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