Americans: why don't you use kettles?

[Crispy]

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

It would use slightly more, because more heat escapes into the air.

Kettles are very efficient - in other words pretty much every Joule of energy that goes down the wires ends up in the water. It's just that water has a phenomenal heat capacity so it takes a lot of energy to heat it up.

 

[twentythreedom]

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.

What about a 60W lightbulb? They get hot and must use loads of electricity

 

[Orang Utan]

It would use slightly more, because more heat escapes into the air.

Kettles are very efficient - in other words pretty much every Joule of energy that goes down the wires ends up in the water. It's just that water has a phenomenal heat capacity so it takes a lot of energy to heat it up.

what about gas?

 

[Crispy]

what about gas?

Not a simple answer. Depends on the shape of the kettle etc.
Electricity is quicker in most cases because a 3kW gas flame is bigger than most kettles (which means you piss away half the heat up the sides of the kettle. There are clever camping kettles which duct the flame up through the center of a ring-shaped vessel, which claim to extract more useful heat from the flame.)

 

[skyscraper101]

what about gas?

Probably cheaper cos gas is well cheap due to the miracle of fracking in America.

(((environment)))

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

@ thread.

 

[twentythreedom]

@ thread.

We point at your ridiculous non-kettle boiling, anti-tea, pathetic weakling electricity, and we laugh

 

[Miss Caphat]

Are you people dense or something? Why would people buy a whole appliance for something they'd never use? Most people just don't drink tea here or drink it infrequently enough so that boiling it in a stove top kettle or pan is sufficient. That question is like me asking why you don't have portable air conditioners in most uk homes.

 

[Miss Caphat]

That being said I do drink tea every day and I think electric kettles are great I loved using them in th uk. They do sell them here but I've never had my own

 

[Maurice Picarda]

There are a whole host of reasons for using kettles besides tea, for instance when cooking pasta it's much quicker to boil the water in a kettle before adding it to the pan. Unless, of course, you have weedy leccy.

 

[danny la rouge]

Are you people dense or something? Why would people buy a whole appliance for something they'd never use? Most people just don't drink tea here or drink it infrequently enough so that boiling it in a stove top kettle or pan is sufficient. That question is like me asking why you don't have portable air conditioners in most uk homes.

Ah, but would Americans drink more tea if they had better kettles?

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

We point at your ridiculous non-kettle boiling, anti-tea, pathetic weakling electricity, and we laugh

Isn't this the second thread of recent memory? You'all need to get a new act. Its getting stale.

 

[twentythreedom]

Isn't this the second thread of recent memory? You'all need to get a new act. Its getting stale.

110v lol

 

[spanglechick]

Are you people dense or something? Why would people buy a whole appliance for something they'd never use? Most people just don't drink tea here or drink it infrequently enough so that boiling it in a stove top kettle or pan is sufficient. That question is like me asking why you don't have portable air conditioners in most uk homes.

Not just for tea. I don't drink tea and I've always had a kettle.

Making coffee in a cafetiere. Or instant coffee. Getting a pan full of water for cooking when you're in a hurry. Lots of reasons.


But while you're here... Why do you think Americans haven't taken to drinking squash. Not like pumpkin squash. Squash as in dilutable cordials to make soft drinks. Orange, black current etc.

Nearest I could find was Tang powder, but that tastes foul.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Isn't this the second thread of recent memory? You'all need to get a new act. Its getting stale.

Not sure. Do you have an electric Pogofish or would that need too much power?

 

[Orang Utan]

Ah, but would Americans drink more tea if they had better kettles?

they threw it all in boston harbour and it's been unfashionable ever since.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Lipton's tea

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Excellent point about the squash. That's definitely odd.

 

[danny la rouge]

they threw it all in boston harbour and it's been unfashionable ever since.

Come with me to an alternative universe ... (Harp music, wavy visual effect).

The threw it in Boston harbour and it was unfashionable for years until decent household electricity supplies made electric kettles a possibility in the 1940s, and looking for a drink to make with their fashionable new appliances, Americans turned in their millions to tea. (Just as Microwaves brought new kitchen habits in the 1980s).

