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I hope this isn’t too trivial a question, but my current guests recommended getting an electric kettle, and a couple of other people suggested it on threads here too.
However, I don’t drink tea or coffee, or indeed any hot liquids, so I’ve no idea about this. And I don’t think I’ve ever owned an electric kettle
First, do I need something that boils only water, or something that boils milk as well?
Second, should I keep it in the kitchen, or the guest room? Is fire a concern with one of those things, and if not, what about heat damage if they rest it on something that then gets overheated? There isn’t really much in that room that can get easily damaged - I constructed it specifically with a view towards short-term rentals. However, there is a laminate covered table there which might not do well with a heated kettle resting on it. Would keeping it on a heat pad help? Of course, I can’t make people use it even if it is there.
I found the following on Amazon India, both of which looked like reasonable choices:
Kirsty Jane and the rest of the folks will help you with this. Many of us Americans never realized how barbaric we are to only offer a pot to boil water on the stove…lol.
You need to ask us tea-loving Brits about electric kettles! Don’t worry about your surfaces getting overheated. The heating element is inside the kettle which rests on the power source, which doesn’t itself get hot. You don’t need to have anything to heat milk, and both of the kettles you show look suitable and are good brands.
Thanks @Malagachica. Indians like tea too. And coffee, I suppose.
Just to be clear, the kettle is only for heating water, right? So you put the coffee or tea in the cup and then pour the hot water on top? And you think it is Ok to keep it in the guest room?
@faheem - yes, you definitely need a kettle! We are English living in the USA and kettles are essential to us and to many of our guests, especially recent guests from Ireland, Australia, Germany and Switzerland. More and more people are drinking herbal tea too in addition to regular.
In the rental, we have one very similar to the Morphy Richards that you linked to. We also supply a variety of teabags and a proper ceramic teapot.
There are no heating issues for the surfaces. At home, our kettle lives on the laminate worktop and in the rental, the kettle is on a glass plate.
Heat is not really a concern as the outer parts of electric kettles remain cool enough not to burn, at least the ones made of plastic. The fancy ones made of metal may become hot, but the bottom of the kettle is always made of plastic and remains cool.
Many hotel rooms here in France have an electric kettle with a “courtesy tray” containing tea, Nescafé and creamer and it is a nice touch. I would not be concerned by damage from the heat, but old tea bags are messy so I would keep it in the kitchen :S
I would choose the Philips as it looks nicer but I have no idea of what the price difference is for India.
Yes, it’s there purely for the look. I’d be inclined to have the kettle in the guest’s room, along with a teapot, cups and any supplies that you might want to leave, such as a selection of teabags. You could put the whole lot on a small tray. As @Barthelemy said, it’s a great idea to also make sure that a waste receptacle is nearby for guests to dispose of the used teabags.
If I was in India, I’d love it if a small selection of Indian teas was supplied.
That all sounds like a good idea. There’s a rubbish bin in there, but of course I can’t force people to use it. And does tea mean only tea bags? I seem to remember one can actually put leaves in the cup too. But I haven’t drunk tea in forever, so I don’t know.
It’s glass, so I don’t have to worry about hot water coming in contact with plastic. It has auto-shut off, so no worries about burning down the house.
The pitcher part can be lifted off the base.
It has a nice pour. Even my sloppy teenager manages it without spills.
I think the glass is very sturdy, but I don’t know if would hold up to abusive guests, and it’s on the pricey side. (It was cheaper when I bought it. I think around $ 70.)
Boiling milk in an electric kettle will make a huge mess and ruin it. Or any other liquid besides water.
If you think you might have guests from China, an electric kettle is an absolute must. If you don’t have it in the room, they will constantly be in your kitchen. They have this thing about drinking warm/hot water. They think cold water is bad for you. Once I was in China and recovering from a stomach bug. I wanted ice water and the Chinese people I was with thought I was suicidal. (They weren’t joking, they actually thought I must be trying to kill myself because I wanted to drink ice cold water after being ill.)
If you have a closer look at the picture, you can see that the kettle has a very slim plastic base with small feet :), which will stay cool.
Keep in mind that stainless steel is harder to keep looking neat though, but in my opinion white plastic just looks cheap (like you picked the cheapest model available). I would say it depends on the feel you want to give to your listing and your market target (budget or quality accommodation).
For my rental I picked a kettle made of plastic but in black, it looks polished but it is easier to keep clean . I only pick things that have a quality look for my rental (and many guests comment on it), if there were no coloured plastic kettles on the European market, I would have bought one made of stainless steel.
Most people now use tea bags but many of use like to use loose tea. (Many herbal varieties are loose too, especially the ones from farmers markets or similar places).
Mostly, you’d need a teapot for people using loose tea but you can buy various inexpensive gadgets that help you use loose tea directly into the cup. I’ll see if Amazon has them.
Hmm, this one is actually available on Amazon India. It’s a bit pricey, though.
It says Rs 12,896.00, which works out to USB 200 approximately. One always gets overcharged for imports here. Looks like a good kettle. Stylish.
I hope guests will know that.
No Chinese inquiries yet. I drink cold water all the time. Some people here seem to think it gives you colds; I have no idea why. Chinese people don’t like cold water, huh? Weird.
Ah, great. Thanks for the link. I’ve got a distant memory of seeing these once upon a time. Maybe I did drink tea a long time ago, as a child. But for the purposes of the rental, I’m inclined to stick to tea bags. It’s simpler.
Actually, in terms of low-mess, a Keurig might be your best option. They have pods for tea, coffee, hot chocolate. The used tea, coffee or whatever stays in the sealed Keurig pod and can be tossed in the trash.
If you fill the reservoir before the guest arrives, they might not even need to add water themselves at all.
but I have no idea of what the price difference is for India.