I spend a lot of my time at my religious organization’s community center. Since I am not much of a cook I am in charge of the tea. (Not even the coffee!) We recently purchased the Krups Aqua Control Cordless Electric Tea Kettle which I am reviewing.

About this kettle:

I know it sounds strange and you may have thought it labeled wrong. How can something be electric and cordless? Krups makes the kettle itself cordless so you can carry it around without the cord attached. The cord is attached through the base. There is a black element on the bottom of the kettle that fits into a space in the base connecting the two pieces securely. The kettle won’t come off the base unless you lift it up.

Krups is a well-known and respected company. I was a bit hesitant to spend $50 even though it wasn’t my money when we had a tea kettle, perculators and drip coffee makers through which water can be put. Why on earth even have this? There are many reasons that make it a nice product.

The heating element in the kettle boils water faster than the microwave at our community center and faster than our stove. It boils 1 cup of water in about a minute. I know that it takes over 3 minutes to boil a 6-ounce mug in the microwave because I often have just one cup and know to set it for 3 minutes and 40 seconds. Depending on the size of my mug that may only make it warm, not hot.

But that isn’t the only reason to have this. What I really like about it is the fact I can take it from the kitchen and plug it in on a table in our big room and serve tea from there. I don’t have to worry about reheating the water in the kettle.

Also for those of you who may be a little queasy about microwaves, tea will be one less nuked product in your body!

It has an anti-scale filter that is hopefully filtering out pieces of limescale so they don’t fall into your mug. Having no idea what limescale is I discovered that it is “solubilized ions in tap water that
deposit as water insoluble salts, such as calcium carbonate.” (http://www.pgtechnologytransfer.com/global/techacq/techacq.nsf/NewMainFrame?readForm). If we have any readers who can translate what it is beyond “yucky stuff that builds up and I don’t want to drink it” please feel free to let us know.

There is an auto safe system that stops the boiling water from splashing out.

The lid of the kettle is safely in place but gets taken off by the push of a little black button on the side of the handle.

You can’t hear it boil and there will be no condensation/steam coming out of it.

A closer look:

Our Krups kettle comes in black and white. They have different models numbers. 859-70 is the white one; 859-42 is the black one. I think it is really attractive and very modern looking. We got the white one and I just wipe it off with a sponge if it gets dirty. It is really easy to clean.

It is 11-inches high and has a wide handle so even a large hand can hold this easily. It measures 9-inches at its widest which is at the handle.

It holds 10 cups (50 ounces) of water and there is a see through strip on the side that shows how much water is in the kettle. (Like some irons have.)

The on and off switch is on the handle and slides up and down. Below that is a light showing when the kettle is on or off. Obviously the light is lit when the kettle is on. There is also an easy to push piece that opens the spout so the water can pour out. I like the fact it doesn’t open too wide...just the right amount.

I find that if I don’t want to take the base of the kettle with me but just want to put the kettle down, the bottom of the kettle isn’t hot or even warm. That surprised me at first but I love that because I can literally put it down anywhere. Psychologically I tend to use a trivet or the base rather than putting it on the plastic table cloth but it really isn’t necessary. The sides are warm, but not hot.

We have had it for about 3 months but some of my friends who shopped with me have owned it for much longer and love it. It does come in smaller sizes if this is for your home and you don’t have company over a lot. Then again, the bigger one is nice because you can use it for one person or 10.

Some may not like the fact that in order to fill it easily, you have to take off the lid. It doesn’t lift up on a hinge. I don’t mind that, but it could be a negative.

My final thoughts:

There is a 1-year warranty on the Krups AquaControl Kettle. The inside is as clean as when we first purchased it and I don’t know anyone who has had any problems with this kettle. We didn’t look around much when we bought it because as I said others owned it and liked it. This seems to be the going rate for this size and type of kettle so it doesn’t seem as if Krups has outpriced itself.

I had a Krups coffee grinder for about 15 years before it died and although I replaced the grinder with the Cuisinart brand it wasn’t because I was unhappy with the Krups brand.

I am recommending this kettle. If you look around you should be able to find it on sale for $50. The retail price is $65.00 in spite of the $44.99 listed on the site. I couldn’t find it online for less than $50.00.

It makes a wonderful gift because it is something that many may not buy for themselves feeling the way I did - they have a tea kettle already. This is very different, though and I am thinking of getting one for my own house.

If you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 50.00