

But then, the best thing I since discovered was the office water cooler has a hot tap. So no more boiling water. I now just get hot water for tea and coffee directly from the water cooler, instead of boiling a whole kettle. Plus the water is all 'mineral' water so I'm making extra posh tea now.

 

[Orang Utan]

is it hot enough though? water for tea needs to be boiling

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I am also staying in a mosquito sanctuary popular with Americans. In fact I am currently co-habiting with 8 Americans to whom I am related by marriage. We have a kettle in our kitchen. People are currently making tea (Yorkshire Gold, brought by me) with it.

However, EVERY SINGLE BIT OF FOOD HAS SUGAR IN IT. One loaf of bread popular with the inlaws has both sugar and cornsyrup, and it's a standard wholemeal loaf so therefore regarded as 'healthy'.
We saw a sachet of salt with dextrose in it yesterday.


And their chocolate is all disgusting. Am very glad I brought some proper chocolate with me so the poor benighted children could discover what real chocolate tastes like. The chocolate hobnobs and plain chocolate digestives have gone down particularly well. Once we had cleared up the biscuit/cookie/scone confusion.

Sugar in salt - that's certainly taking things a little bit far.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

is it hot enough though? water for tea needs to be boiling

It probably isn't, and makes rubbish tea. They are nowhere near boiling in my experience - although they might do for making instant coffee or hot chocolate.

 

[skyscraper101]

is it hot enough though? water for tea needs to be boiling

It's hot enough yes. In fact it's sometimes so hot I end up using a bit of water cooler icy water to make it insta-drinkable. I've got a whole system worked out.

 

[Crispy]

I thought my mac was taking ages to charge - thought I was imagining it!

That's got nothing to do with it I'm afraid. Laptop chargers are easily under 100W so easy to charge off USA or UK mains.

 

[Pingu]

IIRC M1 Abrams tanks do not have a proper BV either.

one was added later according to a google but by then a chap would have died of lack of the ability to brew up

 

[Corax]

from garlic presses to mediaeval instruments designed to get lobsters to confess and then repent.

I have sod all interest in your petty little thread about toasters or whatever.

But that piece of phrasing deserves a fucking medal. Well done Sir, well done.

 

[Orang Utan]

That's got nothing to do with it I'm afraid. Laptop chargers are easily under 100W so easy to charge off USA or UK mains.

so do kettles use more leccy than laptops and tellies?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

so do kettles use more leccy than laptops and tellies?

A lot more. A laptop might draw around a few hundred watts, where a kettle can be 3kw. Not sure about a telly, but it won't be lots of power.

 

[Crispy]

so do kettles use more leccy than laptops and tellies?

Loads. Loads and loads. They are the single most powerful thing in your house, with the possible exception of the oven.

Laptop on charge might use about 25W.
A 40" LED backlit TV around 60W
Fancy-pants PC with nice graphics - 300W
Kettle - 3,000W

No contest.

 

[Orang Utan]

Loads. Loads and loads. They are the single most powerful thing in your house, with the possible exception of the oven.

Laptop on charge might use about 25W.
A 40" LED backlit TV around 60W
Fancy-pants PC with nice graphics - 300W
Kettle - 3,000W

No contest.

so would heating a pan of water on an electric hob use less leccy?

 

[skyscraper101]

Laptops and TVs need way less power that's why you get the big transformer blocks on the power cords, to downscale the power and concert AC to DC current.