Hamilton Beach 40898 Cool-Touch Cordless 8 Cup Electric Kettle Review

I like to send my children and husband off to work and school with a thermos full of warm soup for lunch.  I like to heat up the thermos beforehand by filling it with boiling water (it keeps the soup warmer for longer), but mornings get so crazy that it can be hard to fit in time to do this.  I came across the Hamilton Beach 40898 Cool-Touch Cordless 8 Cup Electric Kettle by chance one day, and realized it’s the perfect solution to my problems.  I haven’t looked back since!  It’s a forty ounce kettle that is made out of stainless steel.  The heating element is concealed, which means that there’s nothing in contact with the water but stainless steel. It heats on a base, which means it’s cordless when it comes to pouring.  It’s very safe to use (I let my eight year old use it from time to time): there’s a locking lid, a drip free spout, and an automatic shut-off.  On top of all that, the outside is cool to the touch, so there’s no chance of burned fingers.  All and all it’s the perfect kettle for my family – I don’t know what I did without it!

Pros:

• Stainless Steel: With all the talk going around the chemicals that can be released by heated plastic, I like that there’s no plastic involved with this unit.  Everything’s made of stainless steel.  It’s good stuff, too – there are no cracks anywhere for junk to get caught in. 

 

• Heats Quickly: Did I mention that mornings are crazy in our house?  There’s not a lot of extra time for anything.  That’s why this kettle has become so indispensible. It can heat forty ounces of water to boiling in about four minutes.  Whether I need water for oatmeal, tea, or anything else, it doesn’t take me long to get it.

 

• Safe to Use: I never let my kids near our old kettle.  The outside got very warm and there was always a chance of spilling.  I haven’t seen any of that with the Cool-Touch.  The lid locks tightly, and the outside stays remarkably cool. There’s even an automatic shut off once the water starts boiling, which is a great feature for our hectic mornings.

 

• Easy to “Plug In”: Instead of having a cord that attaches directly to the kettle, this kettle rests on a little base.  When it’s “plugged in” to the base it heats up.  Once it’s done I just lift it off the base.  This makes pouring much easier since I don’t have to worry about any cords getting in my way.   The base is small, too, and doesn’t take up too much space on my counter.

Cons:

• “Max” Line is Hard to Read: The line that shows me how far to fill up the kettle is a little bit hard to see.  This was disconcerting at first, but I realized pretty quickly that even if I overfill it a little bit the kettle will still work without a problem.  Since I realized that I just estimate, which always seems to work just fine.

 

• Can’t Adjust the Heat Level: This kettle has two modes – off and on.  There’s no way to adjust the heater to get to a specific temperature level.  If you’re brewing tea and need a specific temperature you may have to invest in a kitchen thermometer.  It’s great at heating water to boiling, though, which is all I’m looking for!

It’s hard to go wrong with this kettle.  It’s easy and safe to use, it heats a whole lot of water up quickly, and it’s easy to pour and clean. My older daughter loves that she’s allowed to use it to heat up water for oatmeal, and I love how quickly it works.  If you’re looking for an alternative to a stovetop kettle (or even a plastic electric one), this kettle definitely a great choice.

Price Alert: Right now Amazon.com is offering free shipping and a 30% discount for the Hamilton Beach 40898 Cool-Touch Cordless 8 Cup Electric Kettle. This means their current price is $19.26 cheaper than the usual retail price.

Click here to buy Hamilton Beach 40898 Cool-Touch Cordless 8 Cup Electric Kettle from Amazon.com