Because FDA seems to work for industry and not the citizens of the United States I can’t trust that cordless variable temperature tea kettles for sale in the U.S. are actually safe. Is having BPA or other kinds of plastics in contact with boiling water o.k.? A functioning FDA would long ago have investigated and come to authoritative conclusions. So I’m stuck spending a ton of time and effort trying to find a kettle which seems as harmless to my family’s health as possible. When I first wrote this article in December of last year my choice of kettle was the Pino Digital Kettle Pro. Unfortunately all of four months later (but out of its 90 day warranty) it’s stopped working. I list below all the candidates, the final winner was nothing. I literally can’t find a variable temperature plastic free kettle that meets our needs.
I don’t trust the FDA to protect my family’s health. This is unfortunate because it means when I buy something I have to worry not just if it’s a good product but if it’s a safe one. One of the areas where this problem shows up a lot is with plastic and food. Beyond the well publicized issues with BPA which took the FDA forever to even notice I just don’t know what the potential health issues are of mixing plastic and hot water. So when it came time to replace our current kettle I had to not just find the functions I wanted but the safety as well. This means the purchasing process took longer and products that might have better met my needs were passed over because I couldn’t be confident of their safety. This is exactly how corruption causes so much poverty. Because the FDA appears to have been corrupted so completely (it’s called regulatory capture) I have to spend more time, more energy and avoid products in what is likely a futile effort to protect my family. This slows down economies, increases the cost of transactions and makes everyone poorer.
The irony is that for all I know the kind of BPA used in kettles or plastic in general might have no deleterious health effects. But since I can’t trust the FDA to look out for my family I have to err on the side of caution.
The following were the only kettles I could find that had no plastic in contact with the water, didn’t have issues (that I could find anyway) with silicon or other gaskets and were variable temperature.
Kalorik Cordless Electric Kettle Stainless Steel It’s made of stainless steel and has a 1.7 L capacity. The only plastic that comes near to the water appears to be the lid which only has contact via condensation. More than a few complaints on Amazon about its lid getting stuck. I couldn’t find a picture of its controls so I have no idea how they work.
Bonavita 1.0L Gooseneck Variable Temperature Electric Kettle This seems to meet my requirements that it only have steel (or glass) in touch with the water and nothing else. It also has o.k. reviews but consistent complaints about build quality. My big concern however is that it’s too small! Our previous 1.5 L kettle was a tight fit for a normal night’s tea, a 1 L just isn’t going to do it.
The following are variable temperature kettles I considered and my reasons for rejecting them:
Pino Digital Kettle Pro At 1.5 L it’s a decent size. The controls are a little fiddly but nothing awful. It appears that only stainless steel comes in contact with the water. There is a metal bit that lets you measure how much water is in the kettle but it fell off immediately and I never missed it. Unfortunately after only 4 months or so my kettle stopped working.
Bonavita 1.7 Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Kettle At 1.7 L it solves the size issue I had with its 1.0 L sibling. But the reviews on Amazon are pretty consistently awful.
Breville Variable Temperature 1.8 Liter Kettle A nice user interface and great water capacity with a stainless steel interior. Unfortunately according to this review on Amazon the Kettle has plastic in contact with the boiling water.
Melitta 1.7 L Cordless Kettle Good size and stainless steel interior but it still has plastic in direct contact with the water for it’s fill meter. Also the temperature settings are kind of vague, based on the type of tea rather than the actual temperature and doesn’t appear to show the current temperature.
Zojirushi Water Boiler and Warmers These are really cool. They let you set up a temperature and the kettle will keep it there all day at relatively little electrical cost due to good insulation. The interiors are stainless steel but they do use gaskets that while BPA free are made of silicone or plastic.
Chef’s Choice 688 SmartKettle I owned this kettle (or one of it’s sibling models, I’m not sure). It does have plastic parts that contact the water and since day one it had issues with it’s water sensor incorrectly thinking that there was not enough water in the kettle. The problem has only grown worse with time so I gave up and ended up buying the Pino which of course also died and much faster than the Chef’s Choice.
Cuisinart TEA-100 PerfecTemp Programmable Tea Steeper and Kettle It’s a bit small at 1.2 L and the tea steeper accessor isn’t terribly useful to me (what a pain to clean). But you can easily pull it out. It does have plastic on the top and on the lid but a glass carafe. In theory the water only touches the plastic as either condensation or on it’s way out as being poured. It’s not ’marinating’ in the plastic. However I am concerned about the bottom which is steel. Traditionally they are connected with a silicone or similar type gasket which has its own issues with chemical leakage.
Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp 1.7 Liter Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle It’s big and stainless steel but unfortunately plastic does come in contact with the water.
