Anyone using a whistle kettle on the gas hob?

Bostonerimus1

I live in the US where electric kettles are almost unknown so I boil a kettle on the stove...it doesn't whistle though as those are also unknown in the US. I also use leaf tea and a teapot so my beverage equipment is practically Victorian.

Prudent

I bought a beautiful one a few years ago in a charity shop after we had a power cut because of storm Arwen. I tried using it but decided an electric kettle was more convenient for every day use. It now sits in my emergency box in the loft with camping lights etc. I bought the box down for storm Eowyn, but thankfully it wasn’t needed.

twopenny

Yes I do. Used to years ago and it was something on this site that reminded me.

It was when I got the Smartmeter reader thingy and saw that the electric kettle was one of the most expensive things to use next to the shower.

My electricity bill has dropped like a stone! And no noticeable difference in the gas bill.

I've also gained some worktop space.

Did find it slow to start with, but persevered and it makes me relax  and not put it on and go and do something else.

You can get copper bottomed ones that boil faster.

Definitely hot enough for tea.

Nelliegrace

Our tea making ritual is more 1940s, @Bostonerimus1, with 4oz of looseleaf tea for our weekly ration. We have a tea caddy, caddy spoon, a stainless steel tea strainer, earthenware teapot and knitted tea cosy.

weenancyinAmerica

My sister gave me one of the elephant tea caddies. I love the tea cosy. My parents and I used to have our evening tea ritual. Wrote the tea company to tell them how much we enjoyed their tea and they sent us a large wooden box of teas. Said that people always write and complain and almost no one writes to say they enjoyed the product. They were so happy to get my letter they said they put it up on the staff bulletin board.

KeepOnKnitting

I'm another whistling kettle user. Yes it definitely takes longer to boil, but I like the ritual and that it reminds me to make my drink. I used to boil an electric kettle and then forget about it until it was cold, then have to boil it again. (I definitely have some ADHD traits.) Even if I forget and nip to hang washing or go to the loo, the whistle will tell me it is boiling and then I can make a hot drink on the first boil.

davidr1964

I'm also a whistling kettle user. I went through so many electic kettle over the years, and I eventually bought an 'old school' kettle. I've never looked back.

Statex2_2

Boiling water on a wood stove costs us nothing because you light it to heat your home. Wood does not cost us anything only time in cutting it up.

purpleivy

Spies said:

QrizB said:

Gobsh said:

Anyone using a whistle kettle on the gas hob?

I am! All through the colder months from October to April.

Gobsh said:

... wondered whether it's really practical? 

Does it boil in reasonable time?

It's it economical to use in a gas hob? 

Pros and Cons?

Yes, it's practical. It makes water hot.

It's a bit slower than an electric kettle, although that does depend on what you're comparing it to. A gas kettle on a 2kW ring boils roughly half as quickly as a 2.3kW electric kettle does.

As for economy, it's practically free - the gas you use to boil the kettle is offset by using less gas in your CH boiler.

There's a link in my signature to a thread on the topic of kettles.

Spies said:

Boiling water on a gas hob is an awful idea, lots of wasted heat and as such it takes ages to boil, stick to an electric kettle. 

Agree it's usually slower, but what's the rush?

Only the kitchen is downstairs and I don't want to be standing around waiting for it to boil

I used to put the kettle on then wander off and forget about it, then return to make the tea and come back later to find the bag in the cup gone cold.

These days I'm a bit more disciplined and if I'm waiting for a drink I do kitchen jobs till it's ready. 

Ildhund

I have a whistling kettle that looks a bit like copper, but in fact it's anodized aluminium. It was the last of a Middle of Lidl batch several years ago, and cost me £6.99 IIRC. It sits quite decoratively on top of the log burner, but on a cast iron trivet because otherwise it would soon boil dry. It lost its voice quite quickly, but I rarely miss the noise. I don't use it for drinks, just for washing up, and it gets refilled and replaced as soon as I've emptied it. If it's still hot at bedtime, I decant it into a 2l thermos jug for washing up in the morning. I'm quite pleased with it to exploit some of the heat that would otherwise just dissipate overnight.

I have been known to boil spuds on the log burner. Washing brought in off the line gets draped over a clothes horse in front of the fire before I go to bed, ensuring it's properly aired before being folded and put away the next day and of course pyjamas get warmed up too. I often wonder if there wasn't more I could do in the same vein. WIWAL, our coal-fired kitchen range had a back boiler which produced plenty of hot water for a five-person household. The thought of all that heat disappearing up the chimney offends my miserly spirit; when people have stainless steel liners installed in chimneys (why?), wouldn't it be possible to make the liner double-walled, with a cold water feed at the bottom and a pipe to the HW tank from the top?

Any other suggestions for making use of otherwise largely wasted energy?