Presto Electric Tea Kettle: Pros and Cons

We got the kettle as a gift, so I do not know how much it cost. I would estimate that it probably costs about $10.

It is quite handy for quickly boiling water to make tea or hot chocolate. My mom even uses it to heat water for oatmeal.

The kettle is very simple to use. It boils water in 2-4 minutes depending on how much water you put in. All I do is fill it with water from the tap and plug it in. There is no on/off switch. When it's plugged in, it's on.

When the water starts boiling, the kettle will start whistling. The whistling is a good alarm to let you know the water is boiling.

On the other hand, if you don't hear the whistling, the kettle will not shut off on it's own. It would be nice if it would kick off when it was done like a coffee maker or rice cooker does. To turn it off, you have to unplug it from the outlet.

The whistling is pretty loud though, so I haven't had problems not hearing it, but I can envision leaving the room and forgetting about it and having the whistling being drowned out by the TV.

What I like about it is that it's really quick and easy to use. Also, there is never any cleanup, because I am not brewing the tea or coffee in the kettle. It's brewed in the mug.

The only thing I don't like about it is that I worry about someday forgetting that I am boiling water, not hearing the whistle, and having it possibly cause a fire, because it doesn't automatically shut off.

If you don't think you'd have a problem with the above mentioned safety issue, I can't imagine a quicker and easier way to boil water with no cleanup to worry about.

Using the microwave might actually be good alternative. The kettle is faster though.

Thanks,
fr4ed