Breville One-Touch Tea Maker At $250 the cost knocked me cold. Also it’s core mission, which is completely automated tea making, is cute but really, I don’t need it. Cleaning the kettle is a lot more trouble than cleaning a cup. Also it apparently uses a silicone seal to match the glass with stainless steel and I have no idea what that is leaching.
Capresso 261.04 TeaC100 Temperature Controlled Water Kettle It uses a design that mates a glass carafe to a metal base using some kind of gasket whose chemical qualities I don’t know. Also on Amazon there were numerous complaints about it breaking quickly.
The following are kettles that came up when looking for plastic free kettles, they aren’t variable temperature though.
Jura-Capresso H20 Water Kettle At around 1.4 L it’s kind of small but it’s container is glass except for a silicon/rubber washer around the heating element which seems to be the cause of a number of complaints of a noxious smell.
Precise Heat 1.5 Liter Electric Water Kettle It seems to only have stainless steel in contact with the water.
Cusinart PerfecTemp Porcelain Enameled Tea Kettle Porcelain, which is great! But rather than letting you set the temperature it just has a thermometer. It’s also not clear to me exactly how the thermometer works and if it uses plastic to connect the thermometer to the water.
Hamilton Beach 40898 Cool-Touch 8-Cup Cordless Electric Kettle Stainless steel and large size with no plastic.
Try an old fashion electric percolator – just remove the coffee filter & tube. I gave up on a kettle after looking inside all the ones at local stores. I guess progress means plastic.
If I just wanted something to boil water in there plastic free choices. But I really enjoy green teas and so I want something that can heat the water just to the temperature I want, not boiling. As far as I can tell percolators just boil.
Here’s a lead for you. I have found some with no plastic inside but they were made in China an they either broke down quickly or people complained about bad smells coming from it. Here’s an Italian made one that I’m considering: The Alice Elegance by Ottoni Fabbrica which is available from the German Amazon store. Good luck!
It’s a beautiful kettle but insanely expensive! In my case however the key feature is temperature variability. I love my green tea!
I really found this kettle comparison article interesting. I’ve been in the market for a variable temperature completely safe (not plastic) kettle. I live in Canada and we have far fewer choices, so I appreciated the names and models you provided – but unfortunately I see why you decided not to go with those.
I was thinking of picking up this Cusinart model. It’s not electric, but there’s no plastic and there’s a temperature gauge.
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-PTK-330R-PerfecTemp-Porcelain-Teakettle/dp/B001D1D6IS
Mixed reviews on Amazon, but over all more positive than negative.
I actually had that kettle on my list at the bottom. I said “Porcelain, which is great! But rather than letting you set the temperature it just has a thermometer. It’s also not clear to me exactly how the thermometer works and if it uses plastic to connect the thermometer to the water. “
Thank you so much for this info.
I’m on the same quest! I’m a tea fanatic looking for a variable temperature electric kettle that holds at least 1.5 liters and where no plastic or silicone touches the boiling water (I could live with a plastic lid). Any new leads? I’m surprised that no one seems to make a kettle that meets these requirements…
Unfortunately no progress at all. :( I just can’t find anything that has a variable temperature kettle with no plastic in it. Although I did see http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-accessories/tea-tools/p/tea-thermometer-and-timer at Teavana. What caught my eye about it is that I could potentially use it with a glass kettle and it would beep when the water was at the temperature I wanted. I have no idea how well it works in practice though. The reviews aren’t good but the basic idea seems solid so maybe I can find one from another source that works better.
I’m in the same boat with a variable temp electric kettle — trying desperately to get a good, BPA and possibly plastic-free, interior. I’ll spend more at this point! I did have the Pino, which only lately is not working – but it worked for years!
It’s between the Bonavita and the Cuisinart but if someone can convince me (please) about the Zojiroshi I could be swayed for convenience sake. Any help re this bunch?
I explain in the article my issues with the Bonavita and the Cuisinart. Given the potential chemical issues if I had to choose I would choose the Bonavita but if the reviews are anything to go by I wouldn’t expect it to last very long. And I too am in love with the Zojiroshi but it still has plastic in touch with the water. :( Sigh… if I had any time left I would go start my own kettle company. But I’m too busy having fun with my day job (http://thali.codeplex.com).
My Pino just broke after three years and I thought surely there would be a better replacement by now, but sadly no. Seems like a great opportunity for a Kickstarter campaign…
Laugh all you want but I have given serious thought to a start up building plastic free variable temperature kettles. It’s just so far outside of both my knowledge and interest zones I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. Manufacturing is, from what I can tell, a really cut throat industry. You really have to know what you are doing and I don’t.
