imported>10mmsocket: Reverted edit by JStudman (talk) to last version by Materialscientist

2025-11-19T02:57:55Z

Reverted edit by JStudman (talk) to last version by Materialscientist

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{{short description|Vessel used to boil water}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Bernadotte Wasserkessel.jpg|thumb|A traditional [[stainless steel]] kettle with a handle]]
[[File:Electric-kettle.jpg|thumb|right|An electric kettle]]
A '''kettle''', sometimes called a '''tea kettle''' or '''teakettle''', is a device specialized for [[boiling]] water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle''. There are two main types: the ''stovetop kettle'', which uses heat from a [[cooktop|hob]], and the ''electric kettle'', which is a [[small appliance|small]] [[kitchen appliance]] with an internal [[heating element]].

== Etymology ==
The word ''kettle'' originates from Old Norse ''ketill'', "[[cauldron]]". The Old English spelling was ''cetel'' with initial ''che-'' [tʃ] like 'cherry', Middle English (and dialectal) was ''chetel'', both come (together with German ''Kessel'' "cauldron") ultimately from Germanic ''*katilaz'', that was borrowed from Latin ''catillus'', diminutive form of ''catinus'' "deep vessel for serving or cooking food",<ref>T. F. Hoad, ''English Etymology'', Oxford University Press, 1993 ({{ISBN|0-19-283098-8}}). p. 252.</ref> which in various contexts is translated as "bowl", "deep dish", or "funnel".

== Stovetop kettles ==
[[File:Kettle.JPG|thumb|A [[stovetop]] kettle on a [[gas burner]]; this type, without a lid, is filled through the spout.]]
A modern stovetop kettle is a metal vessel with a flat bottom used to heat water on a [[stovetop|stovetop or hob]]. They usually have a handle on top, a spout, and a lid. Some also have a steam [[whistle]] that indicates when the water has reached its boiling point.

Kettles are typically made with [[stainless steel]] but can also be made from copper or other metals.

== Electric kettles ==
{{see also|Electric water boiler|Instant hot water dispenser}}
[[File:Electric kettle - Электрический чайник.JPG|upright|thumb|left|An electric kettle, with boiling water visible in its transparent water chamber]]
In countries with 200{{ndash}}240{{nbsp}}V [[mains electricity]], electric kettles are commonly used to boil water without the necessity of a stovetop. The heating element is typically fully enclosed, with a power rating of 2–3 kW. This means that the current draw for an electric kettle is up to 13{{nbsp}}A, which is a sizeable proportion of the current available for many homes: the [[Fuse (electrical)|main fuse]] of most homes varies between 20 and 100 amps. In countries with 120 V mains electricity, twice as much current is drawn for the same power.
[[File:Thermal Vision video of a kettle of water being boiled.webm|thumb|Thermal Vision video of water being boiled in an electric kettle]]

In modern designs, once the water has reached its boiling point, the kettle automatically deactivates, preventing the water from boiling away and damaging the heating element.
<ref name="ingenia">
{{cite journal
|author=
|date=September 2019
|title=How Does That Work? Kettle switch-off
|url=https://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issue-80/how-does-that-work
|journal=Ingenia
|issue=80
|location=London
|publisher=Royal Academy of Engineering
|page=45
|issn=1472-9768
|access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="mosi" /><ref name="mirror" />

=== Development ===
Electric kettles were introduced as an alternative to stovetop kettles in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1893, the [[Crompton Parkinson|Crompton and Co.]] firm in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] started featuring electric kettles in their [[Trade literature|catalogue]], although these kettles were quite primitive as the heating element couldn't be immersed in the water. Instead, a separate compartment underneath the water storage area in the kettle was used to house the electric heating element. The design was inefficient even relative to the conventional stovetop kettles of the time.

In 1902, the 'Archer' electric kettle made by Premier Electric Heaters in [[Birmingham]], England, was marketed as a luxury item. It had an element sealed in the base of the kettle (not exposed to water), and was one of the first kettles with a boil-safe device.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Archer' electric kettle, around 1902 {{!}} Science Museum Group Collection|url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8408488/archer-electric-kettle-around-1902-electric-kettle|access-date=2021-11-27|website=collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk|language=en}}</ref>