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Come with me to an alternative universe ... (Harp music, wavy visual effect).

The threw it in Boston harbour and it was unfashionable for years until decent household electricity supplies made electric kettles a possibility in the 1940s, and looking for a drink to make with their fashionable new appliances, Americans turned in their millions to tea. (Just as Microwaves brought new kitchen habits in the 1980s).

but...

Lipton's tea.

It's not their fault. They've been sabotaged by some fifth-columnist called Lipton.

 

[trashpony]

Lipton's tea

TBF if the only tea I could buy was Liptons I wouldn't drink tea either.

Where I used to work we had a boiling water tap. It was properly hot.

 

[dessiato]

But while you're here... Why do you think Americans haven't taken to drinking squash. Not like pumpkin squash. Squash as in dilutable cordials to make soft drinks. Orange, black current etc.

Nearest I could find was Tang powder, but that tastes foul.

Here I can't get either that awful powder, or cordials. I could when I lived in Portugal, so it's not as if it's a long way for the stuff to travel.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

"Why don't you just boil a jug of water in the microwave?"

what

 

[Vintage Paw]

When I stayed for a while in America, my host boiled her water for her coffee in the microwave

 

[Miss Caphat]

Not just for tea. I don't drink tea and I've always had a kettle.

Making coffee in a cafetiere. Or instant coffee. Getting a pan full of water for cooking when you're in a hurry. Lots of reasons.


But while you're here... Why do you think Americans haven't taken to drinking squash. Not like pumpkin squash. Squash as in dilutable cordials to make soft drinks. Orange, black current etc.

Nearest I could find was Tang powder, but that tastes foul.

Nobody drinks instant coffee. Pretty much every house has had a coffee machine since the 50's so no need for any other method. And the squash thing is probably to do with the lower cost of petrol here so we haven't been too concerned with making products you have to add water to in order to cut shipping and retail costs. There's a million premade juice products you can buy at the store. And for some reason we've preferred powders to make drinks from like Kool Aid or powdered lemonade. We also have frozen juice concentrates that used to be more popular when I was a kid but they do still sell them, usually real fruit juice and syrup you mix with water. Does that answer your question?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

@ thread.

It has been a rare few days of sunny weather, so its gone to everyones' head here, so ignore them. I think its Vitamin D poisoning.

 

[Miss Caphat]

Ah, but would Americans drink more tea if they had better kettles?

I doubt it! And I say that as a tea lover. I think the tea fanaticism in your country has to do with your history and your climate.

 

[Orang Utan]

Nobody drinks instant coffee. Pretty much every house has had a coffee machine since the 50's so no need for any other method. And the squash thing is probably to do with the lower cost of petrol here so we haven't been too concerned with making products you have to add water to in order to cut shipping and retail costs. There's a million premade juice products you can buy at the store. And for some reason we've preferred powders to make drinks from like Kool Aid or powdered lemonade. We also have frozen juice concentrates that used to be more popular when I was a kid but they do still sell them, usually real fruit juice and syrup you mix with water. Does that answer your question?

Can you get it? I hate that filter muck

 

[gosub]

Come with me to an alternative universe ... (Harp music, wavy visual effect).
SNIP (Just as Microwaves brought new kitchen habits in the 1980s).

What new kitchen habits? or is this still in an alternative universe?

 

[Vintage Paw]

Not just for tea. I don't drink tea and I've always had a kettle.

Making coffee in a cafetiere. Or instant coffee. Getting a pan full of water for cooking when you're in a hurry. Lots of reasons.


But while you're here... Why do you think Americans haven't taken to drinking squash. Not like pumpkin squash. Squash as in dilutable cordials to make soft drinks. Orange, black current etc.

Nearest I could find was Tang powder, but that tastes foul.

Now THIS is an important question. Squash is so cost efficient compared to the ready-made stuff you're more or less stuck with over there. You've got the cans of frozen stuff you can dilute, but it only makes a handful of glasses. My current bottle of squash makes 70 glasses.