Thank you kindly for all your hard work and help.
Anyone had any luck finding a completely plastic free variable temperature kettle? If not has anyone contacted a manufacturer to suggest it?
I’ve never even heard of one. I have to admit that I haven’t tried to contact a manufacturer. Mostly because my previous attempts at talking to companies about issues like this never went anywhere.
No worries. I’ll email a few of the major manufacturers. There’s clearly a market for one and if they market it in the right way it doesn’t have to be niche.
If nothing else you can point them at the comments on this article. :)
Will do.
Here are two models marketed in Europe that seem to fit the criretia.
I owned this one and it worked fine for about two years, then it suddenly stopped.
http://www.amazon.de/Premium-Glas-Wasserkocher-mit-Temperaturwahl-Rosenstein/dp/B00861KJIS/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1434136031&sr=1-3&keywords=rosenstein+%26+s%C3%B6hne+glas+wasserkocher
It has several reviews of quality problems.
Might get this one instead: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00RGL66SQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_p79_d10_i1?pf_rd_m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1JFJ47TA2HV21ACDCK14&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=585296347&pf_rd_i=desktop
For both to the kettles I would have two questions.
Question #1 – What is the lid made of? If one really wants a fully plastic free experience than having boiling water rise up and hit a plastic lid isn’t ideal. Although I would agree that this is probably preferable to having the plastic fully immersed in the water.
Question #2 – Is the glass container fully sealed or does it work like the Capresso with glass on the sides and a metal bottom? If the later case then one has to wonder what was used to mate the glass to the underlying heating element.
For the moment I am using the Precise Heat 1.5 Liter Electric Water Kettle. It isn’t variable temperature (it only heats to boil) but I can’t find any plastic in it anywhere. One odd thing about it is that it doesn’t make any noise when it boils. It just has a very soft click. I find that mildly annoying but everyone else in the house is really happy about it. Especially the folks who wake up early and need to boil water without waking everyone else up. So far thought it seems to work well.
Here are two models marketed in Europe that seem to fit the criretia.
I owned this one and it worked fine for about two years, then it suddenly stopped.
http://www.amazon.de/Premium-Glas-Wasserkocher-mit-Temperaturwahl-Rosenstein/dp/B00861KJIS/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1434136031&sr=1-3&keywords=rosenstein+%26+s%C3%B6hne+glas+wasserkocher
It has several reviews of quality problems.
Might get this one instead: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00RGL66SQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_p79_d10_i1?pf_rd_m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1JFJ47TA2HV21ACDCK14&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=585296347&pf_rd_i=desktop
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Aus welchem Material besteht der Deckel?
A: Der Deckel besteht aus Kunststoff (Plastik).
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unfortunatelly, top is made from plastic and this article is about plastic free kettles
If you can order in germany, then I would go for this:
http://www.amazon.de/Ottoni-Fabbrica-Italienischer-Wasserkocher-Elegance/dp/B003GT8T6E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1403625712&sr=8-4&keywords=Edelstahl-Wasserkocher+ohne+Kunststoff
Unfortunatelly, they do not sell to UK :(
The Ottoni has actually been mentioned previously on this thread. But alas they don’t sell it in the US either. For the other two kettles you mention they both involve combining glass and metal. I have to admit I’m uncomfortable with that because it involves using some fairly serious chemical bonding agents to keep them together. Who knows what is in those bonding agents?
The Russell Hobbs is the best but not all are plastic free. I have had mine for 4 years! Use a long stainless steel meat thermometer or a milk frothing thermometer (for lattes) to gauge temperature. Customize if you want – drill hole on lid to hold thermometer for good! Slide out the plastic mesh/screen on some of the newer ones and you are good to go. Go to a decent kitchen supplies store and check them out or buy from online store with a good return policy. Smaller kettles with interesting colors are mostly sold on line from Korea but many of the 1.7 liters and larger are from US sellers. Took me long time to settle on this brand. Simple and has worked for me. Hope this helps. Sip on!!
Their kettles really aren’t plastic free and have plastic parts that can’t be removed that come in contact with the water. So they don’t work for my needs. Unfortunately my Precise Heat 1.5 Liter Electric Water Kettle was destroyed (quick quiz – Should you put an electric kettle on an electric stove? Alas we had a baby sitter who couldn’t answer that one correctly and we ended up with a house filled with smoking plastic) and it’s replacement (that I bought from a dodgy company) was a piece of garbage. It immediately started leaking water out the spout. I’ve seen a number of people complain about that. I just put in an order for a 3rd. Sigh… all this to avoid plastic.
