Customer Reviews

KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 2-Quart Tea Kettle, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Yes, it's big, but I didn't think it was heavy. ***I JUST WEIGHED THIS KETTLE WHILE IT WAS FULL OF WATER AND IT ONLY WEIGHS 6 POUNDS. I can see that if you have trouble lifting a cat or bag of flour then you may have a problem here.

The craftsmanship is pure Kitchenaid. You will have no problem there. But beware that ONLY the stainless steel version is usable on glass-top stoves. The ceramic-covered versions are NOT. ***For those that don't know, you can click on this product to see what a glass-top stove/range looks like: Ceramabryte 28oz Cooktop Cleaner

The whistle is a bit screechy, but then again, you want it to alert you over the noise of the house.

The handle DOES get hot. Not burn-your-hand hot, but very warm. If you only touch the rubber part, you're fine, but you almost have to grab the whole thing to lift it and pour it safely.

I highly recommend getting the stainless steel version; it's beautiful and functional.

The Kitchenaid 2qt tea kettle is an attractive, solid-performing, and simplistic addition to my cookware. I got tired of boiling water in my small Calphalon pot that I decided to finally buy a dedicated kettle.

Sure, boiling water in a pot is fine, but have you ever forgot about the boiling water while waiting for it and it boiled dry? I'm guilty for sure. That's terrible for your pots too, not to mention a safety hazard. I wasn't sold on a stove top kettle over an electric but finally settled on the stove top.

The plastic electric kettles concerned me over leeching issues and the stainless steel electrics were very expensive. I was also worried that cleaning the electric kettle's would also be harder and really did not want one more thing in my kitchen to plug in amongst the mixer, toaster, microwave, ice cream maker, blender, etc. When Amazon's price dipped below half of what it cost elsewhere, I plunged in head first to get the stainless steel Kitchenaid kettle.

The stainless steel version, as mentioned by a previous reviewer, is safe on any stove top, including glass. This was the primary reason for me selecting the stainless, but aesthetic preference was a close second. As with any stainless steel interior pan or pot, there will be some white spots from hard water deposits, which disappear by boiling vinegar mixed with water and letting sit for about 10 minutes.

The kettle boils water quickly and the whistle starts out relatively quiet from a soft chirp to a full on, "hello I am B-O-I-L-I-N-G" whistle. The handle does NOT get hot. It can get mildly warm, but I would recommend either making sure you put the kettle on the correct-sized burner or using a slightly lower heat if having issues with a hot handle. I can't imagine that the silicone handles would actually melt, as one reviewer mentioned. I use Kitchenaid silicone trivets that get MUCH hotter and come in full contact with the bottom of my extremely hot pans and never have problems.

I just have a couple of minor issues. The functional complaint I have is that once the water boils and you lift the whistle, the steam that's collected in the whistle drips out onto the burner and kettle. My other complaints are related to Kitchenaid's packing decisions. The box that it came in, offered very little protection from scrapes therefore, my kettle had rubbed up against the box on the bottom, creating an unsightly blemish. Not a huge deal though right? It's on the bottom. The other is that they decided to use a very sticky tape to keep the lid safely shut during shipping. The tape was difficult to remove and did not completely rub off on washing. I may have to resort to using Goof Off to get the remaining residue off.

All in all, I'm happy with the Kitchenaid kettle and can't imagine a better value in another stainless steel kettle.

This is not 18-10 stainless steel. (It may be 18-0 to 18-8; chromium % - nickel %) Also, it's made in China (what isn't these days?) so we're a bit concerned about the "heavy metals" content (lead, mercury, etc). The surface is rather extensively "brushed" and not as smooth & shiny as the product photo indicates. (a noticable amount of grey metal particulate was on the white paper towels from first cleaning prior to using) The handles & spout lid frame are cast aluminum and the 'soft' inserts are high-temp silicone compound.

KitchenAid 'branded' products are not what they used to be (again, what is these days?). Their counter-top mixers and some other products remain of significant high quality, but their tagline "For the Way It's Made." has lost it's way. (in addition to the aforementioned mixers, we also own a KitchenAid fridge, KitchenAid dishwasher, KitchenAid food-processor, KitchenAid coffee maker, etc.) (the coffee maker, by-the-way, was recalled & KitchenAid disenfranchised that entire product line)

For the rather high price this should be nothing less than 18-10 Stainless & should have a much smoother 'low-sheen' brushed appearance, if not a typical full gloss polish. (example: the Farberware Classic Tiburon here on Amazon and at half this KitchenAid price!)

