I use my microwave every day for my main meal cooking. It does the vegetables. The frying pan does the chicken thighs. And for the Brits, the other main thing I use it for is to heat a mug of water for instant coffee. I have a general-purpose appliance that heats water. I don’t also need a single-purpose appliance for heating water. All arguments for water kettles fall flat, IMO, if you have a microwave oven.
Yeah I tend to agree. I adore the Brits but had an argument once over a coffee cup (ik, lol) and why some coffee cups couldn’t be microwaved. I said that ALL coffee cups should be microwavable and they vehemently disagreed, specifically because you could use a kettle, and to get over it.
For Brits who have tea multiple times a day, and because their appliances are 220v, an electric kettle makes sense. It can boil water in less than half the time the most powerful consumer microwave in the US can, because there’s no magic to a microwave - it can only put as much energy into water as it can draw from its electric circuit, about 2000watts, max.
Outside of those conditions, an electric kettle doesn’t make sense.
It’s still an unnecessary single use appliance if you already have a microwave. It’s not like boiling twice as fast is saving you a ton of time since we’re talking about a difference of like a minute or two.
I use my microwave every day for my main meal cooking. It does the vegetables. The frying pan does the chicken thighs. And for the Brits, the other main thing I use it for is to heat a mug of water for instant coffee. I have a general-purpose appliance that heats water. I don’t also need a single-purpose appliance for heating water. All arguments for water kettles fall flat, IMO, if you have a microwave oven.
Yeah I tend to agree. I adore the Brits but had an argument once over a coffee cup (ik, lol) and why some coffee cups couldn’t be microwaved. I said that ALL coffee cups should be microwavable and they vehemently disagreed, specifically because you could use a kettle, and to get over it.
Then I had to ‘Amerisplain’ haha.
How do you heat water for pasta? Do you just fill a saucepan and wait?
Lol.
I have some cups that can’t be microwaved because they have metal foil on them.
Though if you microwave them a couple times, that problem is solved. 😝
For Brits who have tea multiple times a day, and because their appliances are 220v, an electric kettle makes sense. It can boil water in less than half the time the most powerful consumer microwave in the US can, because there’s no magic to a microwave - it can only put as much energy into water as it can draw from its electric circuit, about 2000watts, max.
Outside of those conditions, an electric kettle doesn’t make sense.
Technology Connections has covered it, twice.
You’ll probably find too that most microwaves have a rated power only around 1200W, and I’m betting not all of that is making it into the food either.
With British kettles allowing up to 3000W (230V 13A), I expect we’re talking more like a third of the time than a half.
It’s still an unnecessary single use appliance if you already have a microwave. It’s not like boiling twice as fast is saving you a ton of time since we’re talking about a difference of like a minute or two.