In 1922, Leslie Large, an engineer working at [[Bulpitt & Sons]] of Birmingham, designed an element of wire wound around a core and sheathed in a metal tube. The element could be immersed directly into water which made the kettle much more efficient than stovetop kettles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.memorystore.org.uk/gadgets/kitchen/kettles.html|title=Electric Kettles|access-date=2013-06-24|work=The Memory Store|publisher=John Lewis Partnership|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002044611/http://www.memorystore.org.uk/gadgets/kitchen/kettles.html|archive-date=2013-10-02|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amdea.org.uk/industry-information/our-products/small-appliances/|title=Small Appliances|access-date=2013-06-24|publisher=The Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances|archive-date=2013-05-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508070142/http://www.amdea.org.uk/industry-information/our-products/small-appliances/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1955, the newly founded British company [[Russell Hobbs]] brought out its stainless steel K1 model as the first fully automatic kettle.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Watson-Smyth|first1=Kate|title=The Secret History Of: The Russell Hobbs K2 kettle|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/property/interiors/the-secret-history-of-the-russell-hobbs-k2-kettle-2022217.html|access-date=20 September 2017|work=The Independent|date=8 July 2010}}</ref> A [[bimetallic strip]], heated through a pipe by the steam produced as the water comes to the boil, flexes, and cuts off the current. As little steam is produced before boiling occurs, the bimetallic thermostat is set to activate well below {{convert|100|C|F K}}, thus this design works even at higher altitudes where the boiling point is significantly lower. The design has since been widely adopted by other manufacturers.<ref name="mirror">{{Cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/incoming/made-in-the-uk-the-life-changing-everyday-innovations-1294240|title=Made in the UK: The life-changing everyday innovations which put British genius on the map|first=Steve|last=Myall|date=2012-09-01|newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]] |location=London}}</ref><ref name="mosi">{{cite web|url=http://www.mosi.org.uk/media/33871691/electrickettles.pdf |title=Electric Kettles |publisher=Museum of Science and Industry |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401082637/http://mosi.org.uk/media/33871691/electrickettles.pdf |archive-date=2014-04-01 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Electric kettle {{!}} Science Museum Group Collection|url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8641056/electric-kettle-kettle-vessel|access-date=2021-11-27|website=collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk|language=en}}</ref><ref name="ingenia" />

== Whistling kettles ==
[[File:Wasserkessel01.jpeg|thumb|A kettle, with a detachable whistle over its spout]]
{{Listen
| filename = Tea kettle whistle.ogg
| title = Whistling kettle
| description = Coming to a boil, boiling, and cooling
| pos =
}}

A whistling kettle is a kettle fitted with a device that emits an audible [[whistle]] when the water in the kettle starts to boil. The action of [[steam]] passing through the device causes vibration, in turn creating the sound, known in physics as a [[tone hole]].<ref name="Henrywood2013">{{cite journal |last1=Henrywood |first1=R. H. |last2=Agarwal |first2=A.|year=2013 |title=The aeroacoustics of a steam kettle |journal=[[Physics of Fluids]] |volume=25 |issue=10 |page=107101 |issn=1070-6631 |doi=10.1063/1.4821782|bibcode=2013PhFl...25j7101H }}</ref>

The exact mechanism by which this occurs was not fully understood until a paper, ''The Aeroacoustics of a Steam Kettle'', was published by R. H. Henrywood, a fourth-year engineering [[undergraduate]] at the [[University of Cambridge]], and A. Agarwal, his supervisor, in the journal ''[[Physics of Fluids]]'' in 2013.<ref name="Henrywood2013" /><ref name="UoC">{{cite web |url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/how-the-kettle-got-its-whistle |title=How the kettle got its whistle |date=24 October 2013 |publisher=[[University of Cambridge]] |accessdate=26 August 2016}}</ref>

Harry Bramson is the inventor of the whistling tea kettle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOvqiDVn34qoT1CuwfEydmeRaeQ1LnC9znaS2XQ4PE4HNFlBJpRhGXRIPZptUy3cw?key=MFVha3pDanVoRXdRelZRRjk1V0cwWk5mWXFmWkpR|title=Harry Bramson invented the whistling tea kettle.|website=Google Photos}}</ref>

== Automatic tea kettles ==
Automatic tea kettles are meant to make tea brewing easier, built with the capability to make different kinds of tea without much input from the user.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Baxter|first=Anna Helm|date=2021-11-23|title=10 Best Electric Tea Kettles to Make the Best Cup of Tea, Noodles and Pour-Over Coffee|url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-reviews/appliances/electric-tea-kettle-reviews/best-electric-tea-kettles|access-date=2021-12-05|website=Good Housekeeping|language=en-US}}</ref> Once set, the automatic tea kettle brings the water to the specific temperature for preparing a given kind of tea, adds the tea to the water, and steeps the tea for the appropriate amount of time. This is because different types of [[tea]]s must be brewed at different temperatures in order to create a full, balanced flavor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tea Brewing Temperature Guide |url=https://artfultea.com/blogs/101/tea-brewing-temperature-guide |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=ArtfulTea |language=en}}</ref> Often they will make a beeping sound to alert the user when the tea is ready, and maintain the temperature of the beverage after preparation.

