Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Why would anyone buy a stove top kettle?

124 replies

Workreturner · 01/12/2018 07:26

Staying at a lovely holiday home. No kettle, just a stove top kettle.

At this time of day I’m usually becoming coffee / tea / coffee / tea and repeat.
But takes so bloomin’ long to boil!

Just wondering if there are any advantages to a stove top over a plug in kettle? Genuinely curious!

OP posts:
PlayingForKittens · 01/12/2018 13:44

Induction hob with a super fast boil function so takes less time with stove top. I'm very envious of the le creuset kettle. I lust after one.

user187656748 · 01/12/2018 13:49

Induction hob and so very quick to boil. Like the whistle and I also hate cables everywhere. My worktops are completely clear apart from a couple of plants.

Bunnymumma · 01/12/2018 13:52

Aga owner here too! Takes so much less time than an electric kettle!

Bunnymumma · 01/12/2018 13:54

@Trills Because you don't need your heating on when most other people do, can dry your clothes on it and you never have to pre-heat it! We love our Aga!

chemenger · 01/12/2018 14:00

I’m in the US and just bought a glass electric kettle which boils much faster than the stovetop one we had. Still slower than a U.K. electric one. Tea isn’t such a big thing here and neither is instant coffee so kettles are not such a part of every day life. I found the stove top one most frustrating when I wanted boiling water to cook with.

Maelstrop · 01/12/2018 15:22

Parents have an Aga, so stove top. I had the Italian coffee maker stove top version.

Not seen a plastic kettle for ages? Surely loads of people, including me, have one?

IWantToUseAnApostrophy · 01/12/2018 15:34

It takes less time for it to boil than my old kettle. I timed them

scaryteacher · 01/12/2018 15:46

Easy - in the event of a power cut one can boil it on the woodburner in winter, or the hob attached to the gas BBQ in summer.

TheRhythmlessCarolMan · 01/12/2018 16:54

What happens if you do stupid things like I do and forget you've put it on? Does is boil dry? Would it be damaged beyond repair?

NicoAndTheNiners · 01/12/2018 16:56

The saving on our electricity bill is noticeable. I'd say we save more than a £100 a year since getting a stove top kettle.

CherryPavlova · 01/12/2018 17:35

Aga owner so a constantly hot kettle. Just a short while to get it to boiling.

Her0utdoors · 01/12/2018 17:39

Small kitchen, induction hob (with the seemingly obligitory orange Le Creuset kettle). Dead quick to boil.

BringMeTea · 01/12/2018 17:50

My sis has one. It annoys me. Like harkening back to Little House on the Prairie. She loves it.

Housewife2010 · 01/12/2018 17:53

Kettles seem so old fashioned. After having a boiling water tap I'd never go back.

AmeliaMae · 01/12/2018 19:10

I love mine. It is just a plain stainless steel one from Sainsbury's been using it for a couple of years now. Love the whistle.

Original poster
Workreturner · 01/12/2018 19:14

Aga owner so a constantly hot kettle. Just a short while to get it to boiling.

But tea and coffee so much nicer when made with freshly boiled water

OP posts:
Rowgtfc72 · 01/12/2018 19:23

Love the whistle. Ours furred up and we just couldn't find another one anywhere. At the minute we are using a large camping one but would love another one without a foldable handle .

FrancesFryer · 01/12/2018 19:40

My dh would ignore the electric kettle and we would wait ages for a cup of tea. It's very difficult to ignore a whistle

CherryPavlova · 02/12/2018 00:10

Workreturner, I am a real tea snob. I like good tea. Lots of it. I don’t care about lattes and cappuccino. I give not a fig for cranberry and Seville orange infusion. I like a good, strong Assam or English Breakfast.
My water is freshly boiled each time I refill my rather generous mug. The fact it has been previously boiled really doesn’t impact too much.

SpaceCadet4000 · 02/12/2018 01:37

My parents have one for power cuts. DH and I have one for our camping stove.

My American in-laws think it's peculiar that we have a "water kettle" and are perplexed as to why we don't just get a Keurig. I think anything made with Keurig heated water tastes ghastly... ditto hot water taps. A quality boil means everything!

BlueEyedBengal · 02/12/2018 02:22

I got one as well as an electric kettle, I just love the whistle building up to a lovely cup of tea.

TheDowagerCuntess · 02/12/2018 02:37

DH is keen to get a stove-top kettle 'to save on bench space' even though we have a huge kitchen.

I think the fact that you have to come the minute it whistles would be massively annoying so am veto-ing it.

MickHucknallspinkpancakes · 02/12/2018 02:44

For the whistle surely? It's such a cheery sound! I don't have one sadly.

Doesn't have to be a plastic kettle - I have a glass electric one with blue lights - I never tire of my disco tea. 😂😂😂

Also for those complaining about furry kettles - get a cheap water filter jug and use this to fill it - it'll prolong the life of your kettle and make a superior brew. I use it for the steam generator iron and the coffee machine too so get loads of use from a single filter.

BlackBeltInPresentWrapping · 02/12/2018 03:23

We've always had a stove top whistling kettle. Tea making is important in our house and I agree it's got to be fresh water every time. The whistle is cheery, and I think now we all respond to it like Pavlov's Dog. It summons people, even from outdoors. The whistle is optional though, useful for those times of sleeping babies, headaches, hangovers or when you selfishly just want to make a sneaky cuppa to enjoy in peace by yourself. We do have a spare electric one, for when the gas is off, but it seems a bit soulless. A stove top lasts forever too, unlike electric, so less waste. I'd probably forget I'd boiled an electric one, it would go cold while I was busy and distracted, and I'd have to keep refilling and boiling it. The whistle means I have to get on and make the tea. Never a bad thing.

We use a teapot too, but that's probably a whole different thread.

Nakedavenger74 · 02/12/2018 03:27

Electric kettles look horrible and take up too much space on the counter. Love our stainless steel stove top kettle and the cheery whistle. Reminds me of hearing next doors kettle when I was growing up and my grandmothers.