Kettle Advice!

IndigoSparrow

Hello!

My current kettle still works but the limescale build up is becoming ridiculous. I keep treating it with descaling solution but it won't budge! It is about 5 years old and this last week it's started leaking a tad so I think it's time to admit defeat... 

Consequently I've spent far too long over the last 3 days searching for a new kettle. After a lot of Googling I've also decided that plastic interiors are evil so now I'm after a stainless steel kettle... 

Has anyone used the Breville Mostra kettle before? Is it worth the price? I can get it for £45 at the mo but I just feel like that's a lot considering I've always bought plastic kettles before! (I've added it to my basket 3 times over the weekend and talked myself out of it  )

Any recommendations are appreciated!

DullGreyGuy

Buy some food grade citric acid, normally you would make it up to a 3% solution but you can make it much stronger for tough jobs. Put it in the kettle, turn the kettle on until just before it starts steaming then turn it off and leave it to sit until it's cold again. 

Did the same with our kettle and it looked brand new again inside. Haven't bought a descaling product again since. 

A kettle is a kettle, in most cases. The extra price you're paying is for it to look pretty whilst sat on the counter but some of the prettiest to look at are awkward to operate or arent durable. Plastic is a better insulator than metal so in theory a plastic kettle is slightly more efficient if you ever boil it then need to boil it again shortly after. 

We had a Delonghi Icona for donkey's years, in the end the paint had started to peel and the chrome effect had come off the band around the middle but it still perfectly serviceable as a kettle. In the end it was declared too ugly and was replaced with a stove top kettle given the induction hob is nearly 4Kw output so quicker to boil than a plug in kettle. 

QrizB

We've got hard water. We use a Brita-type water filter jug for all the water we use in our electric kettle and coffee machine. We hardly ever have to descale them (less than once a year) and the appliances last for a decade or more.

Before using the filter, we'd be descaling monthly and wed need a new kettle every 3-4 years.

Emmia

We have one of these in stainless steel which is cheaper (£20) and better than the Bosch kettle it replaced. Really easy to descale, but not the quietest to boil.

https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-anyday-jlk093-1-7l-kettle/p4821829

Emmia

QrizB said:

We've got hard water. We use a Brita-type water filter jug for all the water we use in our electric kettle and coffee machine. We hardly ever have to descale them (less than once a year) and the appliances last for a decade or more.

Before using the filter, we'd be descaling monthly and wed need a new kettle every 3-4 years.

But how much are you spending on the filters?

DullGreyGuy

Emmia said:

QrizB said:

We've got hard water. We use a Brita-type water filter jug for all the water we use in our electric kettle and coffee machine. We hardly ever have to descale them (less than once a year) and the appliances last for a decade or more.

Before using the filter, we'd be descaling monthly and wed need a new kettle every 3-4 years.

But how much are you spending on the filters?

We use a Brita tap instead, it's £55 for 3,400L. The jug filter tends to be about £4 for 150L. How much it costs naturally depends how much you use and if you strictly change inline with guidelines. 

IndigoSparrow

DullGreyGuy said:

Buy some food grade citric acid, normally you would make it up to a 3% solution but you can make it much stronger for tough jobs. Put it in the kettle, turn the kettle on until just before it starts steaming then turn it off and leave it to sit until it's cold again. 

Did the same with our kettle and it looked brand new again inside. Haven't bought a descaling product again since. 

A kettle is a kettle, in most cases. The extra price you're paying is for it to look pretty whilst sat on the counter but some of the prettiest to look at are awkward to operate or arent durable. Plastic is a better insulator than metal so in theory a plastic kettle is slightly more efficient if you ever boil it then need to boil it again shortly after. 

We had a Delonghi Icona for donkey's years, in the end the paint had started to peel and the chrome effect had come off the band around the middle but it still perfectly serviceable as a kettle. In the end it was declared too ugly and was replaced with a stove top kettle given the induction hob is nearly 4Kw output so quicker to boil than a plug in kettle. 

I'll definitely try this moving forward, thank you!

flaneurs_lobster

Did the new kettle search 3.5 years ago, bought this (££ off promo at Tesco). This is few ££ less than that.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russell-Hobbs-20460-Buckingham-Stainless/dp/B00K8S89YI?th=1

Solid, simple, quiet. Good pour. Has advantage of use with very soft water (salt in dishwasher is optional in this area).

IndigoSparrow

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think the search for a new kettle has easily become one of my least favourite activities! Hopefully I won't have to do it again any time soon!