Tuesday, August 21, 2012

it whistles



Our kettle broke down over a month ago now. Like the one before that, and the one before that, and the one before that, it just stopped working. It's one of those appliances I've never had much luck with. You could add toasters and washing machines to that list too. Please don't start me on washing machines.

So I went online and began researching different kettles. I read pages of reviews. Most seemed to point to the same conclusion. That you could buy a cheap plastic kettle, or a more attractive, rather expensive one, but basically they both had the same reliability.

In my searches I stumbled across Simplex kettles, still manufactured in the UK. Of course I had to investigate further. It turned out to be the one kettle I found with constantly glowing reviews.






Of course the very big difference is that she sits on the stovetop and is not electric. And she whistles. Just like the ones you might remember when you were a kid. Maybe you still have one. But it is quite a new thing around here, and is still quite a novelty. She does take a little longer to boil, but I don't mind that. I like to think it's another way of slowing down in this faster paced world.

I ordered the chrome, as opposed to the higher maintenance copper. A quick wipe down and she is shiny as new.

She did cost a pretty penny, but I have a feeling she will outlast her disposable counterparts. Likely several times over.






I've started drinking tea again.

By the way, this is not a sponsored post, I just really like my kettle. Do you remember the old whistling kettles? Do you have one? Do you have luck with kettles?


38 comments:

  1. As far as kettles go this one looks amazing.
    It will more than pay for itself in making having cups of tea all that more enjoyable.
    x

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  2. It's the electrical parts that stop working in electric kettles. Your new one is gorgeous and should last forever! I'll stick with my electric one though because I like that it turns itself off.

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  3. I have been lucky (touch wood lol) with kettles. Since leaving home 21 years ago I have only had 3 electric kettles. I do have a spare tucked away in the cupboard at the moment because I have a feeling our current one may be on its way out,,,then again I have been saying that for almost a year lol (this one is now 8 years old). I had a whistling kettle that we took camping with us which I loved but it seems to have disappeared. Your new kettle is beautiful, I love it and I feel the urge now to go back to the old fashioned style kettle,,,,,I may just put it on my Christmas wish list! The thing that I seem to have no luck with is toasted sandwich makers, I have vowed to go back to one of those old fashioned ones that you put over the fire to cook lol

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  4. I have a whistler :)

    She sits on my stovetop (gas). I boil her in the morning and fill the thermos for the day. During winter she can be found on top of the slow combustion to keep the water hot. I gave up on elctric kettles a long time ago, although I do have one just in case...

    Having gas means I also have one of those wire toastie thingy's. Toast tastes so much better when done this way :)

    I do like your pretty girl, she is much fancier than mine :)

    xTania

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  5. We have a whistle blower too. I love her. I usually forget there is any other option and enjoy my cuppa so much more knowing the water hasn't been boiled in yucky plastic. Our girl is bright red. Enjoy, you won't look back!

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  6. Ohh kettle envy here. Love it Tania. We have a whistling kettle, takes a bit longer for it to boil, but I love hearing it whistle. Our neighbour also has a whistling kettle, so I always know when he is making a cuppa:) Nx

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  7. We have a whistler over here too.

    It started with a cheap one that became rusty...when we moved I was happy to leave her behind and then schemed a plan involving a housewarming present to myself...one that would bring some brightness to our home as well as last the distance!

    The plan involved taking advantage of the fact that my sister was heading to the states, and she knows where to shop! Deciding on the colour was hard but I am happy with what we have - a caribean blue Le Creuset whistling kettle, in a smaller size as I'm always boiling too much water! I love it.

    I am still hoping to find a 1-2 cup mini kettle one day...if anyone knows of such goodness do tell!

    ~ melania

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  8. We, too, have a whistler! I've had a few water boilers, but only for those places at which I don't have access to a stove. I know boiled water is boiled water, but I think it stays hotter when boiled on the stove -- I'm probably just biased, though.