(one last note: our previous KitchenAid tea pot, the red porcelain enamel version of this one (also sold here on Amazon), rusted at several areas within a week or two of light-to-normal use & a few particles of the enamel detached)

Probably will return this, unfortunately. (great style, though. if only looks were everything!)

I have had many tea pots and most of them have been inexpensive.
I purchased this one hoping it would last longer and not
rust. I've had it for less than a month and it
is rusting already. I've been drying it out after
ever use to try to lengthen it's life.
I thought that if I spent $50 on a teapot it would last...wrong!!

I have no idea what some other reviewers are complaining about. The handle does not get hot when I use high heat on my gas stove. It does not leak steam from lid at high heat. It does not dribble when I pour boiling water into mug. It is easy to fill either using spout or taking off lid. I am only writing this review to offset the other reviews which are unfairly negative. Well. you can't please everyone. The terra cotta color is beautiful, the kettle is very well made, and it performs as a tea kettle is expected to perform. I really like it.

Best I've ever used. Beautiful, stainless, not much else to say. To rebut some of the complaints thus far:

It's not heavy at all. It's about the same as any other kettle.

As far as the handle getting hot.. well, the core of the handle is metal, so obviously the metal part is going to be hot. However, the rubber grip is there for a reason. If you grab the rubber part, it isn't hot. This isn't rocket science.

Splashing? I don't know what these people are talking about. I guess if you're moving the kettle all around while you're pouring, it will probably splash, but that goes for anything.

Lastly, the sound. This is one area that is a bit of a double edged sword. Yes, it is a little "screechy" and LOUD. In fact, this is probably the loudest kettle I've ever heard. However, the whole point of it is to catch your attention, and it certainly does that very well.

In summary, if you want a nice looking, stainless, functional, well made kettle for a good price, you can't go wrong.

If you can't lift 5 pounds or have no control over the motion or position of your hands, you should probably just avoid kettles in general. If you don't want a loud, annoying sound, boil your water in a pot.

I have had 3 or 4 kettles in the last couple of years. The Oxo, which is as/more expensive, went to hell so fast it was bizarre: warped, looking like it was fished out of a dumpster. Then I got another one that was a disaster: also got ugly weeks into its tour of duty. Second one was an even bigger disaster though because the hole was not big enough to get my hand down inside and white stuff started to appear in the water.

This one works fine, and there is no problem pouring using it (??). It is staying clean, though as is the case w/all stainless, keeping it clean means special treatment. Still, 10x better than the other two I had.

I love Kitchenaid products. The handmixer, manual can opener and the mini chopper are all great products. This is not. This is only the second product I've ever ordered from Amazon that I am returning. This tea kettle is a thing of beauty...elegant and sturdy with quality construction. My love affair ends there.

It seems that "the look" was the most important feature to the designer of this kettle because nothing else was considered. Makes me wonder how and who tested this product. They should have called me. It doesn't matter that this tea kettle is lovely to look at if it's not functional. It is almost impossible to add water to this kettle via the spout which is the fastest and most efficient way to add water to a kettle. The reason you can't easily add water is due to a design flaw. The lid on the kettle is made so deep that you cannot completely open the spount without taking the lid off. So, if you have to take the lid off to fill the pot, you may as well fill from the lid opening. It's a huge annoyance if you want to boil water for a quick cup of tea or coffee, and it's also a major design flaw. The other major annoyance is that it spews water on the stove as it begins to whistle and you end up with a puddle of water. I've tried different water levels to no avail. So not only will it take you longer to fill this kettle, you'll also have to clean up the water it spews. I've owned many tea kettles in my lifetime. None of them cost over $15 and none of them ever spewed water all over the place. I think for $39, a consumer should expect a quality tea kettle, not just a pretty pot. If I could have rated this with a minus star, I would have. What could have been another great product from Kitchenaid is a huge disappointment. I am shocked that Kitchenaid would offer such a poorly designed product. There are other reviews for this pot listed under the enamel (colored) versions. Many of those reviews expressed the same problems I have encountered with this kettle. I wish I had heeded their advice.

I saw coments like this before but no it was kitchen aide. Do not
buy Chinese made products. It is labeled stainless steel. It must have
around 11% Chromium or more to be stainless. Do not buy! Rust started
inside lip of top in under than 30 days....

We are so disappointed and are returning this item. We absolutely loved this kettle (beautiful, works well) but the RUST is an absolute deal breaker. We read about rust on one of the reviews but decided to take our chances anyway. I wish we listened we're sending it back.