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Tea kettle question

trekker
17 years ago

Why do tea kettle instructions tell you to NEVER use it on high heat? I just bought a new Copco brushed stainelss steel tea kettle to use on my Kenmore Induction cooktop. It works great, unlike the Chantal enameled teapot that not only whistled with irregularity but the enamel began chipping off both inside and outside.

This is not the first time I've bought a tea kettle with those instructions (which I have usually ignored). But what I want to know is WHY not use high heat.

Comments (3)

  • kitchendetective
    17 years ago

    I assume the directions about temperature have to do with the properties of the particular metal, enamel, or other material from which the kettle is made, just like other cookware. The packaging should include instructions. Chantal seems like fairly fragile cookware; I have one piece I rarely use. I am not familiar with Copco. How do you like your induction cooktop? I'm curious about those.

  • trekker
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I've used a lot of different kinds of cookware and, except for tea kettles, none of them require that I use less than high heat.

    As for the induction cooktop, have a look at the appliance forum. I was thinking about changing to gas when I remodeled my kitchen. I even considered waiting till demolition to see if there might be a gas line where I needed it. But then I became interested in induction and figured that it would give me the control I like with gas (does it ever!) along with the advantages of being a more efficient use of power and heat. Some people import models from Europe (you will find information about contacts on the appliance forum) but I decided to stick with a domestic model, of which I think there are two, the other being Viking (I think -- it's a professisonal unit). I had to get new cookware: Cook's Essentials 500 from QVC as I recall. A 13-piece set was less than $200 with shipping and it's very nice quality. Only thing I need is a 4-quart pot. There is some buzzing but I don't find it annoying, nor have I tried to figure out under what conditions that happens. I sure love the speed and control.

    I had originally wanted a slide-in stove, so when I decided to change to induction I wanted to put a wall oven below the unduction unit. Sears told me I couldn't do that, but I knew from reading the appliance forum that others had done it with other brands. So I read all the specs (for some reason Sears puts the spec sheets at a different address instead of with the products), measured and decided they didn't know what they were talking about. When we opened the induction cooktop box and the oven box, at the top was a sheet showing what models can go above and below which models.

  • movingwest
    17 years ago

    the stainless steel chantal stands up to anything. enamel is more fragile than solid metal with no coating.

    but i have a whopper of a wolf rangetop and only use HIGH to cook pasta.

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