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  9. Ooh, it's lovely! I do love a 'proper' kettle. I recently realised that our everyday kettle, which I bought with money I received for my 21st birthday (a fancy Alessi one with bird whistle that was my heart's desire back then) is now twenty years old! And still going strong. My parents recently bought an electric kettle after being stovetop whistlers all their lives and I really can't get used to it. Enjoy your new beauty :)

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  10. I've been thinking of getting a new kettle because our electric ones keep breaking. So I've been using an old stove top one from the camping gear but still thinking to get a new electric one because the stove top is slower and uses gas whereas we generate electricity. But you know, after reading your post I realised that the stove top doesn't have any breakable parts it just keeps on going, so I'm going to stick with it. So thanks for your post.

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  11. OH!!! I had one of those lovely kettles - it was AMAZING... thats right HAD and WAS... my son cooked it down and nearly set the house on fire by letting it boil dry. I WAS SO UPSET!

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  12. She is a thing of beauty! We have a stainless stove top whistler.....and it does take longer to boil but I have discovered that I can get a few things done while I'm waiting for it to boil...we changed over due to electricity consumption but we cook with gas....I love the ritual of tea drinking...only tea leaves here except for some herbal tea bags...have not really got in chai though?

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  13. I seem to have a lot of bad luck with electric kettles too! So I bought a whistling kettle this winter, and love her! It does take a little longer to boil, but I have found the water really boils, and of course, this make for an excellent pot of tea :D

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  14. I swapped from an electric (plastic inners) kettle to a stainless steel stovetop 'whistling' Essteele 1.9L kettle at Christmas, and it has been fantastic. Obviously it doesn't turn itself once boiled like an electric one, but we can put it on the BBQ, on a fire, anything, if we really need a cup of tea and had no electricity!

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  15. We always used a kettle like that when we had gas stoves but it is not practical for the power draw of my solid plates that I have now so I recently bought a new kettle too....
    I HATE it! I thought I had researched it well and made some sound decisions but boy is it noisy! It is deafening and even covers the noise of the TV in the lounge room. I am reluctant to make a cup of coffee is Craig is having a sleep in for fear of waking him. I sent feedback to the company but never got a reply....
    so...
    I do NOT recommend a Cuisinart Cordless Stainless Steel Kettle.

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  16. We have been through about 5 kettles in the last few years...the whisper quiet ones...I kept taking them back, once I took the same brand back three times as it WAS NOT WHISPER QUIET...they have all been loud, loud, loud...loud enough to drown the tv out and wake my kids up in the night.....sigh....I bought a cheap plastic one, then another one after that..our garage is full of kettles...I am thinking that this idea of the old style kettle on the stove top will be for me.....and you are right, a hurried boiled kettle cup of tea is not enjoyed standing in front of the sink drinking it...you need to stop, boil, make, and sit......x

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  17. Oh by golly, she's a beauty :) LOVE her! She reminds me of a prim and proper lady with her big pouffy crinoline skirt :)

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  18. Love love the look of it or her as you say. Might look into getting one of these if, or should I say, when my cheap plastic kettle dies...
    ps. how's your washing machine? just kidding!!

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  19. She is a beauty Tania. I've never owned a whistling kettle but I do remember the sound of it at my Grandmother's. Touch wood I'm not too bad with kettles, the clip in ours is broken but still works, toasters I haven't had as much luck with though:)

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  20. Your new kettle is a beauty. My husband did our last kettle shop..about 2 years ago and got us a clear glass one. I like it as I can see when it starts to simmer and then boil..downside, you can also see the limescale start to form in it too...and have to wash it more often to look clean.

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  21. Oh I love a whistling kettle! ANd the fact that they're slower makes the ritual of making a cup of tea and sitting down to it all the more pleasurable. She is a looker that gorgeous kettle of yours. Love that old fashioned spout. Wishing you a lovely day :) x

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  22. I love the whistle. She is so pretty.

