Aside from just boiling water, there are other interesting electric kettle uses. We have several appliances beyond the usual ovens, dishwashers, and refrigerators. In the kitchen appliances section of many stores, you will find toasters or sandwich makers, microwave ovens, electric mixers, milk frothers, and many more.
The electric kettle is one of the most popular appliances you’ll also find there because of its versatility and affordability. This article will discuss some essential electric kettle uses you probably never thought of.
What Is An Electric Kettle?
An electric kettle is a kitchen appliance built with a self-contained heating unit typically for heating water. The appliance automatically switches off once the water attains its boiling point. Usually, the preset temperature is just under 100 °C.
It is significantly different from the regular stove-top kettle thanks to its energy-efficiency and rapid speed when it comes to boiling water.
Advantages of Using An Electric Kettle
Generally, there are few advantages this appliance has over the regular stove-top kettle.
Heats water faster
The most obvious advantage of the electric kettle is that it heats water rapidly. This instantly makes it more efficient than the stove-top kettle.
Auto turn-off
If you have ever accidentally forgotten you left a kettle on the stove to boil water, then you’ll appreciate this advantage of the electric kettle. Generally, all electric kettles come with an automatic shut-off valve that turns off the appliance when the water reaches boiling point. This lowers the risks of fire outbreaks arising from kettles accidentally left to overboil.
No whistling sounds
Here’s another benefit you’ll get from using an electric kettle. Most conventional stove-top kettles have a feature that warns by whistling whenever water gets boiled. However, since there is virtually no danger of the electric kettle boiling dry, this feature is redundant. Thus, you can enjoy the freedom of being able to leave the kettle unattended to and not have to start running when the whistle achieves its devastating crescendo.
Electric Kettle Uses
Here are five interesting ways you can use an electric kettle.
Prepare hot beverages
Be it stove-top or electric, kettles are regarded generally as an excellent choice for making hot beverages. Making coffee or tea only requires one to add water to the kettle and let it heat to the right temperature.
Next, pour the water into a mug containing your teabag, coffee, or cocoa. And voila! That’s all. Apple cider is another beverage that can be heated in your appliance. Just empty the water and pour in the cider.
Just-add-water meals
Some meals require only the addition of hot water before they are ready to be consumed. These instant meals are quite popular among many people, especially students and bachelors. Ramen noodles are a good example of such just-add-water meals.
Oher similar meals are instant soup mixes and freeze-dried food. These are mostly ideal for people who are constantly going on camping trips. Although the process for cooking these meals is quite simple, be sure to read the directions on whatever meal you’re preparing to see if you’re required to do anything else like stirring, sauce packets, etc.
Boil an egg
Perhaps you never knew this but you can actually boil your egg in an electric kettle. However, we recommend doing this only with kettles that don’t have the exposed coil at the bottom.
But if there’s some sort of attachment that prevents the egg from touching the coil, then you can go ahead. Also, if possible, you can tilt the kettle to one side so the eggs roll away from the heating element.
This is how to boil an egg (or eggs) in your electric kettle:
- Start by filling the kettle with water.
- Turn on the kettle and let the water boil. Note that most electric kettles have a feature that automatically turns off the unit once the water starts boiling.
- Thus, you should set a secondary timer which you’ll have to start once the kettle turns off.
- The time you set for the secondary timer will determine how boiled your eggs will come out. Generally, hard-boiled eggs take eight to 12 minutes while the soft-boiled ones takes around two to four minutes.
Take into consideration how long you’d normally boil your eggs and use that knowledge as a guide for making the egg in your kettle.
Cook rice
If you’ve been wondering if you can cook rice in your kettle, then we’re happy to tell you absolutely yes. However, keep in mind that you will be faced with some clean up afterwards, especially if there’s and exposed coil at the kettle’s bottom.
To cook rice with your electric kettle, simply soak the grains in water for 20 minutes in a bowl before pouring it into the kettle. You may also want to add spices or vegetables in the kettle as well. However, never add bulky items such as meat.
Turn on the kettle and allow everything to cook for about 20 minutes. Keep in mind that the timing will depend on the volume of rice you’re cooking. Some kettles come with an auto shut off.
If yours belong to this category, then be sure to turn it back on at intervals to ensure your rice cooks completely.
Heat a little milk
Interestingly, you can actually heat milk in your kettle too! You can do this by first emptying the contents of your electric kettle (if need be) and pour your preferred quantity of milk.
The major difference between heating milk in your electric kettle instead of water is that you will need to focus and pay more attention to it. In fact, many people would advise you against even letting the milk boil.
Consequently, you’ll have to turn off your electric kettle before it reaches that point. Literally, this means keeping a careful eye on it. The biggest advantage of heating milk is that it makes your cup of hot chocolate extra creamy. Thus, the reward of heating milk is definitely worth it.
Popular Royal Electric Kettles
There are so many electric kettles in stores today and it can be quite difficult to choose the one that’s suitable for you. To ease this burden of pondering on which to buy for you, here’s our selection of the most popular Royal electric kettles.
Royal Electric Kettle (RPEK-1803RB)
Clad in brilliant red and black hues, this durable electric kettle from Royal Electronics boils faster than your conventional stove-top kettles. It also has a boil-dry protection feature that ensures the unit turns off automatically as soon as it starts boiling thus preventing boiled water from drying up.
Royal Electric Kettle (RPEK-1803BW)
With its automatic power-off function, this classic Royal electric kettle comes with a unique rapid boil feature that hastens the speed at which water boils. The kettle has a food-grade PP plastic body that ensures the content of the kettle is safe for consumption.
Royal Electric Kettle (RPEK-1803BLW)
Complete with an indicator light and a rapid boil feature, this Royal electric kettle has an attractive blue and white colour. It also has a unique boil-dry protection feature as well as a waterproof temperature controller. The iconic electric kettle from Royal Electronics has a power consumption of 1500 watts.
Conclusion
There’s more use to an electric kettle than merely boiling water with one. You can get a few ideas from reading this article. In fact, you can even be creative with the appliance on your own and use it in making more than just tasty meals. Just avoid getting anything in contact with the coil at the bottom of the electric kettle.
