Customer Reviews

Chef's Choice 675 International Cordless Electric Hot Pot

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I just recieved this kettle to replace a rival hotpot. The Rival lacked an on-off switch. It also gave off some strange tastes and some say stainless is better than plastic that way.

I reheat coffee and heat canned goods in the hotpot as it's easier for me than the range and the wide opening on this hotpot allows one to clean it easily though the lid won't lift as far as you'd like.

On recieving this kettle my first thought was the base was of light gauge plastic - seemed a little cheap. But I suppose that's ok if it turns out to be durable. Next I was amazed that the stainless vessel was of lighter gauge than I expected. This is probably all good though. Some reviewers of the other stainless kettles remark that they are heavy and get 'dangerously' hot. This one is actually reasonably light to maneuver. And if I boil 2 cups of water - turning it off myself which is before the automatic shut off - the stainless is just warm at the top; not really hot. If it doesn't wear out this is fine for my needs. Also - it looks like the picture. I give it one star for the appearance of the polished stainless, but that is subjective. Have to admit though, it cleans good.
3 year later: Still works fine and I've fired it up every day 3-5 times. V Fine.

This is the best I have found. I tried the Cuisinart kettle but the solvents used on the plastic parts (including inside) gave the water a terrible taste and smell. Most kettles had those plastic parts inside for the auto-shut-off mechanism but not this one (it is concealed in the cover)
It is compact and does not take much room on your counter, very quick and so far nothing negative to say about it at all.

I have had this kettle for about a year, and have been very happy with it. However, a couple weeks ago I started having the problem that many other reviewers here have complained about, the on/off switch not staying on. Curious, I opened up the bottom of the kettle, and found the two wires going to the heating element had melted together, causing an intermittent short. I have reported this to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and I hope that something will be done.

This has all the feature I wanted when I was looking for a electric pot to heat water for coffee. Its stainless steel so no plastic taste. Lid opens wide so its easy to fill and clean. No element inside the pot to interfere with cleaning the inside. It lifts off the base so that you can take it to the table. The large window shows the water level. This is our second one of this model. We had the first one for years until we broke it. The new one has a improved spout so that water pours out without spilling on the counter. I can't imagine someone buying any other model when this one has all the features you need for a heating water for coffee of tea..
Grannie Annie

I bought this because, let's face it, Alton Brown just rocks. He recommended it "Gear for your Kitchen". I was sick of using my regular stove top teakettle - it would collect grease and dirt, requiring scouring on a regular basis. It was Murphy's Law that the kettle would whistle just when I had my hands full or was busy with something else.
This electric hot pot boils water just about as fast (I tested it myself). But it doesn't whistle and shuts itself off when it reaches a boil. AB recommended this one because of the large opening, and true to his claim, you can indeed cool the perfect hard boiled egg - 6-7 at a time, actually. I love that it doesn't live on the stove where it collects grease (I've wiped the outside down twice in a year). I love that it's cordless. The only "downside" is that when I make tea, I make 2 qts at a time and the capacity on this is only 1.5 qt, so it could be just slightly larger (Oh - and don't try to heat milk based things in it - the clean up is horrid - I tried to heat up chai in it).

This is a review of the Chef's Choice 675 International Cordless Electric Hot Pot. Before I purchased it, I read the reviews here at amazon.com. Most of them sounded positive so I thought that this electric kettle would work out for me ...it was a good value. However, I didn't use it many times before the problems with this 675 electric kettle became apparent.

1) There is a "thumb" switch on the top of the handle that you have to press to make the spring-loaded plastic lid open so you can add water. When you press the lid down, the lid is supposed to "snap" and stay closed, flush to the top of the kettle. The lid on my 675 kettle didn't stay completely closed straight out of the box and the "gap" problem only got worse after each subsequent use.

2) The pot is supposed to auto switch off quickly after the water boils. The auto-shutoff sensor is in the plastic lid and works when the heat builds up. Unfortunately, the greater the gap between the lid and the top rim of the kettle, the longer it takes the auto-shutoff feature to work. If the plastic lid does not stay down, then the auto-shutoff feature will not work.

3) The spout is small and shallow so boiling water isn't directed into a narrow stream when pouring. Instead, unless one is very careful and pours very slowly, boiling water spills over either side of the shallow spout and could miss your cup and hit the counter or table or floor.

Plus: Looks great; stainless steel; large capacity, cordless; heating element in corded base; easy to clean; good location of on/off switch which glows orange when on.

Minus: Boiling water splashes while pouring unless you pour very slowly. Lid switch failed to keep lid completely shut then broke completely after only a few uses. Auto shutoff was progressively more delayed with every use. It didn't work as soon as water boiled, no doubt related to the plastic lid not staying completely shut, so leaving it unattended was a potential hazzard.