== Kettle gallery ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Swan electric kettle, Museum of Liverpool.jpg|[[Bulpitt & Sons|Swan electric kettle]] in brass, an early electric kettle at the [[Museum of Liverpool]]
File:Caydanlik.jpg|Aluminium ''[[çaydanlık]]''. A unique instrument of [[Turkish cuisine]].
File:Museu da BaronesaDSCF0130.JPG|Kettle on a [[portable stove]] at the Museu da Baronesa, Brazil
File:Tea beauty in simplicity.jpg|Modest tea kettle boiling [[water]] over small [[bottled gas]] at a [[tea]] house.
File:Graves kittel 1984.jpg|[[Michael Graves|Graves]] kettle, 1984, a [[postmodern]] kettle with a bird-shaped whistle on the spout
File:Electric kettle phillips white.JPG|A contemporary "jug"{{nbh}}style electric kettle made from enameled metal and plastic
File:Solar kettle.jpg|Solar powered kettle
File:Kkettle.jpg|A [[Kelly kettle]], designed to efficiently use the heat of a small fire in a chamber at the base
File:USKettle.jpg|Copper coated cast iron stove tea kettle made between 1846 and 1860. Albany/Troy NY, USA
File:Station Chai.jpg|An Indian aluminium kettle, popular in South Asia, used for making tea or boiling water
File:Glass tea kettle, Kashgar.jpg|Glass tea kettle in [[Kashgar]] in 2010
File:Survival Kettle Red.jpg|Survival Kettle Red in 2019
File:Japanese Cast Iron Tea Kettle by Steven Depolo.jpg|[[Tetsubin]] (鉄瓶), Japanese cast iron kettle or teapot.
</gallery>

== Similar devices ==
* A [[cauldron]] is a large kettle hung over an open fire, usually on an arc-shaped hanger called a ''bail''. In Hungary these are referred to as kettles.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gergely|first=Anikó|title=Culinaria Hungary|date=2008|publisher=H.F. Ullmann|others=Ruprecht Stempell, Christoph Büschel, Mo Croasdale|isbn=978-3-8331-4996-2|location=Potsdam, Germany|oclc=566879902}}</ref>
* A [[fish kettle]] is a long slim metal cooking vessel with a tight fitting lid to enable cooking of whole large fish such as [[salmon]].
* A [[grill (cooking)#Kettle|kettle grill]] is a [[dome]] shaped [[grill (cooking)|grill]] with a rounded lid, resembling a cauldron.
* A [[kettle drum]] is a kettle (cauldron) shaped drum.
* [[Kelly Kettle]]

== See also ==
* [[Boiling vessel]], water heating system in British tanks.
* [[Coffeemaker]]
* [[Kelly Kettle]], specialized types of kettles for outdoor use, intended to use fuel more efficiently.
* [[Kettle corn]], a sweet variety of popcorn that is typically mixed or seasoned with a light-colored refined sugar, salt, and oil. It was traditionally made in cast iron kettles, hence the name.
* [[Percolator]]
* [[Samovar]], a kettle with a central firepit and chimney for making [[tea]], originating in [[Russia]].
* [[Tea culture]]
* [[Teapot]], a vessel with a spout, lid, and handle, for brewing and serving tea.
* [[Teasmade]], an English appliance that combined a kettle and a teapot to make tea automatically by a clock.
* [[Tetsubin]], a cast iron Japanese pot with a spout.
* [[Windermere kettle]]
*[[The pot calling the kettle black]]
*[[Teaware]]
*[[Kettlebell]], ball with handle.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons category|Kettles}}
* Stevenson, Seth (Nov. 8, 2005). [https://www.slate.com/id/2129285/ "A Watched Pot"]. ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''.
* {{cite book |title=Engineering Studies: The Definitive Guide |first=Paul L. |last=Copeland |publisher=Anno Domini |location=Allawah, New South Wales |year=2000 |isbn=9780646394596 }}

{{Home appliances}}

[[Category:Cooking appliances]]
[[Category:Teaware]]
[[Category:Boilers (cookware)]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

Kettle - Revision history

imported>10mmsocket: Reverted edit by JStudman (talk) to last version by Materialscientist