Medelco 12-Cup Glass Stovetop Whistling Kettle
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Medelco 12-Cup Glass Stovetop Whistling Kettle
Customer Review: LOVE this tea kettle
Summary: 5 Stars
I love tea, love it. I also prefer making my coffee in a french press (less counter clutter + better coffee = happy me) so having a tea kettle is a necessity. Unfortunately, about a year ago I gave my tea kettle away. I did so for a good reason -- I wanted a new one. Unfortunately, it took me about a year to find a new one that I liked. See, I'm cheap, and I'm picky. I needed to find one that:
* Wouldn't break the bank
* Whistled
* Would look nice on my stove
* Was cheap
I admit it, I'm picky cheap, but tea kettles are EXPENSIVE. I finally found this tea kettle, the price was right (you can't beat $11.45!!!) it was pretty looking and it whistled. It also helps that it got great reviews. So, I figured "what the heck". Worst case, I hate it and am out $11.
So, I bought it. And I have to tell you: I LOVE THIS TEA KETTLE!!
Love it! Seriously. I don't think I will ever go back to any other type of tea kettle. I am seriously considering buying a few to keep on hand in case someone (anyone) accidentally drops this and it breaks. OK...so that's the only bad thing I can say about it, it could break if it's dropped.
I have an electric stove (hate it but bringing gas to the kitchen and buying a new stove aren't exactly in the budget right now) so I need to use the included metal thingy to raise the class off the electric burner. The whistle isn't obnoxious, in fact if it was louder it would be OK with me since I often forget I'm heating water, but it gets my attention. Really...it just looks great. I love that you can see the water heating so you can pull it before it gets too hot.
And, here's the #1 reason why I will never, ever, ever go back to a non-glass tea kettle. You can see inside so I KNOW there is no rust, mold, build-up, or anything inside my tea kettle. I know it's clean. I know nothing is peeling off and yucking up my water.
Customer Review: Takes a LOT of patience
Summary: 1 Stars
I was looking for a traditional metal teapot and found the reviews mixed - some say they are hard to clean and prone to rust or other corrosion - so when I saw this teapot, with it's clear glass design with easy access to cleaning and no threat of rust I decided to get it. I also liked the price. The instructions indicate that you should use no higher than medium heat with this pot and must use it with the included wire spacer between the pot and the heating element. While it is attractive, and I appreciate the see-through design, when I heated my first pot according to the instructions I was very disappointed when I found out it took well over 20 minutes to heat only 5 cups of water to boiling. I don't want to seem impatient, but I don't really think I should have to plan ahead to enjoy a simple cup of tea.
Follow-up: I recently purchased a more traditional metal teapot (an impulse buy at a local store - a simple $12 Copco stainless steel kettle). To make a fair comparison I tested bringing the same 5 cup amount of water to boiling using only medium heat [which the Copco instructions also recommended as maximum] and it took less than half the time to boil as this glass teapot did. I think this is probably because the metal teapot is in direct contact with the cooking element without any wire spacer in between so heat transfer is much more efficient. The whistle was also much louder and more distinct. With the Copco teapot - being stainless steel - I assume that if I went against the Copco manufacturer's instructions and used it with higher than medium heat it would boil even faster yet without a risk of shattering or other significant dangers as I feared might have happened if I had tried this with the glass teapot.
All that said - after reviewing these two teapot styles - in the future, when I want tea I will always opt for a more traditional metal teapot so I can enjoy my tea nearer the time the mood hits me.
Customer Review: Fantastic Kettle, Soup and Tea Pot all in one!
