Recommendations for an Electric Kettle?

[peter]

Anybody got a better idea?

Depending on why you want to know the water temp...

You'll want to consider what will happen to that water temp as soon as it leaves the kettle.  For my french press at room temperature, I want to use the water right off a boil, so that it'll stay in the right brewing temp as the press pot draws heat out of the water.  So for this application, no thermo-probe is needed.

Guess that didn't help much...

[headchange4u]

Anybody got a better idea?

Depending on why you want to know the water temp...

You'll want to consider what will happen to that water temp as soon as it leaves the kettle.  For my french press at room temperature, I want to use the water right off a boil, so that it'll stay in the right brewing temp as the press pot draws heat out of the water.  So for this application, no thermo-probe is needed.

Guess that didn't help much...

I'm mainly wanting it there to get reference points, experimenting, and just overall consistency (as far as water temp) with each brewing method.

[Tex]

I want to mount a thermometer into my electric kettle. I have some small diameter aluminum tubing, just slightly larger than the stem on thermometers. I figure I can drill a small hole near the top of the kettle just large enough for the tube and epoxy it in place. I could just slide the thermometer into the tube when I want to check the temp. Anybody got a better idea?

I picked up some 12" type T probes and I drilled a hole into the top of my kettle. I removed all the original electronics & replaced it with a PID built into a wood base I built to fit the bottom of the wireless kettle. I do have to remember to remove the probe before I walk off with the kettle, but it works a lot better than anything else I've tried & I keep it on all day @200°F - perfect temp for most teas & vac pot coffee.

The probes are standard Omega: TTSS-116G-12 for $19.00, They're also available as type K, which are used in some thermometers.

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

I want to mount a thermometer into my electric kettle. I have some small diameter aluminum tubing, just slightly larger than the stem on thermometers. I figure I can drill a small hole near the top of the kettle just large enough for the tube and epoxy it in place. I could just slide the thermometer into the tube when I want to check the temp. Anybody got a better idea?

I would just drill the hoe and slide in the thermometer... skip the tube and epoxy...  if you pick the right spot the thermometer will hang in the same spot (don't think it maters in water like in a bead of beans) and th heat loss from the hole will be very minimal..

[headchange4u]

I was thinking the tube would allow for consistent location when the thermometer was inserted. I guess that just inserting the probe would work fine, but without the tube it may move around some. As long as it stays off the bottom I guess movement would't matter that much.

[John F]

Anybody got a better idea?

Nope....you got a pretty good idea there. 

Maybe use 100% silicone instead of epoxy (it might be less "harsh" around water). Just drill the hole close enough to the tube size that you have to tap in in place.

[bunnysandefur]

So my question is: Is there currently no such thing as a kettle (electric or standard) on the market that has a built in thermometer? According to Aerobie's FAQ page, they say there's such a thing as an electric kettle with an adjustable temperature dial. I have yet to find one, online or otherwise. [edit: yes, I'm mildly retarded... excuse the un-PC term. i did see the previously posted units with the dial, but i meant more specifically a thermometer as opposed to pre-settings.] Surely I will still need a thermometer to gauge whether or not it's lying to me.

Hey, I'm a woman. I have trust issues.

[/sarcasm]

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

This one... was the one I was looking for... but this other one.... came up in my search... never seen it before..
and it is cheaper here

Isn't Google great?!?!

[mp]

In my humble opinion this is a better deal if you can do without the constant temperature funcion.

 

[headchange4u]

I saw this review of the Breville Variable Temperature Kettle. It's certainly sexy to look at, but $150 is a little bit more than I would be willing to shell out for an electric kettle. My Melitta has been shugging along without a hitch, boiling water 3-4 times a day, and it only set me back $25.

The tubing I had was too small for the thermometer stem to fit through, but I have been monitoring temps by just dangling a thermometer in the water. My cup has improved noticeably; more flavors and less bitterness.

In the past I would let the water boil, and would wait 30 - 40 seconds before pouring. I've found that even after 30-40 seconds the water is still close to boiling. I now open the lid, swirl the water a bit, and then let it sit for about 1 1/2 minutes, and then give the water another swirl before I pour over my Melitta cone. By this time the water temps had dropped just below the 200* mark. Right now I'm just using some instant read dial thermometers but I've been thinking about picking up a digital unit. They are pretty inexpensive at Walmart.

Tex,

You would happen to have some instruction on your PID'ed kettle just laying around, would you? That option sounds better all the time

[Tex]

Tex,

You would happen to have some instruction on your PID'ed kettle just laying around, would you? That option sounds better all the time

No, but the PID part was simple - just interrupt the power & tstat circuits. The tough part was where to stick it. I had a friend who's into woodworking make a base for my old kettle - looks like it's just sitting on top of a nice wooden box. For the thermocouple I had a few 12" Omega type T probes, so I rigged up one that sticks through the top of the kettle.

Piece of cake!

[hatethis]

Every Japanese house has one, that being said, I recommend a Zojirushi or Tiger.  Both of these come in various sizes (.5L to 5L) and most have temp settings like someone stated before.  They take almost no time to heat up and stay warm as long as you have it turned on.  Some (like mine) have a nice feature meant specifically for drip coffee.  I strongly recommend paying the extra cash for one of these.  We paid about $60 for our 3L Zojirushi with all the special options.

[Tex]

Every Japanese house has one, that being said, I recommend a Zojirushi or Tiger.  Both of these come in various sizes (.5L to 5L) and most have temp settings like someone stated before.  They take almost no time to heat up and stay warm as long as you have it turned on.  Some (like mine) have a nice feature meant specifically for drip coffee.  I strongly recommend paying the extra cash for one of these.  We paid about $60 for our 3L Zojirushi with all the special options.

These big kettles are inconvenient if you're a vac pot user. They're too heavy too lift comfortably and there's not enough room under the spigot for the top bowl of a vac pot. So you end up drawing water into a vessel for transfer to the coffee maker.

[headchange4u]

These big kettles are inconvenient if you're a vac pot user. They're too heavy too lift comfortably and there's not enough room under the spigot for the top bowl of a vac pot. So you end up drawing water into a vessel for transfer to the coffee maker.

Why are you adding water through the top? I just pout it in the bottom carafe, sit the unit on the stove, and then add the top funnel.

[peter]

These big kettles are inconvenient if you're a vac pot user. They're too heavy too lift comfortably and there's not enough room under the spigot for the top bowl of a vac pot. So you end up drawing water into a vessel for transfer to the coffee maker.

Why are you adding water through the top? I just pout it in the bottom carafe, sit the unit on the stove, and then add the top funnel.

My thoughts exactly.  Tex?


I've been tempted to get one of those Zojirushi heaters for a looong time.