You can buy a tea thermometer from UPTON TEA. The color coded dial display assists with correct temp range for your tea. Leave lid loose a little and insert metal stem while kettle is on. Plastic window over dial does not contact water.
My durable 15 year old Russell Hobbs workhorse kettle still shuts off anyway, when it boils, but I have to be the one to catch it in time and shut it off sooner for green tea temperature. No I do not catch this in time more than 50% of trials. Lid goes off to cool, or I add cooler water sufficient to make temp dial go down to desired level. I wish this great kettle was fully plastic free. Chef’s Choice is excellent American made brand. Let’s ask them to make kettle we need.
O.k. so this is nuts but my tea thermometer is a classic Thermapen. Total thermonuclear overkill but once a year I buy something just silly and a few years ago this was my choice. The thing works amazingly well and we use it for everything. Having a super fast and super accurate thermometer turns out to be really useful for things beyond tea.
We lost ANOTHER precise heat kettle. This one died on its own. They are really not good quality but they have no plastic of any kind touching the water. At this point we just use a stove kettle since it’s all metal.
Per your suggestion I did go over to Chef’s Choice website to write them a letter and they don’t even have a form or email address mechanism! You have to actually call them. What is this, 1980?
I am also on the search! I found what appears to be a great plastic free kettle, but still not variable. It’s made by Secura, you might give it a shot as a stand in. It gives me some hope as the design could easily be added onto for variable temperature but we shall see if anyone ever gets a clue!
Secura SWK-1701DB Stainless Steel Double Wall Electric Water Kettle, 1.8 quart, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011BE7V8W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PJLuybM122XFW
Unfortunately as explained in https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RMREX1OME5YCM/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B011BE7V8W this is not actually all metal. According to the previously linked comment there is a hole at the top that exposes the water to plastic. Now, to be fair, the exposure should be very minimal but I do think it’s misleading of Secura to advertise this as having “NO plastic in contact with hot water” (taken from their website at http://www.thesecura.com/product/cooltouch-electric-kettle/ on 12/15/2016) when it appears based on the pictures that this is not the case.
I have this kettle, Keith, and it was the absolute closest thing I could find to NO PLASTIC. I make alot of green tea, and so I stand there with my Thermapen instant read thermometer in the water and snap it off when I reach the desired temp. Not an exact science, but what’s a person to do when nobody on the planet makes what we’re all after?
I have the Secura but their stainless steel is not of good quality. Stain and rust built up. Ottoni Fabbrica is the only reliable one you can get with plastic free and 18/10 stainless steel!! Or you can try the Chantal Mia electric kettle $59 from bedbathandbeyond or amazon. This one is good but Made (hopefully responsibly) in China. Actually, brand names made in China are good quality, ask where Iphone and Google phone are made? China! In fact they have decades of training and technology by developed countries, much ahead of other Asian countries.
I think you will like this concept, but it’s still in development stage – > http://www.miito.com/home/
Wow! Really! Wow! The Miito would really meet our needs. It will be interesting to see what the Miito’s performance is compared to more dedicated solutions, if they can figure out some of the issues with measuring temperature and exactly how many types of containers it works in. But I signed up to be notified when it’s available.
I haven’t seen this one mentioned yet.
BrewGlobal Brewista SmartPour Variable Digital Kettle, Stainless Steel (BKV12S02)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CFHAIBQ/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk
Here is what “amazon questions” states:
Does plastic touch water?
Answer: It looks like there’s a rubber seal ring where the spout connects to the pot. Other than that, everything is all metal.
By L. Nichols on May 31, 2016
Wrote to the vendor who responded with the following: “There is a silicon ring in the bottom where the temperature probe goes through the base and no plastic touches the water anywhere in the kettle.”
I am leaning towards this or the 1.0/1.7 Bonavita. I have exhausted myself looking for plastic free so I might give up and settle for minimizing it.
Although another option might be to get a stove top one, MUCH easier to find 100% stainless steel, then buy a variable temperature electric countertop stove.
For me the question is, what is keeping that silicon ring in place? Silicon in and of itself should, I think, be inert (it’s literally sand). But usually there is some kind of glue used to keep the silicon seals from moving around and it is that glue that can be a problem. For now we just use a stove top kettle. It’s not nearly as convenient as an electric but at least there’s nothing but metal.
I just found the Chantal Mia electric kettle. No plastic. Lists at 59.99, but can probably get via Bed,Bath & Beyond ubiquitous 20%off coupon, and probably also free shipping.