Summary: 5 Stars
We buy ours from Canadian Tire when they are on sale!! I love that they are glass since it is hard to find glass CLEAR 'pots' these days ;-( The Visionware of years ago that comes in 2 shades are full of heavy metals and do leach as per Dr. Hal Huggins who has tested them. Coloured glass and ceramics contain among many things 'bismuth' My hair analysis revealed I was high in Bismuth (I used these so called healthy glass Visionware pots for years) I went on high dose vitamin c for a year to help clear out some of the metals and stopped using them immediately. A year later my bismuth level was almost nothing! yeah. So clear glass it is and it's hard to find. If you can get ahold of the old Pyrex double boilers they work great too but they are classified many times as 'vintage' and are costly. This little baby works great as a kettle, it works great as a tea pot (I boil the water and then put in the dried nettle, camomile, lavendar etc. or just the tea bags and put the lid on and let steep ;-)) If you have a pureed soup or something that isn't too chunky you can heat it on low on the stove- I do this for the kids all the time, obviously not suitable for a large family serving though ;-( but I use the Le Creuset pots for that. Sure if you aren't careful with it and it gets banged or dropped it's gonna break...ask my husband he keeps breaking them on me!! I tell him DON'T LEAVE THEM IN THE SINK OF HOT SOAPY WATER...all it takes is a quick rinse and put them back on the stove or in the pantry where they are safe LOL Ps/. I know they say to use the little metal thing between it and the burner and I do that for a bit but then lose them or forget. I've never had a problem with these breaking while on the stove from the heat....just my husband LOL I always have at least 2 - can't beat the sale price of I think $10 in Canada!! A+++++Customer Review: Flimsy Product--Doesn't Hold Up to Real Kitchen Use
Summary: 2 Stars
I have owned about 10 of these flimsy things over the years and every one of them has cracked. I just hate them. I keep hoping to find a heavy-duty clear glass pot with a whistle in which to boil water for tea and coffee. These definitely are not made for any normal kitchen used by any working chef or cook. They crack and break with even the slightest touch from another dish or cup in the dishwasher or sink.
The latest one just cracked in my sink when another cup barely grazed it. I am so sick of throwing good money after bad replacing these things. I can't imagine who thinks such a fragile thing would hold up to any normal kitchen use.
Pyrex used to make the greatest glass pots. They were clear, heavy duty tempered glass that stood up to actual kitchen use, unlike these things that seem to be made for someone who never actually WORKS in her kitchen.
I wrote Pyrex to ask if they would consider making them again because I know they'd sell a lot of them to tea lovers and French Press coffee fans. They wrote back that didn't make them any longer and had no intention of making them again. My advice: Look around second hand stores or on Ebay to see if you can find an old Pyrex Glass Coffee Percolator. They are at a premium, but you can find them. I recommend the 9-cup one; if not, the 4-cup ones will do--just don't expect to make a pot of tea for more than two light tea imbibers. I like to make a pot of tea that serves at least four, and the 4-cup Pyrex doesn't. Also, the Pyrex pots don't have a whistle.
If some glass company (Anchor Hocking, are you listening?) you'd have a real profit maker on your hands if you would produce a heavy glass whistling tea kettle.
Customer Review: The BEST kettle I've ever owned
Summary: 5 Stars
This kettle is a revelation for me. I was looking to replce my KitchenAid kettle that started to rust on the inside. The rust is from me neglecting it (not wiping it down after use and such). But I never liked the handle that gets really warm and uncomfortable.
I forgot how I came across this, but I'm so glad I did. Here're 2 things I really love:
1. The handle stays cool, because it's so far off to the side, unlike my old KitchenAid (and most other kettle).
And the location also makes it easier to pour (there's less angle to pour. You hardly lift up your arm). The first time I used it, I actually blurted out "Oh, dang, this is awesome!". With the KitchenAid, I would sometimes use a towel because the handle gets really uncomfortably warm.
2. I can pop this baby in the dishwasher! I don't have to worry about any rusting issue, either.
3. The price is about a third of the KitchenAid! (well, this last one is relative to what your other kettle is).
The negatives are:
1. I obviously have to be extra careful not to bang this around (I tend to smack things on the faucet).
2. I have to watch not to shock the kettle by filling in cold water while the kettle is still hot. I personally wouldn't have this problem. But I can see if someone needs to make multiple batch of coffee (say, during the holidays), you'd have to wait until the kettle cools down a bit before you can fill it with cold tap water, otherwise the glass might shatter.
I still give it 5 stars even with the 2 negatives. The negatives are more like inherent problems, not from bad design. Kinda like cast iron pans.