Insulated kettle

beer2006

I just had the idea sitting here of insulating my kettle.
Should keep it warmer between boilings and should in theory heat up quicker.

Any ideas how to do it?

I think a tea cosy might be set alight or something

Maybe some sort of fibreglass jacket, not that I really want FG anywhere near anything I consume.

Savvy_Sue

If you kept a vacuum flask next to the kettle you could pour anything left over into that and refill from that next time.

Of course some people only put in what they need - not me I'm afraid because I can't bear the 'bits' at the bottom of the kettle when it's the least scaled up!

Or some kettles are better at retaining heat than others, so a new kettle might be better! If not particularly green in the shor term ...

ariba10

You would be far better off only putting in the amount of water that you need.

adonis

I heard of someone who painted their kettle black to make it boil faster,
i dont think it worked.:rotfl:

fender

Is there such a thing as a low energy kettle?

beer2006

No, all kettles use the same amount of energy to boil the same amount of water, there is a thread somewhere on here about it.
Kettles with elements in the water are slightly more efficient than flat elements, which makes sense, as they have total contact with the medium they are warming up.
I also have the problem of scaling in the kettle, so have to keep it slightly fuller than I normally would. I also use my kettle about 15-20 times a day.

To boil a kettle and put water in a flask is worse than boiling a kettle twice, as you all say its better to boil the right amount of water.

I was thinking about all the heat wasted when the kettle just sits there hot, I normally try to fill up the kettle straight away after its boiled so that heat isn't wasted.
But surely all the heat wasted when it actually is boiling can't be a small amount, look at the difference when you boil a saucepan and you use a lid, must be the same effect surely shirley.

I think you lot just don't appreciate my brilliance :rolleyes:

fender

If it scales up, use white vinegar in it weekly. Its a very cheap solution.

needaspirin

adonis wrote:

I heard of someone who painted their kettle black to make it boil faster,
i dont think it worked.:rotfl:

I heard that it actually got some stick from the Pot

Cardew

fender wrote:

If it scales up, use white vinegar in it weekly. Its a very cheap solution.

I hate coffee made with vinegar!

tim_n

adonis wrote:

I heard of someone who painted their kettle black to make it boil faster,
i dont think it worked.:rotfl:

Depends how they boiled it. If for instance you had a metal kettle, a south facing window and the kettle was left on the sil whilst they were at work during the summer it would probably heat the water up a bit to reduce cost. Not by much, but hey, it's free solar energy ;- )

Seakay

I already put a bit of water into the kettle each time I empty it in order to make use of residual heat - quicker to boil if I need to again soon, or a little lukewarm water for rinsing - but I think that the tea cosy idea is a good one