Since I posted in September when I knew my 15 year old kettle was wearing out (it finally did), I too have had to decide what compromise to choose since I cannot have the European Alice Oterri, that I know of. The Mia is all metal, albeit only holds an advertised 32 oz, but at least is electric and has auto shut off. I would much rather have a high mounted, low profile spout above water line to resist corrosion from hard water, in addition to variable temp, and 1.7 liter capacity.
This has more of a pour-over coffee kettle spout, but I didn’t like the sound of the lack of durability in the other kettles without plastic, and at least I had used a fine porcelain over steel harmonica whistle from Chantal for many years in the past, which they still make for the stove, which was of excellent quality. Due to that, I guess I’ll give their electric kettle a try.
The Chantal Mia actually looks like a great fit except for its size. It’s really pretty small. Still, now that I know it exists I might buy one anyway. Using the kettle on the stove is a real pain.
Well, I have tried the Chantal Mia. It only has metal inside. Since it is a 1000 watt kettle, it is not that fast, but it was ok, and I was ok with the smaller 32 oz size. I found the handle distinctly uncomfortable, and definitely some will find it hurts hand and wrist. You have to twist wrist to pour. My stovetop Chantal’s handle was ok because it was mounted over the kettle, instead of from the side. Anyway, “I bought it, I got it”, so that was going to be it. Then I started noticing very small puddles on the plastic base. A couple times after that, water leaked out of the bottom of the kettle while I poured from it. It was very small amount, but is unacceptable at all. All this from about 7 days use. It has to go back.. There is a Sencor swivel base kettle I just discovered that may work out, even if it does have a faceted “crystal” knob on the lid. It comes in mainly bubble gum colors, but white is offered.
Sigh… why is it so hard to find quality construction? But thanks for the warning on the Chantal Mia. As for the Sencor, did you actually get one? And the colors… wow… I mean… wow… seriously…. it’s like someone doesn’t want you to buy it. As for the crystals, oy. BUT, having looked at http://www.sencor.us/electric-kettles/swk-40wh-nab1 it does look like it doesn’t have any plastic! And at 1.5 liters and 1500 watts it looks like it should be able to do the job well. But I’m having real problems finding any reviews of them. Hasn’t anyone bought and reviewed one of these yet?
I actually think I may have found this one very early in its USA retail game, hence, possible explanation of scarce reviews. I called the company about color, because Kohl’s offered it on sale in “red” or yellow. No others available, but I inquired further because the “red” kettle was pink in photo. Sencor rep confirmed it would only be pink, and that others places have generated similar questions. She confirmed that the white one didn’t seem to have any availablity, that there is no plastic inside, and volunteered that she does not know of anyone ever sending one back! Possible indicator of quality. Since this has 1500 watts and no plastic, and even a better capacity, not to mention a high mounted spout, it seems that it could function as a winner, at least in a white color, and maybe some way to get the silly knob changed out for a useful loop to pull off the lid. With a removable lid, I should be able to insert my tea thermometer, and turn off at temp I choose. I wouldn’t be able to do this with most hinged lids that operate via a spring from a button. The Sencor rep also explaned that it might be until mid-March or so for a shipment to come into the US. I plan to explore this later. Sgn
Do let us know what your experience is. But I suspect I’ll crack at some point and just buy one. It does seem to check all the boxes, assuming it is actually reliable.
Yowza, I’ve found my people! But no variable temp plastic-free electric kettles. Anybody here found anything over the last year or two? Or started manufacturing them yet? :)
Given the demand I’ve thought about manufacturing one myself but I know just enough about manufacturing to know I don’t know enough to pull it off. If you read the comments you’ll see that there has been some success in finding plastic free non-variable kettles but variable (my personal goal) has made no progress at all. :(
Xiaomi, also called Mijia Kettle is a great option, or at less for me, is all stainless steel inside and have temperature variable control with Xiaomi home app, that is now in english
Pros:
Is very fast, boil 1.5 L or water in less than a minute
The temperature variable control is very accurate
Options, cool down the boiled water Vs Warm up the water Up to the chosen temperature
Custom Button, you have many temperature options
Keep warm up to 12 hours and this is customizable
Price (for functionality), Actually 47 USD, with free shipping in gearbest.com
Cons:
Requires a connection of 220 V and Chinese plug (I had to pay for that)
Variable temperature control only available with app
only pairing with one device, not multiple at time
Actually I have two months with this tea Kettle, and And for me, then read dozens of articles, and try with several kettles (including one coffee kettle of coffee gator this the best option available in the market
I found the kettle at https://nis-store.com/appliances/xiaomi-mijia-smart-temperature-control-kettle-white/. But as Aristarco pointed out it is for 220v and uses a Chinese plug. So one would have to get a full power converter. Not just an adapter, but a converter. And not just any converter, one that can step up from 180v to 220v and support an 1800w load. The ones I found on line cost over $100! But that having been said this DOES look like it meets all the requirements! It is stainless steel and it handles variable temperature (even if via an app). So the Unicorn does exist! Now if we can just get one made for the US market.
