Medelco 12-Cup Glass Stovetop Whistling Kettle
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List Price: Our Price: $8.99 You Save: $6.00 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Buy Used: from $6.49 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Medelco 12-Cup Glass Stovetop Whistling Kettle
Customer Review: Horrible redesign: handle like a hot iron rod.
Summary: 1 Stars
I have owned previous Medelco glass tea kettles and this item, which features a handle design change from the last model, was my new one after the last met death via gravity and the kitchen floor. The old design featured a handle with a perpendicular slat construction, much like an air-conditioner or radiator would have to deflect/convect heat from the source. The current redesigned handle, however, is now just a flat box of less plastic that gets -extremely- hot when bringing water to a full boil. Multiple attempts to position the whole kettle offset in various positions from the flame have proven futile.
Furthermore, the shape of the handle has been constructed at an angle that requires you to lift and tilt higher to dispense the water from the cauldron. Frequently, since the grip of the handle has been eliminated, it feels as if it will slide out of your hand. While these might seem like trivial things for the once-in-a-while user, if you are a daily tea drinker or someone with arthritis, sensitive hands, etc, I would recommend seeking another option.
Disappointing, my last two kettles from Medelco were fantastic. (Both purchased on Amazon.) They stood up to bangs and collisions through daily use; only gravity could kill it. The borosilicate glass really holds up well, and this one is no different. This new handle, though, frequently challenges me to "accidentally" see it to its death, forcing to get something else.
Customer Review: I found it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was delighted to find a replacement for my Gemco 'Whistler'water kettles that were discontinued due to a defect causing the plastic casing to melt. Invariable one leaves the kettle on without the lid and the water boils away causing the bottom to eventually crack. If you are compulsive about putting on the lid especially when leaving the stove unattended this little glass kettle should last a lifetime. The stainless steel band holding the sturdy plastic plastic handle are much stronger on this model and inspire confidence when pouring. The whistle sound is somewhat weak but I am grateful that it is not piercing. The lid must be removed in order to pour but this can be accomplished by a flip of the thumb.
The advantage of having clear glass, being able to see the amount of water, the lack of residue and being dishwasher safe more than makes up for being certain that the bottom is dry, not filling it to the top (German coffee cups are smaller), placing the kettle on the smaller burner (with the tripod on electric and glasstop stoves)so that the handle remains cool and placing the whisler lid so that it does not burn dry.
Delivery from Goodmans was prompt and was well packed. For the life of me I cannot figure out why there are so many differences in price because I do not see any differerence in the $14.99 model. At any rate the price is unbeatable and I strongly suggest NOT TO BUY ONE - BUY SEVERAL!
Customer Review: Clean healthy way to boil water
Summary: 4 Stars
This tea kettle comes with a tiny metal coil the manufacturer calls a trivet. Several other reviewers threw it IN the pot and wondered why it rusted. Put it UNDER the pot, to diffuse the heat from the burner.
The hot handle issue disappears if you use the small burner and position it so the handle is not over the heat source.
The whistle is minimal.. breathy and low volume. Good or bad depends on your point of view. I'd rather it were loud; I walk out of the room.
You do have to pop off the top before pouring, not as big a deal as I'd thought, just a minor annoyance; I got used to doing it quickly.
I put mine on a glass topped stove and it takes over 13 minutes to boil. That seems long to me. I'm just saying. You can't set it on high; it must not exceed med high. Maybe I am just used to metal pots being put on high and boiling faster. But I never timed them, so I can't verify this.
I wondered about putting it on a cool burner and had been poking the trivet to the cool burner before putting the kettle down. Another reviewer recommends putting it down on a pot holder. Duh. That's the easy answer!
Over all- I like the kettle.
You can see when the water is low or boiling.. or not (a watched pot never does, they say).
No metallic taste.
Easy cleaning.
Goofy white lettering is excessive; but unimportant.
Whistle could be louder.
Customer Review: clean and mean
Summary: 5 Stars
Went through 3 standard metal kettles in the last few years. They always start to build up the residue inside, you forget to drain excess water and it gets gross, the bottom starts to separate and form internal water and calcium-filled chambers that leak into the boiling water... etc.
This glass kettle has had NONE of these problems, boils surprisingly fast, and is just a pleasure to use by comparison to a conventional aluminum kettle. I wont go back.
I noted some of the other reviews who were critical of the "hot handle" - I have not had a problem using my bare hands to pick up the boiling kettle from the handle even 1 time. Its only barely warm, certainly not hot. I suspect some people are just putting this thing on a burner with a VERY wide burner circle and turning up the heat to the max, so that the flames go up and around the sides of the kettle. I mean come on - that's a foolish way to heat ANYTHING, not just a tea kettle.
I heat it on medium or so, whatever the best flame is so that most of the flame is actually STILL UNDER the object I'm trying to heat (because I understand simple concepts...), and this heats up very quickly with zero handle hotness.
For the price, sanitary use, convenience, etc: this gets my highest recommendation.
Customer Review: Good whistling tea kettle, perhaps a bit fragile?
Summary: 4 Stars
We bought this after the spout of the Calypso Basics 2.2 Quart Enamel-on-Steel Whistling Teakettle with Glass Lid rusted (see my review there, if you're interested). I was unwilling to pay what some of the seemingly nicer tea kettles cost, and, considering the $26 we spent on the Calypso Basics 2.2 Quart Enamel-on-Steel Whistling Teakettle with Glass Lid got us only a bit more than a year of use, I decided to try something less expensive.
The whistle is fairly shrill, but not nearly as bad as some I've heard. I like that it's glass, so you can see that the water is about to boil before the shrill whistle gets started. The glass seems a bit thin to me, and we try to treat it gingerly. Thus far, it's been accidentally knocked (not very hard, though) a few times, and after about a month it's holding up well.
Considering the curvature, you have to really tilt it to get the last of the water out. It doesn't dribble very much, though. For $11, it's worthwhile; if you're not looking for an objet d'art, but something functional for a good price, give this consideration.