Why Do You Need an Electric Kettle, Even If You Don’t Drink Tea?
Boiling water is a fundamental kitchen skill that anyone can master; all you need is a saucepan, some water and a stove. It is not necessarily a process to be hacked, but it is a process that can be faster.
If you’ve ever been visiting friends or family in the UK, you’ve probably noticed that almost everyone in this country has an electric kettle. I have always assumed that this was because they needed tea and they needed it in a hurry, but this appliance has several very useful uses besides tea.
If you sous-vid
In most cases, bringing a small water bath to 145 ℉ or so is a task that my submersible circulation pump is more than capable of, but larger projects like heating enough water to submerge an entire pork shoulder in a water bath at 185 degrees. – may take too long, it seems to me. If you add one or two kettles of boiling water to the bath, you can quickly raise it to the set temperature in a matter of minutes.
If you need pasta now
Bringing a large saucepan of pasta to a boil always takes longer than I think, and it annoys me a lot. If your stove is just taking too long to consume pasta, grab a kettle to speed up the process by adding boiling water to almost but not quite boiling water, effectively doubling the task. (Obviously, you can use a kettle to bring any large amount of water to a boil, even if not made for pasta.)
If you are a coffee snob
It can be called a kettle, but coffee people can have one too, as a treat. Most arrogant methods of making coffee – like a French press or pouring – require water that is just below the boil, and the kettle will reach it faster than the stove, which is important in the morning when every moment counts. (Plus, pouring from a kettle is much easier than pouring out of a saucepan.) Simply bring the water to a boil, let it calm for a moment or two, then prepare your fancy coffee drink as usual. (Bonus: Most teapots are small enough to fit on your desk at work, eliminating the need for stale coffee in the cafeteria.)
If you really like instant ramen
There are times (when you’re drunk) when you need to fix the ramen and you need it now. I have been known to heat water for ramen in the microwave, but not everyone has table space for one of them. A small electric kettle can clearly help here.
What is your favorite use of the electric kettle (other than tea)? At my local bar, one is used exclusively for hot powders, which is perhaps the most requested for such a device.