Hi Everbody, well, you dont need a converter, only one 220V conecction in your kitchen, many homes in United States have one (Can be made by joining the normal connections of 110), not me and for that’s why i had to pay, but only $40 for all work, The electrician technician finished in less than 20 minutes, Yes, in the end I paid almost $ 90 for all kettle and electrical changes, in addition to losing a normal plug in my kitchen (it was replaced by the Chinese plug at 220V) but at least I have the two main things I was looking for in a kettle, Variable temperature and all stainless steel inside, Not a unicorn but a nice white horse
Hi, well, you dont need a converter, only one 220V conecction in your kitchen, many homes in United States have one (Can be made by joining the normal connections of 110), not me and for that’s why i had to pay, but only $40 for all work, The electrician technician finished in less than 20 minutes, Yes, in the end I paid almost $ 90 for all kettle and electrical changes, in addition to losing a normal plug in my kitchen (it was replaced by the Chinese plug at 220V) but at least I have the two main things I was looking for in a kettle, Variable temperature and all stainless steel inside, Not a unicorn but a nice white horse
Wow, you are committed! It makes sense but I have to admit that is a bit more work than I want to do. And I doubt I could get an electrician in Seattle for under $200/hour.
Hi, thank you for starting this thread and a search for a plastic free, variable temperature kettle. My quest for the same brought me here, and I’m thinking of getting this Chinese kettle. However, I can’t find the right converter. You stated that you had found one online and I’m wondering if you might post a link to it?
I just did some quick searches for converters that looked about right. But I can’t swear that they really were right which is why I didn’t include links. Didn’t want to direct someone to the wrong solution. :(
I have found a new option! It seems to meet our criteria, I have not received it yet but according to reviews and info it is all stainless steel inside the unity. So far great reviews on Amazon. It’s variable temp, gooseneck pour, keep warm function, and seems to be a quality design https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0755CCBLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MJv0zbG5NG08D I will post again when I learn more!
Check out this one!
Variable temp and gooseneck and all stainless! There is one spot about 1/16″ on the lid that has a plastic “tab” poking through a stainless steel screw used to secure the plastic lid upper. Otherwise all stainless. And affordable. Sigh. I think I will get one, but it is a bummer that they came sooooo close to the holy grail.
Electric Gooseneck Kettle with Preset Variable Heat Settings for Drip Coffee and Tea, Quick Boil, Stainless Steel with LCD Display, Auto Shut-off, Keep Warm Function & Strix Controller, 1.2L https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0755CCBLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_IwF3zbT436PEM
WOW! This is so pathetic. I was looking at the Ottoni Fabbrica Alice Elegance electric kettle, available in Europe. Amazon.com.de does not ship to the US at this time. I have read some information that the company would re-wire for 110V but I guess not any more. When my husband was alive he probably would have re-wired it for me and although I have electrical experience, I would still worry about the 2400W heating element that, when calculated, would need 22.amps and at 80% usage, I don’t have an appropriate circuit in the kitchen.
Why can’t we get proper plastic free appliances in this country? There is definitely something wrong here.
And here I am 5 years later in 2018 looking for the same thing…..
Has anyone found anything? This may fit the bill.
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwijt-j89-TgAhVLvsAKHYIHDbAYABABGgJpbQ&ae=1&sig=AOD64_3dNBZm22reypP6urTo_Pcn-cLPIQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwj_l9789-TgAhVOKawKHfcID38Qwg96BAgMEAc&adurl=https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-41004-Gooseneck-Electric/dp/B0743V5CMT/ref%3Dasc_df_B0743V5CMT/%3Ftag%3Dhyprod-20%26linkCode%3Ddf0%26hvadid%3D198079985682%26hvpos%3D1o1%26hvnetw%3Dg%26hvrand%3D1474978462455258210%26hvpone%3D%26hvptwo%3D%26hvqmt%3D%26hvdev%3Dm%26hvdvcmdl%3D%26hvlocint%3D%26hvlocphy%3D9027582%26hvtargid%3Dpla-350279509400%26psc%3D1
I love the feature set but I’m not a big fan of goose necks (too slow to pour) and it’s not clear if it really is 100% plastic free in terms of contact with the water. The product info doesn’t say and one of the reviews does say there is some plastic in contact with the water. The kettle I just bought a few weeks ago is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078BN5DY9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Near as I can tell there is ZERO plastic touching the water. It has ridiculous capacity. It boils super fast. So far I’m really happy with it. But it has only been a few weeks. So we shall see.
