Do you have a long-term relationship with a non-plastic kettle?

October 8, 2007 5:38 PM

Anyone have a non-plastic, long-lasting kettle that they'd like to recommend?

I've been looking for a kettle to buy that 1) isn't made of plastic, 2) doesn't have any plastic parts in the reservoir where water is boiled, 3) is durable, and 4) is available in Canada. Bonus points if it's efficient on power, though at this point I'd consider a stovetop or an electric kettle with this (so far) hard-to-find combination of characteristics. I've been looking at enamel kettles and stainless steel kettles, but most of the ones I've found either have plastic parts on the inside, have the frequently moving parts made of plastic that seem easily breakable (like the hinge on the lid or spout), or have reviews that describe them as practically flaking apart on contact with an element...

Anyone have any good experience with a kettle with these non-plastic, durable qualities? Any avid tea drinkers out there who have a kettle that has stood the test of time? Thanks for your help!

posted by onoclea to shopping (16 comments total)

I have owned this Krups FLF3 electric, for oh, 2-3 years (guessing). I love it because it gets water boiling very quickly. It gets daily or near-daily use for coffee, tea, and any time I have to boil water (always start it out in the kettle).

Now, one gripe I have with it is that it has a flaky plastic mechanism (on the lid). The lid sucks. But all in all it's been a real workhorse.
posted by jclovebrew at 6:31 PM on October 8, 2007

I was concerned with the same issue and settled on this:Chef's Choice electric kettle. This model isn't entirely plastic-free, but seemed less of the evil of the models that were available in 2005. I wrote a review on amazon describing specific plastic parts that are involved, should be visible via above link. Bought 2, use both daily at home and office still.
posted by MD06 at 7:25 PM on October 8, 2007

I have this Breville kettle (the Canadian website doesn't work at the moment, but I bought mine in Montréal) and I like it. It has no plastic parts inside apart from a filter holder (the filter itself is metal, and it works without filter if that breaks, which it hasn't on mine and probably never will.)
The lid is made quite sturdy and has no lock that can break. And it has a nice "ding" sound when your water is ready.

The best part is that it lets the water boil for 1 minute before it turns off. Excellent for making tea.
posted by maremare at 7:32 PM on October 8, 2007

We have a three year older model of this Kitchen Aid Kettle. The new one has some improvements that our old one could use, so maybe we will replace it with this one! The only detractor to the one we have now (which is this one, just older) is that I whacked it pretty hard on something and flaked the enamel. I imagine if you got the stainless version, you would not have this issue. The flaking hasn't really progressed, FWIW, and it's a great kettle.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:37 PM on October 8, 2007

Superior model ek200-3. Cheap, simple, built like a tank, lasts forever. The handle and spout are plastic, but all stainless steel inside. I think you can get a white or black handle. I bought mine at Canadian Tire.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:46 PM on October 8, 2007

Are you avoiding the plastic for health reasons or for durability reasons?

If it's for durability, I also have the Krups kettle mentioned above and have had no problems with it, even with the weird plastic mechanism on the lid. Ours gets near daily use as well.

That Breville kettle is nice-looking though, too...
posted by stefnet at 7:47 PM on October 8, 2007

I've been using the Breville above for 20 bags a week for a couple years after having a Bodum for several years before that. It's good and it has a bell that can be heard across the apartment.
posted by rhizome at 8:25 PM on October 8, 2007

Since everyone here is mentioning electric kettles, I'll go the other way and mention Chantal Kettles. This is a pay now sort of purchase; you could have one of these forever. Not sure about the Canadian shipping, Their shopping cart doesn't like Opera (and I now claim laziness). Hope you can get one, I can't imagine you'd be disappointed.
posted by a_green_man at 9:03 PM on October 8, 2007

I have a Delonghi silver retro-style electric kettle that I got at least 6 years ago that still works well. It was around $150 (CDN) when I bought it but I think it's more like $100 now.

That one-minute boil thing on the Breville sounds like a great idea, though.
posted by pluma moos at 9:18 PM on October 8, 2007

I love my La Creuset Tea Kettle. It has "heat resistant phenolic knobs and handle" but is otherwise made of heavy-gauge steel coated with glossy enamel. Heats up in a snap.
posted by bunnie at 10:00 PM on October 8, 2007

I bought one of these stovetop kettles a few years back. It was not cheap, but I can easily imagine it lasting 50 or more years.
posted by hades at 11:08 PM on October 8, 2007

LE Creuset
posted by zackola at 7:30 AM on October 9, 2007

I'm seconding Chantal stovetop kettles. The one I have is quite well-built and is fully made of metal. It also has a really pleasing, harmonica-esque whistle!

My fiancee actually accidentally boiled one of these dry for a while -- I came home expecting a devastated teakettle, but after a bit of scrubbing and replacing one of the gaskets (easy; their customer service is quick), it still performs like a champ.

I'm not certain if it's available in Canada, I'd be surprised if it wasn't.
posted by poq at 7:49 AM on October 9, 2007

I have a Capresso glass kettle. The top cover is plastic, true, but the body is a pyrex-like glass and the element is metal. It's very attractive and has lasted a couple of years without visible wear. My parents have one also. It too has held up well, and they like it a lot.
posted by bonehead at 12:05 PM on October 9, 2007

Our Braun stainless steel electric kettle was amazingly quick to boil even when it was full to capacity of cold tap water. Only the bottom housing was plastic, and that was its downfall... we kept it on the stovetop because that was the only outlet available in the kitchen, and one day my husband turned on the burner beneath it.

I'm still sad.

Anyway, they have a new model out (available in Canada) that's somehow cordless. Braun lasts forever (if you don't melt it over high heat), so I'm pretty loyal.
posted by tempest in a teapot at 10:09 AM on October 10, 2007

This is really great, everyone... thanks! I'll check these brands out the next time I venture out on this kettle mission...

stefnet: It's mostly for health and environmental reasons. All the plastic kettles I've had seem indestructable, but I've started to worry about what's leaching from all the plastics in our lives. So boiling water in plastic is making me pause. I've also been trying to see how much plastic I can avoid by choice, with the state of (and strife over) the world's oil and all, and this is a challenge.

bunnie and zackola: I almost bought a whistling stovetop kettle by Le Creuset, having heard about how durable their products are. But then I read some reviews about how the enamel coating of these kettles flakes off (sometimes causing rust too) with less than a year of use. Maybe this was just a sign of a bad batch? Glad to hear that yours are working out for you okay.
posted by onoclea at 3:22 PM on October 10, 2007