Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Hamilton Beach Variable Temperature Electric Kettle.  For many years I recommended the old standard Hamilton Beach Kettle and it was one hell of a work horse.  I did the math and that thing gave me over 7300 cycles (conservative estimate) and it didn’t really die, the lid clasp simply stopped working.

So two years ago I set out to find a better electric kettle.  I settled on the Miroco Kettle which was pretty great.  I have used mine for two years with nothing but great results.  Problem is they stopped making it, so I have been meaning to add a new advanced tech kettle to the TspAz Catalog.  You know me though I don’t like to recommend a thing without owning it.

Anyway the Miroco is still working but it has started to be for lack of a better word a little bitchy.  At times you have to take it off the base and wait a few moments and put it back on for it to turn on, stuff like that.  With electronics this is like an old dog that starts hiding in strange places.  It saying, boss I am tired and my days are numbered.

So I decided 2.5 years isn’t bad for an item like this that gets 4-6 cycles a of use a day, every day 365/24/7.  Folks I mean we take our kettle and french press on vacations.  No rest, at all!  Still the old Hamilton went twice as long and the electronics themselves were rock solid.  So I checked and Hamilton Beach has finally entered the 2020s.  They have a variable settings kettle now.

I got one and I am impressed.  So why would you want an electric kettle let alone a variable temp one?

First it is variable in temp, you can set a temp at your choice from the following 1 touch options. 160, 175, 180, 190, 200 or just boil.  Why do this?  Did you know that the perfect temp to make coffee in a French Press is actually 200 degrees?  Green tea depending on form and grade is best in a range of 160-185.  White tea is best at 170-185. Really I am not making that up.  Most herbal teas are best steeped at 190-195 in my opinion anyway.  If you disagree with my numbers just pick your own.  You can now set the temp, hit a button and get precision.  Think of it like Sous Vide for your tea and coffee.

What you think is best you get, every time.  Ain’t tech great!

Next ever boil eggs in an electric kettle?  It is easy and fool proof, really.  Here is some info on it.  But when this article was written you didn’t have precision control of your temps with such a kettle, I am sure with a bit of testing  you can figure out the exact temp to do your eggs at, how long to leave them in and get perfect yolks to your preference with this new fangled kettle.  I use sous vide for this now, but not having to get it out and just using this kettle is nice if you want to just do a few eggs.  The lid on this is a bit tighter than the Miroco so you may need tongs to get the eggs out but even our large duck eggs fit no problem.

Next the keep warm feature is really nice.  Though keep warm is a bad term and gives the wrong impression in my view.  Maintain temp is a better term.  Say you set your kettle to 200 degrees to nail your next batch of Holler Roast Coffee perfectly.  But you also get distracted, you know like letting your ducks out or something.  Something pops, then something else, 30 minutes later, why don’t I have coffee, oh that’s right.  You go back to the kettle and it is way cooled off.

Now you sit like a schlub and wait for it to heat back up.

Not with the this kettle you won’t!  You set your temp, then hit keep warm.  Your kettle will get that water to 200 and stop, it will then kick back on every time the temp goes down a bit and bring it back to 200 for the next 30 minutes.  Then turn itself off.  So even if you want to have it perfect you can just kick it on and be up to your desired temp in a few seconds.  Gonna say this really sold me, as I get distracted a LOT.  Keep this feature in mind when it comes to a perfect egg as well.

Let me end with this though.  The old workhorse Hamilton Beach Standard Kettle is still made.  It will cost about 15 bucks less.  If all you want your kettle to do is boil water fast and last a long time, save the 15 bucks and get that one.  If you like me, think precision is cool, you like your French Press coffee or home blended herbal tea perfect, not just good then the new model is totally worth the 15 dollar premium.

So check out the Hamilton Beach Variable Temperature Electric Kettle today.  If you don’t already have something like it in your kitchen it is something you won’t really appreciate until you do.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – I won’t go into it here but if you make beer, wine, meads, etc I am sure you can see how this would be a great addition to your brewing/vinting kit as well.

Check Out this Quick Video of this Kettle