A tea kettle boils water, and that's about it. However, if you have ever shopped for a tea kettle, you are probably aware of how surprisingly difficult it is to find one that is attractive and does, in fact, boil water without overflowing or sputtering and spewing it all over the kitchen, or rusting after only a few uses. A friend swears by her functional Revereware copper bottom kettle, inherited from her mother who bought it in 1955.
The Demeyere "Resto" kettle is available in 4.5 or 6.5 quarts, but has no whistle. I like the look of this pot, but a whistle is an essential feature for those of us who set water to boil and then promptly wander off and forget about it.
Bodum's Ottoni tea kettle is a post-modernist 70's design, supposedly inspired by Mississippi river steamboats. I'm not really seeing the steamboats, but I do love the mahogany handle and the blue ball finial.
For about $300 you can get a whistle that sounds like a freight train. This kettle, designed by Richard Sapper for Alessi in 1983, is the first kettle produced for Alessi's designer series. It has industrial quality construction with a steel bottom, stainless steel body and a solid brass whistle. The notes, by the way, are 'e' and 'b,' and an extra set of reeds is included.
One of my all-time favorites is the now iconic "Whistling Bird" kettle designed by Michael Graves in 1985. The original blue-handled version...
and the snazzy new limited edition black handled version, with matching creamer, sugar and tray.
Il Conico was designed for Alessi by Aldo Rossi in 1986. It is made of 18/10 stainless steel with a magnetic heat diffusing bottom for induction cook tops. Aldo Rossi, a native of Milan, is known for his poetic works of reduction, abstraction, primary shapes and geometric patterns.
Frank Gehry designed the sculpted "Pito" for Alessi in 1992, in mirror-polished stainless steel with mahogany.
Designed by Sori Yanagi (you know, the Butterfly Stool) in 1994, this utilitarian stainless steel kettle is one of the best selling kettles in Japan.
Clean lines, classic shape, and sturdy construction make this a tea kettle Rolls-Royce. Manufactured by All-Clad for a lifetime of faithful service.
The gorgeous "Harmony" whistling kettle by BergHoff, bridges traditional and modern design with what the company calls "surgical" stainless steel, and is heat resistant up to 300 degrees.
While not a teapot, I just had to include this Cafetière tea press designed by iconic British designer Nick Munro. This swanky little device could convince me to switch from coffee...
These pretty enameled kettles with wooden handles from Mackenzie-Childs grab my attention without fail when I see them in a shop or on a friend's stove top. Made of 12-gauge steel with bronzed stainless steel rims. The Courtly check pot has a brass and bone disc finial with a wooden ball and the Flower Market pot has a lid topped with brass, glass and acrylic.
4 comments:
I had to laugh at this post because it's so true, but I thought I was the only one who had such difficulty finding a tea kettle! My husband always wanted an electric countertop one. I held him off for 18 years, but we've had one for the last two. I works just fine.
What a fun post, it made me laugh. I had completely forgotten about Revere tea kettles, my Mom had one for years. I think my grandmother burned it up when she was staying with us once. She couldnt hear the whistle. I have a English tea kettle that sounds a bit like a train, but I dont like the way it pours.
The whistling bird kettle is really adorable!
These are all lovely, though I will never trade away my electric kettle used for boiling water for tea. It heats the water thoroughly and then turns itself off. No whistle neccesary!
best,
teaorwine
Thanks for stopping by! I've heard that electric kettles are great. They seem very efficient. N.G.
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