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  23. I have an old ceramic electric jug from the 70's with the replaceable element. I bought it off ebay for $14 and I have 3 spare elements so it should outlast me. And it is automatic so it switches itself off after it boils.
    I do love your shiney kettle :)
    Cheers, Michelle

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  24. we have one that we were given as a wedding gift THRITEEN yearas ago!! haha!
    (it'll probably break down tomorrow now that i've admitted that! ha)

    x

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  25. I''m in the market for a new kettle. My plastic one hasn't broken but the bottom of it gets into the water, little bit of grey metal looking stuff. It doesn't turn itself off either. I've never seen a whistling stove top kettle, but I love the idea of it!

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  26. My mum bought one the other year and complained that it was just too loud, although she did like it. She ended up going back to electric. She also bought a twin tub, let me tell you it is hard work and takes time. She bought a proper one but will still use the twin tub. She makes me laugh, the laundry has 2 washing machines now.

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  27. Oh Tanya, whenever I stop by I come away feeling inspired - that or nodding my head in agreement to what you have written or finding myself hoping I will be a Mum like you when I take the plunge and have children! :-)

    I'm in agreement yet again on this - have been very keen on getting a whistling kettle for quite a while - they are so much more durable than your standard electric number and also, I love the nostalgia!! :-)

    Jem xXx

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  28. I don't have a kettle but I am now utterly convinced that I NEED ONE. I drink a lot of tea during the cold months but usually just microwave my mug of water.

    Great choice! It's one lovely kettle!

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  29. I have a stove top kettle and she was something I purchased when I got married. The husband has attempted to oust her on a number of occasions with a plastic instant kettle but she has outlasted the lot! Her name (because everything in our house has a name) is Henny :) She stopped whistling a while back but evidently a bit of olive oil will fix that, just haven't gotten around to it. I'm glad to see the kettle revolution is happening as they teach us to be mindful and ceremonial about our tea again.

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  30. Tania, I have both and although I prefer my whistle kettle, we use the electric one because Hanno prefers it. I bring both out when I have a big crowd here and how I love to hear her sing. I think your girl will last a life time. What a great choice!

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  31. Gorgeous kettle, Tania. Yes, I remember the whistling kettle days. I want to get one for my fire in the winter. Is that one soild enough to pop on the top of a fire box? Would love to get me one:) Happy tea drinking xxx

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  32. If anybody's in the market for one, we got ours at Ikea for some small amount of money. It couldn't hold a candle to Tania's glorious model, but it's fantastic. We get heaps of power cuts around here, so being able to boil water (gas cook top or on top of our wood burner or BBQ) is fantastic. And I reckon it's quieter than the electric jug that we've still got hiding in the cupboard. Apparently it's the cordless jugs that are the noisiest. Something to do with there not being an element actually in contact with the water?

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  33. That is so gorgeous! I wish I liked tea.....

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  34. I now have kettle envy...never experienced that before. ;-)
    Good on you!
    Jenny

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  35. That is a gorgeous kettle! We don't currently have a whistling kettle, but I do love them so! I'm glad to hear you're drinking tea again...it is necessary to life ;-)

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  36. Only just started drinking tea this year, i have an Alessi kettle shaped like Mickey Mouse, bought it before we even got married in the mid 90s, i just loved it, love Posie

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  37. What a lovely kettle! I am a bit late stumblin' onto your bloggie. I am an electric kettle gal. I've had two that get excessive use all year round. The first a super cheap electric plastic kettle. I took the expensive ones and this one home and pitted them against one another.. I learned expensive... not necessarily better. That one is now in the camping gear. I "upgraded" to a fabulous red metal electric. This one cheepie purchase from Craigslist. Sure does look nice on the counter. Not as shiny as your gal tho :) Enjoy many happy cups of tea!

    Karen

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  38. Like those old fashioned kettle. I own one like this. :)

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