For a single mug microwaves are quicker in America. Potentially even for 2 mugs.
BUT in America kitchen appliances have a power limit (usually) of 1,500W. This is usually higher than a standard microwave (1,000W). And since an electric kettle in America is just a heat source in water, it’s very efficient. So if you’re regularly heating multiple mugs worth of water, or just boiling water for cooking often, an electric kettle is definitely better. They are also pretty cheap.
Now in Europe and the UK, electric kettles are faster since they can often be around 3,000W or higher. But that doesn’t mean American kettles are useless. American kettles a way faster than heating water on the stove. And WAAAY faster than heating water on a gas stove.
I love my electric kettle. I can get 5 cups of boiling water in about five minutes (less for less water).
And while a microwave is likely faster, it also heats the container. For a quick, single mug, it’s not an issue. Run that thing for five to heat a lot of water, and the container itself could be scorching hot.
I prefer the kettle every time.
Why wouldn’t a microwave in the UK also be 3000W? Maybe it would instantly vaporize water and kill you when you open it?
It sounds like the issue is that UK may have weak microwaves compared to their kettles.
It would burn your food. Microwaves heat the outermost layer that contains water. That heat conducts inwards. It’s the same reason you don’t bake everything at 500F.
Kettle is much more convenient. Microwave is overkill, while a kettle is both a simpler machine and turns itself off when the water boils with no guesswork. It’s ergonomically designed for pouring into a cup.
The speed argument is irrelevant, they’re both quick enough.
A microwave cannot be more efficient than an electric kettle with an immersion heating element (rare these days) anyways .
Most Americans own a microwave, but don’t own a kettle. So going to the store and buying a kettle is a little less convenient.
American kettles are significantly worse than British kettles. They run at lower voltage and lower amperage, so they take much longer to boil water.
Given the choice between using a multipurpose microwave to do one more thing, and buying a separate appliance that is no faster, choosing to use the device you already own is entirely appropriate.
If you drink tea or coffee, even irregularly, a kettle is worth having.
And a pour over is better than Keurig crap. I’d recommend using paper filters as well. Most of the time I just rinse the pour over when finished.
Generally I grind 2-3 servings of beans at a time and store the rest in a glass container in the fridge.
In the end, the effort is pretty comparable to a Keurig machine, but better quality, more flexibility, and you don’t have to deal with/buy pods or a machine.
They are still the best option for heating water. At best, a microwave could match its performance if it is nearly perfectly efficient and dumping all it’s energy only into the water, which is what a kettle does. They have the same potential power draw, so they can put the same energy in as each other. A kettle’s design is perfect for heating water though.
Unless you have an inductive stove top, an electric kettle is going to be the best option, even in the US. It’s the most efficient at putting energy into the water and, since all these options have the same power draw, it is consequently the fastest (again, assuming no inductive stove top which can draw more power).
There’s also the whole “kettles in America take longer to heat up, because America only has 120v electrical outlets while the UK has 240v, and therefore gets twice as much power for the same amperage” thing. That being said, I’m in America and I love my kettle. You just expect it to take 5-7 minutes to heat up, instead of 2-3. If I only want a single cup of something, then yeah I’ll use the microwave. But if I’m going to be making more than one cup, the kettle is my go-to.
No judgement from me towards anyone who uses a microwave like this. But that’s not a good argument. If you want to get pedantic, the one-time inconvenience of going to the store will be made up for by the hundreds of small conveniences of using it later.
In general I don’t think it’s fair to think about the inconvenience of buying a thing. Even online reviews, which often complain about shipping times which has nothing to do with the product, don’t really complain about the inconvenience of having to buy or order something. It’s not relevant.
The microwave is more efficient because you can do all the steps at once. Put teabag in mug, cover with water, microwave, leave and let steep. And if you forget about your tea it’s already in the microwave – just push the “add 30 seconds” button.
I keep my Splenda and non-dairy creamer next to the microwave for added convenience.
It picks up food smells from the walls of the microwave. Make it properly, gun monkey!
Microwave a cup with water and vinegar until it boils. Then a single wipe cleans everything
who has time to wash the benches either ? why bother oneself with vacuuming the floors ?
Coffee is the only proper hot beverage, reject your dry leaf water, Roast Beef!
I actually agree with you, frog! But the fact is that the majority of Brits don’t.
It’s quicker if your electricity is a feeble 110v and not a mighty 240v.
Meh my British kettle heats a cup of water to boiling in 30 seconds.
Faster than a microwave
No my point is, as a British person that uses the kettle A LOT we went out and bought one that heats up a single cup at a time, which is quicker than boiling a whole kettle.
I fill it up like a kettle and it has a little chamber underneath that it fills and heats, then the boiling water comes out of a spout into the cup.
After owning this type of kettle for over a decade I don’t think I can go back to a conventional kettle.
