Still Life With Kettle

Until about a week ago I had an Eco Kettle. The idea of this was that it had two chambers. You filled one with water and then by pressing a plunger the amount you needed was transferred to the smaller chamber to be boiled. This meant that you only need boil a small amount of water if you were just making a cup of tea. It was also useful if you spent some time in a room some distance from a tap, where you kept milk and tea bags, for example.

In my case, though, the kettle was almost adjacent to the kitchen sink and when it suddenly failed and I investigated the alternatives I realised that any kettle that let one boil in small quantities would suit me just as well. The disadvantages of the Eco Kettle are that in use it is quite heavy for most of the day, and that they advise you to replace the water once a day to retain freshness - not so ecologically friendly.

Looking at kettles online I discovered that whereas manufacturers tell you all about the wattage and the maximum cubic capacity, they remain very cagey about the smallest amounts of water required. Some boasted of an "immersed element", without explaining what that was or why it might be of benefit. In traditionally-shaped kettles where the large element placed near the bottom needed to be completely immersed in water, this amount could be several times more than needed.

I realised that I needed to visit an actual shop so that I could make an informed choice. Luckily, before that happened though, I came across some at Whitehall's Garden Centre, where I'd gone yesterday to see the reindeer. This Russell Hobbs model was a third off the RRP and has a concealed element, presumably beneath the kettle's floor, though I had to get it home and read the instructions to discover that the recommended minimum is "two cups" (is that a specific measure?) - result!

This could have been my first SP but I seem to have accidentally put the handle in the way. How could that have happened?

Blip #577
Consecutive Blip #006
Day #635

Still Life series

One year ago: Caen Hill Locks (It was colder than today)