Haha. Thx. I’ve been on the hunt for a decent, plastic-free, variable temperature gooseneck kettle for pour over coffee…so the additional requirement of a gooseneck :/
I can’t thank you all enough for all of the information shared on this site. I thought that I was going crazy looking for a kettle of the specs we are all looking for. I will likely buy a Secura and hope for the best.
I’ve had our Secura for several weeks now and it has been working great. No plastic I can see. Super easy to fill. Boils water wicked fast.
I’ve been thoroughly entertained and educated reading the last 5 years of chat… thank you!! Quick question…The Secura Stainless Steel Double Wall Electric Water Kettle 1.8 Quart (Red) that you have ..
1. can you confirm the lid? it looks like a plastic lid
2. Is the heating element hidden or exposed to the water?
many thanks
The top of the lid is plastic. But the bottom of the lid, the part that seals the top of the water container, appears to be stainless steel. And it connects to a lip that also appears to be stainless steel. So near as I can tell no water ever touches plastic.
The heating element appears to be completely separated from the water. I believe it is directly below the stainless steel bottom of the water container.
Firstly thanks for writing this article and for all the responses. Glad to hear i’m not the only one! I’m here in the UK and my search brought me to this page in August 2019. It seemed as though a solution was found with the Secura model kettle, but whilst this kettle offers a seamless stainless steel interior with zero contact with plastic, it is not a variable temperature kettle. Has anyone managed to find a plastic-free variable temperature kettle or does the search for over 6 years go on?
The Secura so far has been really great. It “just works”, it works fast and there is no plastic touching the water. But it’s not variable temperature. Aicok has https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Temperature-Stainless-Cordless-SpeedBOil/dp/B07DHJL68X?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_5 which claims to have zero plastic in contact with the water and is variable temperature. It’s a bit small at 1.5 L but still reasonable. Willow and Everett has https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Gooseneck-Kettle-Temperature-Presets/dp/B06XPLM49J?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_7 which is really small at 1L. Fellow has https://www.amazon.com/Fellow-Electric-Pour-over-Temperature-Stopwatch/dp/B077JBQZPX?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_8 which manages to be both over the top expensive and minuscule in size (0.9L!). So there are some options if none are quite ideal.
Has anyone found a solution to this yet? I got a Vestaware kettle from Amazon, and while the bottom of the lid is stainless steel, there is still some plastic exposure from where the handle attaches to the kettle, and three tiny tabs from the lid. And I think maybe a ring at the bottom of the kettle on the inside. I cannot find an adjustable temperature kettle with no plastic.
I am also interested in any updates. Have you found anything dependable yet?
Thanks for this thread. I’m also looking for a temperature variable plastic-free kettle.
Does anyone have any thoughts on which is worse, the nickel leaching from stainless steel (18/10 steel from Ottoni Fabbrica does not stain/corrode but it also more likely to leach Nickel because of the higher concentration), or chemicals leaching from the silicon rubber glue that seals glass kettles to the metal base? I’m tempted to go with the Secura, as the fact that some of the complaints are that it rusts means that the nickel content is probably low and iron oxide can be cleaned with baking soda and as far as I can tell, is not as bad for your health as nickel. For sure an all borosilicate glass stovetop teapot is the safest way to heat water but the convenience of an electric kettle is so much better! Would be great to know the nickel content of these stainless steel kettles but this information is usually elusive – I know a good way to test is to use a fridge magnet on the steel, if it sticks, then the nickel content is low. Can anyone test the inside of the Secura kettle with a fridge magnet and tell me if it sticks? Thanks so much
I tried a fridge magnet on my Secura and it didn’t stick at all. So it’s probably type 304 but that’s a guess. However I thought what causes Nickel to leach is exposure to some kind of Acid? Tap water usually has a Ph of somewhere around 7.5 which actually makes it base not acid. But of course this will vary. But even “acidic” water isn’t usually more than 6.5 (which apparently, at that level of acidity, will cause potential damage to piping, this is about as acidic as tea). One would imagine you would need something a bit more acid than boiling water to cause nickel leaching. But this is far, far, far outside my area of knowledge.
I’ve never been clear on what the dangers are of glass kettles with metal bases. In theory Silicone is seriously inert and generally pretty good stuff. I haven’t found anything that says that food grade silicone used to connect the base to the glass has a health threat. The silicone itself should be fine but various fun things have to be added to it to make it into an adhesive and I don’t know what I don’t know about those.
