We do? I have one. Know lots of people that have them. They sell them at Walmart for like 20 bucks.
this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Why do people think we don’t use these? Almost everyone I know has one.
No you don't, the justice department found no evidence of kettle use
Case closed! Wrap it up everyone. Pay no attention to the single missing page in the Walmart catalogue submitted as evidence.
I have a kettle sitting on my counter right now for use, along with my coffee maker and the MLK files.
We...do.
Some do, but because of the prevalence of automatic coffee machines and microwaves there isn't as much of a need outside specialty coffee drinkers.
The argument about speed and convenience doesn't work in the US because of the outlet voltage as well. The 110-120v outlets don't provide the same level of power to kettles so they can't heat up as quickly. If you have a microwave it's just as fast or faster.
He addresses this some. 120v is still a lot faster than boiling water on the stove. Coffee makers are significant, but boiling water in a microwave is generally a bad idea, given the risk of superheating (not that people don't do it.)
I have never once (unintentionally) superheated water in a microwave, and I've been using them since about 1980 (and God knows we were idiots with them back then).
It just doesn't happen - there are too many imperfections in our containers, and too many minerals for it to happen much.
I've experimented many times, and the reality is you have to work at superheating water in a microwave.
For me, it's taken things like a brand new Pyrex measuring cup (glass), and filtered water. I can do it with other stuff, but I've had to boil/cool it multiple times, something that isn't really going to happen.
He goes into it in another video on the channel. Almost everyone I know uses a microwave for water.
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Uh we do.
Yeah even with our slow, low wall-voltage, having a dedicated boiler is fucking nice. Takes up some counter space, but it's worth it.
Cocoa, tea, coffee, whatever - it's nice. And the vibe is nice.
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I...what? I do, most of my friends do. They're amazing.
120V vs 240V.
One has much more power available to achieve the same in a different time.
For example: I can easily boil 0.5L to 100°C of water in about 2-3min.
And the kettle is rated for 2kW.
That's very true. With that said, I still find 110v kettles to be pretty fast for my needs. Especially if just making a single cup.
Voltage is only half of the equation. It’s wattage that determines how fast a kettle can boil water, but the UK does generally have higher wattage kettles than the USA. Most are 1800 here in the us, while they can be up to 3000 in the UK.
That's exactly the point. Home connections are limited to a specific amperage (15 or 16) pretty much all across the world - certainly not beyond that anywhere. Voltage remains the only difference: 120 vs 240. With 120V at 15A you can only go up to 1800W which does take a long time to boil water.
Yes, you could have multiple phases to get to 240V in 120V countries to boil water faster but these would be special outlets and not meant for a kettle that you could buy from a Walmart.
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I think the better question is; why is there a weird stereotype in Europe that Americans don’t use these? We have one and just about everyone I know who regularly drinks tea does as well. It might not have been as prevalent a decade ago, but these are extremely common now.
Does nobody just microwave water?
I have a small cast iron kettle that I usually microwave.
it makes spicy water.
Jokes aside, you can microwave small smooth metal vessels. Like mixing bowls and such.
Do so at your own risk, if it doesn't specify that it's microwave safe.
But you can buy ones that specifically say they are microwave safe. It just means they're extra smooth, nowhere for charges to accumulate or concentrate. Might have something to do with it's size too, not being resonant at 2.4ghz, but don't quote me on that part.
Useful if you don't want to take leftovers out of the plastic container first, and if you've had glass explode on you before.
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120v vs 220v
Also tea, as in tea time. Americans don't have this custom, so it's not a big driver.
That’s a contributing factor on the comparative desirability of an electric kettle here vs there, but I think the more significant part boils down to familiarity and need. Most Americans just don’t drink tea/cocoa/instant-coffee regularly enough want a separate appliance for it. And if the boiling is for cooking, most folk would just boil the water in the pot they will be cooking in, and probably with the lid off because we are lazy like that; time and energy efficiency be damned.
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I use them all the time! Unfortunately though our power system uses 120v and not 240v so our kettles aren't as effective here. Still, MUCH more effective than boiling on the gas or electric stovetop/range.
Ironically it was after I spent time in Europe for work in the early 2000s that I picked up on this and bought one for my house. Now with my family of four, we use them regularly.
Edit - also Technology Connections (my favorite nerd out YouTube channel) did a video on this.
And I'm an absolute bonehead for missing that this is the same video as OP posted. Please forgive me for being excited as an American that uses kettles!
Uhm your link points to the same video by Alec as the OPs link. Just saying :)
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I'm American and I use one. It's great.
Got into French press coffee a few years ago and bought one.
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Three reasons I can think of.
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Americans don't drink much tea. And soo...
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Not many stores carry electric kettles.
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Microwave tea.
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Too much clutter on my counters already. I can just leave the kettle on the oven.
The niche coffee scene in the US uses them, they are excellent for pour overs, French press, etc. But they are not widely popular since dedicated coffee machines are most commonly used.
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I use an induction kettle on the induction stove top in Australia (240v).
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I have an induction Cook top just seems to be a waste.
I switched to induction and could not be happier. Love that thing. So much power, instant temp control like gas, low fire risk. I recommend induction to everyone.
I do. And my kettle boils water faster than the electric stove.
So when I boil larger quantities of water I prefer to boil ~2/3 in the kettle and 1/3 on the stove with a lid on for max speed; my time rarely feels more wasted than when I'm waiting for water to boil.
I also use the kettle for hot drinks, of course. I've kept one since I lived in the UK.
I have one, but it only gets used a few of times a month. Usually by my wife when she just wants to make a small amount of coffee in the French press, or to boil water for instant foods. If you don't really drink tea, they aren't that useful for the amount of counter space they take up, and I can see why they aren't as common here as they are in the UK.
The thing we use hot water for the most is coffee, which has its own device. For the few times we would need it for something else we either use the stove top kettle we inherited from grandma or the microwave.
Having said that, it's not like electric kettles don't exist here. They seem to be becoming more popular.
Australian looking bewildered with their kettle and microwave I like making a cup of tea while I reheat my lunch.
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