Tea Kettles Article

Electric Cordless Tea Kettles

One of the oldest items among kitchenware, tea kettles are said to have first appeared in China when drinking tea as a beverage became popular there mainly by the royalty and courtiers. The earliest tea kettles were made of stone earthenware and later they were made of copper, cast iron and porcelain.

Trading with China by the Dutch East India Company brought tea and its accessories like tea kettles to Europe. The English quickly adopted the habit of tea drinking and it became fashionable to organize elaborate tea parties at home where the hosts would display their stylish chinaware and tea kettles while socializing with the guests.

The tea kettles have undergone a no. of changes down the years in their appearance, material used in making them, method of heating etc. From clay to cast iron to copper and steel, and later porcelain and ceramics, the tea kettles have seen them all. Ceramic and porcelain tea kettles are available with beautiful art work on their bodies. Modern tea kettles have built in electrical heaters instead of the traditional external heating through stove etc.

The cost of electric tea kettles is considerably less than traditional fire powered ones. They also conserve energy with their auto shut off feature which switches off power to the kettle as the water begins to boil. They usually have a cord attached to the power outlet for passing electricity through the coils. But it is sometimes cumbersome to have the cord as it limits the mobility of the tea kettle.

A cordless electric tea kettle has a base with electrical heaters that is detachable from the kettle body. It also has other features of a tea kettle with cord like auto shut off, a detachable whistle to indicate that the water has started boiling etc. When the kettle starts whistling, it is time to take out the tea kettle from the base and conveniently carry it to wherever required for making tea. Even in case of the kettle being left on the base after the water has started boiling, the electric power supply would be switched off automatically thus saving power.

It also has a protective body that can retain heat for a long time and can be kept on counter tops without any risk of damage to the surface due to heat. A safety thermostat that switches off power if by any chance there is no water in the kettle is also provided in many models. Since they are powered by high wattage heaters, the time taken to boil water is considerably less than traditional stoves or even microwave. An additional feature in some electric cordless tea kettles is an external gauge that indicates the level of water in the kettle.