The humble kettle. Surely there's nothing interesting to discover about the thing that boils water, and nothing else?
Wrong.
- Kettles are far from universal across the world. In the USA, stovetop kettles are far more common than electric kettle thanks to the voltage of the mains supply. In the UK, the reverse is true, and powerful 300 Watt kettles boil liters of water in a minute or so. In Asia and Israel, kettles are less popular than electric water boilers, which have started to be introduced in the West by Tefal's Quick Cup system.
- Kettles can also be used to produce an impromptu, if possibly unsafe, steamroom. If the thermostat isn't allowed to turn the kettle off (perhaps by holding down the power switch), an electric kettle will fill a reasonable-sized room with steam in minutes. (Don't try this at home).
- The word "Kettle" is derived from the Latin "catillus". Interestingly, that's also the name of one of the heroes of Roman legend, who drove off the Sicillians and founded the city of Tibur, presumably before a nice cup of tea. Originally "Catillus" just means "small bowl".
- The "fish kettle" harks back to the original Roman definition, and doesn't have very much to do with boiling water. It's a very long, thin pot with a tightly-sealed lid (about a meter long, often) and a perforated grill on which fish can be placed. Generally it's used for cooking anything up to a whole salmon, which can be steamed in the device - one of the few ways in a domestic kitchen to cook a very large fish.
- It's still possible to buy a "whistling kettle", a stovetop kettle with a built-in whistle. When the water starts to boil and the steam pressure builds up it emits a piercing whistle, signalling it's time for tea. English TV shows of the 60s - 80s will often show this device as a central part of English life.
Learn more tips about the Electric Kettle at Kamikaze Cookery.