Anyone tried Stag EKG kettle? Looks like all stainless inside, variable temp (Bluetooth option even), buuut it’s 0.9L so maybe small for some folks. At $150 for the non-Bluetooth option it’s certainly pricey but I’ve been following this thread for a long time and would be willing to pay for it if it passed the muster of the folks on this thread.
I actually saw this on Kickstarter. I think it meets the requirements. But its size and cost put it out of line for me personally. For $150 you get .9L. The Secura (which doesn’t have variable temperature, or a hold mode, or a timer or any of the other cool stuff the Stagg has) is $38 and literally twice the size. I was also shocked that the Stagg doesn’t appear to have any kind of audio signal when it’s done, which the Secura does have. So while I think the Stagg is an interesting step in the right direction I just don’t think the Return on Investment is there. But hey if I was a single guy or just a couple and had money to burn, maybe. I say maybe because I also read a review that claimed that the kettle is not double hulled so if you accidentally touch it you can burn yourself. That seems really crazy.
I own the Secura, but I’ll be honest I’m saving up for the Stagg. I’m glad that it meets the requirements, but of course I wish it was bigger. I’ll post about it when I get it and make sure to check out whether it appears to be double-hulled or not.
PS what is this audio signal on your Secura? On mine the little lever clicks up and the light goes off, but that’s all I get when the water boils.
I’d love to hear all about the Stagg if you buy it! It does look really cool. I am not above buying toys myself. My favorite is https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4 that I originally bought for measuring the temperature of my tea. Sometimes ya just gotta splurge! :) Although the Thermapen has been crazy useful for general cooking.
And by audio I just meant the click. I have an open plan kitchen so I can hear it really easily.
How about the Cosori Electric Gooseneck Kettle with 5 presets temperature? From the reviews, it seems the product is plastic-free and it is also more reasonably priced than the Stagg.
COSORI Electric Gooseneck Kettle with 5 Variable Presets, Pour Over Coffee Kettle & Tea Kettle, 100% Stainless Steel Inner Lid & Bottom, 1200 Watt Quick Heating, 0.8L, Matte Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T1CH2HH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_RQsKEbBCKP06G
I think that is a really attractive Kettle! But it’s way too small for my family’s needs. But for people with smaller needs it looks like it meets the ticket! It’s great to see so many options opening up.
Hi! Does anyone have any updates? I have read this thread for 2 years and haven’t found any myself. The Secura is the closest, I can’t spend $200 Cdn on a kettle… But this brand seems to have quality issues with the stainless and rust. It seems to be random – if anyone has feedback on it, that would be great too, thanks!
I’m so incredibly sorry that it took so long to approve your message. It was a complete screw up on my part. BTW I’m still using the Secura and it does have a small bit of discoloring (it’s brownish but it looks more like heat discoloration than rust) but otherwise works like a champ.
Still on the look out, too, 2020. There’s now no short supply of kettles that just boil, but for temp control kettles, it just looks like there is the requirement of this thermometer sealed with a gasket on the bottom. I haven’t found any temp control kettle without one. I’d like to try to make my own but I don’t know where to begin ♀️ maybe hook up an electric portable burner to a normal stovetop kettle, and wire it’s power switch into a raspberry pi connected to a metal kitchen thermometer. I would just be concerned because it wouldn’t have dry protection. Such a hazard it might not be worth it.
Not sure what happened to the comments section, I can’t see any of them now, but meant to report back here on what I found. Someone else mentioned the Secura kettle, and I’ve been using now for about 6 months, no problems at all.
Secura SWK-1701DB Stainless Steel Double Wall Electric Water Kettle, 1.8 quart
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B011BE7V8W/ref=pe_3034960_233709270_TE_item
One complaint from someone earlier is that they have rust spots, so I was wary of this, and I empty it of the leftover water after each use, and let the heat from the last boil, dry up the residual water – zero rust. There’s a few spots on the bottom from mineral deposits, and that’s normal for any kettle, even glass. Depending on the water in your area, you may have more or less deposits, there’s various ways to clean this if you’re particular about it, but it doesn’t make any difference to performance or taste.
This unit is boil only, no variable temperature, has a light on the button and is basic but it does the job well and is fully stainless steel. Very fast boil at 1500 watts, no hot spots, has a TWO year warranty, auto shut off, cordless. Other colours cost much more for some reason. For the price, which was about $30 Canadian, that’s well worth it. Comment on glass kettles, I think there is always the case where either the water touches something plastic, gasket or silicone where the heating element meets the glass. Good luck!
Any information about the Melitta precision pour over, or the Hario V60 Buono Power Kettle regarding being totally plastic free?
My secura electric kettle, the stainless steel inner lid suddenly fell off, can it be repaired? Does anyone know? Thanks,