Final: I like the Chef's Choice brand of appliances but they need to improve on the design of this 675 kettle to make it more functional and dependable. I found out that my cousin has had a Chef's Choice International 685 Deluxe Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Teakettle for two years and has had no problems with it, even with heavy use. The 685 is a cute, cordless electric kettle in the classic teakettle shape with a stainless steel lid and body and a black plastic side handle. It has all the good features of the 675 but is more dependable so that's what I will buy next.

I got this because Alton Brown (Food Network personality) recommended it in one of his books. It heats up water VERY quickly...this is extremely helpful for someone like me who drinks a lot of tea.

However, don't just stop with tea. Because the mouth of this kettle is so wide, and since it brings a liquid to a boil and then automatically shuts off, it is great for making hard-cooked eggs, couscous, etc. It is nice to have an appliance that heat liquids because it frees up a stove burner for other things--helpful when I'm making a big dinner and every burner is taken. Many other kettles I consiered lack a wide mouth don't allow for this...in other words they work to boil water, but you can't "stretch" their intended use. Like Alton Brown, I like multi-task kitchen items, so this kettle is a real help for me.

Also, because the cord is NOT in the kettle itself (and again, because of the wide mouth) cleaning the kettle is easy enough. Like any item kettle, mineral deposits from the water may build up slightly. It's fortunately easy to clean due to the wide mouth that I keep mentioning...

The only reason for not giving this item 5 start is that the spout could have been engineered a little better--it does dribble or spatter and getting the water to flow out perfectly is a pain. Just be careful and be aware of this...I personally have not had a problem.

I make coffee three times a day and tea twice, Been heating water in a microwave, No comparison, The Chef's Choice 675 Cordless Hot Pot is faster and easier to use. Beautifully built with a wide mouth that allows easy cleaning of the smooth stainless steel interior. A simple but highly effective brightly illuminated control switch turns it on. When the water boils, the light goes out and the switch pops back to the off position, A large well desinged stay cool handle lets you easily lift the pot and deliver your boiling water where you need it.

The cordless pot sits on a round power base that allows the pot to swivel to any convenient position. You can also lift and set down in any position on the power base. No fddling just pick it up and plop it down.

It is the fastest and easiest way to get boiling water and it puts less heat into your kitchen than any other method..

I bought this because it looked easy to clean and the heating elements would not be exposed to our hard water. So far, so good.

The description on this site says it's perfect for heating soups, hot chocolate, etc., but the instruction booklet specifically states to heat nothing in it except water. I suppose a watery broth would be okay, but nothing with low water content.

It is rather noisy when heating water, but it looks good, goes easily on and off the base, is easy to clean, and it heats fast. If it doesn't malfunction, then I'll be satisfied with it. (Note: It's now 2010 and it's still working. You have to pour hot water slowly or you get a splash instead of a stream--so I pour slowly and all is well.)

2012 and my husband thinks the water tastes funny. I think the water tastes fine and I still use it in my office. So we're going on 7 years of use.

This is a review of the Chef's Choice 675 International Cordless Electric Hot Pot. Before I purchased it, I read the reviews here at amazon.com. Most of them sounded positive so I thought that this electric kettle would work out for me and at $49.99 it was a good value. However, I didn't use it many times before the problems with this 675 electric kettle became apparent.

1) There is a "thumb" switch on the top of the handle that you have to press to make the spring-loaded plastic lid open so you can add water. When you press the lid down, the lid is supposed to "snap" and stay closed, flush to the top of the kettle. The lid on my 675 kettle didn't stay completely closed straight out of the box and the "gap" problem only got worse after each subsequent use.

2) The pot is supposed to auto switch off quickly after the water boils. The auto-shutoff sensor is in the plastic lid and works when the heat builds up. Unfortunately, the greater the gap between the lid and the top rim of the kettle, the longer it takes the auto-shutoff feature to work. If the plastic lid does not stay down, then the auto-shutoff feature will not work.

3) The spout is small and shallow so boiling water isn't directed into a narrow stream when pouring. Instead, unless one is very careful and pours very slowly, boiling water spills over either side of the shallow spout and could miss your cup and hit the counter or table or floor.

Plus: Looks great; stainless steel; large capacity, cordless; heating element in corded base; easy to clean; good location of on/off switch which glows orange when on.

Minus: Boiling water splashes while pouring unless you pour very slowly. Lid switch failed to keep lid completely shut then broke completely after only a few uses. Auto shutoff was progressively more delayed with every use. It didn't work as soon as water boiled, no doubt related to the plastic lid not staying completely shut, so leaving it unattended was a potential hazzard.

Final: I like the Chef's Choice brand of appliances but they need to improve on the design of this 675 kettle to make it more functional and dependable. I found out that my cousin has had a Chef's Choice International 685 Deluxe Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Teakettle for two years and has had no problems with it, even with heavy use. The 685 is a cute, cordless electric kettle in the classic teakettle shape with a stainless steel lid and body and a black plastic side handle. It has all the good features of the 675 but is more dependable so that's what I will buy next.