this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 33 points 7 months ago (4 children)

Spoiler, its because we dont drink as much tea. Tea drinkers do own kettles in the US.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago

It’s true. I drink a lot of tea, and I’ve owned an electric kettle for the last 20 years. I like the ones that allow me to select the temperature depending on what I’m making.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I think more, though, is that people don't really know they exist. Maybe you see it on the shelf at a supermarket and don't notice it--it's not in the US psyche. If you start to think about it a bit, an electric kettle makes more sense, but we're not used to it.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago

If you start to think about it a bit, an electric kettle makes more sense

Not when everyone's got a microwave already, likely doesn't have the counter space for another gadget that they don't use very often.

If you regularly make 1-3 mugs worth of hot water a kettle makes sense. If you regularly boil larger amounts, or don't regularly boil water, the microwave you already own is only slightly slower, so why spend the money?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Most tea drinkers I know use a microwave, a Keurig, or a stove kettle, not an electric kettle.

I only know one tea drinker with an electric kettle and they normally use their microwave.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Teas are best at a specific temperature, depending on the type. Same with coffee brewing methods and different types of beans. Microwaves can't do that.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Also, a microwave will boil water just as quickly without having another appliance taking up space.

[–] Strykker 2 points 7 months ago

Except the typical microwave is 1000 or maybe 1200 watts, while an electric kettle is usually 1500 watts, so even if all the energy the microwave used went into the water it's still up to 50% less than what a kettle will put into the water.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Boiling water in a microwave can actually be dangerous, and cause super-heating.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

I don't know why you're being downvoted without anyone actually debunking what you've said, so I'll try. You're right about not having another appliance being convenient, but I doubt a microwave is just as effective. If you're just heating a cup of water, then yes. But boiling even a liter of water would take about 5 minutes in a microwave on the highest setting, which would take about 2 mins in a kettle. Not even taking into account that actually boiling water in a microwave is near impossible, because it would spill everywhere