Fed up of kettles that don't whistle. ..

Kelpie

Kelpie

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 May 2005
Messages
7,766
Location
Afloat
Visit site
I wonder how much time and gas I've wasted because the feeble whistle on my boat kettle sounds like a particularly frail vole trying to win a whispering competition in a library.

Can anybody recommend a decent kettle with a loud whistle, and which won't fall apart?
 
Yes, I had the same problem and I bought a stainless steel whistle kettle from Aldi last year for about £13. It's great, heavy, it whistles and the whistle is stainless steel so it can not melt like my previous ones which were partly plastic.
 
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
Yes, I had the same problem and I bought a stainless steel whistle kettle from Aldi last year for about £13. It's great, heavy, it whistles and the whistle is stainless steel so it can not melt like my previous ones which were partly plastic.
Click to expand...


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Judge-Traditional-Whistling-Kettle-Silver/dp/B00022BROE

It's not £13 quid but it certainly is loud (assuming this indeed identical to the one I bought - it's looks like it). I got one for my Mother and it would wake the dead - just like ones from about 40 or 50 years ago. I got one like this for my Mother to replace her electric kettle - the old kettle was shutting off after boiling no problem but she'd go back into the living room and sit down and read a book or something and forget she'd put the kettle on - she kept ending up not getting a cup of tea as a result, bless her.
 
I also bought one from a caravan shop as I get fed up with the ones that have some kind of spring holding the cover on the spout not working. It had a separate spout cover that comes right off and is a push fit. Used it for the first time the other day and it was brilliant! Can’t give any further details as I am not with it at the moment.
 
Agree that a good working whistle is essential on the boat kettle.

But one thing we discovered after buying a new kettle - typically there are lockers behind the cooker on a yacht, but many of the pretty kettles with domed tops and large handles (as in the examples above) block opening the locker so can’t get the cups, tea or whatever out of the locker. Hence measure clearance height before investing. We have a lovely pristine kettle in the loft.
 
You don't need a whistle and it is certainly not essential by a long shot. I have had kettles that whistle and many that don't, current big kettle does not. C'mon, it's just a matter of timing and watching, it's pretty obvious. I don't tend to leave the stove unattended when it is on anyway.

What on earth are you doing on a small boat that you think that a lack of a whistle wastes so much time and gas. Change your habits I suggest.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
You don't need a whistle and it is certainly not essential by a long shot. I have had kettles that whistle and many that don't, current big kettle does not. C'mon, it's just a matter of timing and watching, it's pretty obvious. I don't tend to leave the stove unattended when it is on anyway.

What on earth are you doing on a small boat that you think that a lack of a whistle wastes so much time and gas. Change your habits I suggest.
Click to expand...

But a watched pot does not boil; well known!

Mike.
 
Our teapot whistles ok, but what we need is a teapot that doesn't drip all over the place when pouring. Add to that would be milk jugs that don't drip.
 
I am delighted to hear others have had more, and less expensive, success than I did on this one. After three whistling kettles variously buckled or crumbled into rust dust on Belle Serene’s hob, I chucked money at the problem with this nuclear-bomb-proof specimen from the local Aga shop. On the minus side, it cost £75. On the plus side, it’s rock solid, has a massive steel base that won’t warp and retains heat, it looks good, and in centuries to come it should still be serving morning tea to some family somewhere when history’s only record of Belle Serene is an archive of this sailing forum.

https://www.agacookshop.co.uk/aga-stainless-steel-whistling-kettle-polished.html
 
BelleSerene said:
I am delighted to hear others have had more, and less expensive, success than I did on this one. After three whistling kettles variously buckled or crumbled into rust dust on Belle Serene’s hob, I chucked money at the problem with this nuclear-bomb-proof specimen from the local Aga shop. On the minus side, it cost £75. On the plus side, it’s rock solid, has a massive steel base that won’t warp and retains heat, it looks good, and in centuries to come it should still be serving morning tea to some family somewhere when history’s only record of Belle Serene is an archive of this sailing forum.

https://www.agacookshop.co.uk/aga-stainless-steel-whistling-kettle-polished.html
Click to expand...

Good grief. You can get a Teasmade that does the whole process for less!

Mike.
 
photodog said:
We have had one of these on the boat since 1999.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vattentaet-kettle-stainless-steel-black-20239595/

It’s one of my favourite things. Bit manky on the outside now, but very solid and has a nice whistle.

Highly recommended.
Click to expand...

Looks good, can you tell me what the base diameter is please? We have tried various small kettles and they all seem to leak after a season or two, and/or have useless whistles. The only better quality ones we have seen seem to be much larger in the base which means there is not room for them and a pan on our 2 burner hob.
 
Leighb said:
Looks good, can you tell me what the base diameter is please? We have tried various small kettles and they all seem to leak after a season or two, and/or have useless whistles. The only better quality ones we have seen seem to be much larger in the base which means there is not room for them and a pan on our 2 burner hob.
Click to expand...

We have a typical two burner boat hob, and it can go on one side whilst a boaties rectangular frying pan or medium sized normal pot is on the other.

Hopefully the ones they are making now are up to the same standard of the one we got in 99....
 
I bought one of these. Shockingly expensive but a real pleasure to use:

https://www.force4.co.uk/force-4-heavy-bottomed-s-s-kettle.html

The base diameter is quite small. Nice tenor whistle.

I’ll come clean; the old kettle lost its whistle. Seamark Nunn had some spare whistles so I bought one and of course it didn’t fit so I bought a new kettle just to fit the spare whistle...



Talking of which, can anyone point me to a cheapish cylindrical stainless steel teapot?
 
Last edited:
Minn said:
I bought one of these. Shockingly expensive but a real pleasure to use:

https://www.force4.co.uk/force-4-heavy-bottomed-s-s-kettle.html

The base diameter is quite small. Nice tenor whistle.

I’ll come clean; the old kettle lost its whistle. Seamark Nunn had some spare whistles so I bought one and of course it didn’t fit so I bought a new kettle just to fit the spare whistle...



Talking of which, can anyone point me to a cheapish cylindrical stainless steel teapot?
Click to expand...

Are you talking one of those French press style jobs?? We have one on board, got it at The big Tesco’s near the a12 a14 jctn... iirc, 12 quid or so....

Again, Ikea is your friend as well...


https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/anrik-coffee-tea-maker-stainless-steel-50112868/


This looks a bit nicer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top