My wife is a purist from the south of England with several tea brewing options. If I boiled water in the microwave I’d be at real risk of divorce
I used to do house calls a decade ago for IT work. Often customers offered me beverages.
Had a European who worked at the UN for decades make me tea. Blew my socks off. I've never enjoyed tea, but it seems like we just don't know how to make it!
... The next month I was offered tea by a American. I wasn't expecting it being made by a pro, but let him try.
He put "hot" tap water into a cup and tossed a teabag in.
I fake drank it.
No. I put it in the air fryer
I did it when having no kettle,
Main problem is that you don't have a good temperature control, sometimes, you get mid-walm water, sometimes you get boiling water.
Even worse, you have this physical phenomena where water is above 100 degree but doesn't boil, and as soon you move-it it starts boiling. At best it's impressive but it can move into burn quickly.
Why not heat it on the stove in a small pan?
For me it's the fact that my cast iron stove takes ages to heat up
Has that happened to you? I've not managed to make super heated water in the microwave.
Yes it already happened a couple of time. It starts boiling either when pulling-out or when putting the tea inside.
I used to microwave water for all sorts of things before getting an induction stovetop.
Seriously, it goes from tap water to boiling in 2 minutes. It's a game changer.
My electric kettle does about the same. Long enough to finish a piss before doing the water things.
Never mix up things there... 😇
Induction hobs I think are still less efficient than an electric kettle, right? Correct me if I'm wrong. (I have both but I don't have the know-how to measure the effect of either. Just what I've heard.)
It would be interesting to test. quick, someone poke Technology Connections.
I did that in the past because we had no electric kettle at home. Today it's the over way round: I have a kettle but no microwave
Yes, if I need only 1 cup of hot water, I use the microwave.
The electric kettle wants a minimum of 2 cups (1/2 liter), or else it makes funny noises.
Mine makes funny noises too, but since it has a marker for one cup, the noises obviously don't matter.
Electric kettles are a waste of space for many people. Limited use, fills up the counter. So then either you use the store or the microwave. We both know which one is faster.
I honestly don't know which is faster since I've never used a microwave to boil water. An electric kettle is essential for me. It also boils water that can then be used for cooking so for me it's versatile enough to justify the space. Toasters imo have much more limited use and those seem to be common in US households too.
I live in the US and I heat my tea water in an electric kettle. It probably isn't as fast as yours, but it is still close to microwave speed. And I can heat up enough for several cups of tea and have it keep the rest hot. I usually drink more than one at a sitting.
Unless I'm misunderstanding your statement, you're saying it's faster to boil water in the microwave than the kettle? How's that possible? I would think the microwave has more wasted energy
My microwave can boil a single cup of water faster than my kettle. My kettle can boil four cups of water a lot faster than my microwave. It all depends on the microwave and kettle (and the voltage available).
I am an American. I got a stovetop kettle to boil water for my tea. My fiancée hates it and refuses to use it. My friends think it is weird that I don’t just use the microwave like a normal person.
We don't. Our simple kettle with its whistle is working great, despite its age. And its much nicer to look at than a microwave too ;)
I use an electric kettle but remember that in the US outlets are 120V, so they take a lot longer to heat water than in countries with 240.
So the microwave isn't much less efficient than the electric kettle, mainly because some of the energy is heating the mug/container. The least efficient is a stovetop kettle on an electric stove.
But I'm curious, why are Europeans so horrified by the idea of heating water in the microwave? Is it related to power consumption, or is there some other reason?
But I'm curious, why are Europeans so horrified by the idea of heating water in the microwave?
Not op. But I'm really curious about the whole "microwave water" thing.
For me it's just a completely foreign idea. Maybe because electric kettles are so ubiquitous over here. Like everyone has one, including office kitchens and hotel rooms.
I'm also curious over the practicality. Doesn't it spill over? What kind of container do you use to hold the water? For example if you want one cup of tea, do you just put a cup of water into the microwave? Depending on the container, do you watch it the whole time?
I understand why one may use the microwave to heat water, I also understand it works, but the idea of actually doing it is... mystifying.
American electric kettles are also quite a bit slower to boil because our mains voltage is so low. https://youtu.be/_yMMTVVJI4c
I've always had a stove top kettle, there was no reason to boil water in the microwave for tea. Up until a few years ago, I did not have a microwave. I prefer the even temperature of water boiled in a kettle.
Takes longer and usually don't get it hot enough.
Not once in my life.
Wait, you guys have microwaves?
Sincerely, Someone who does not own a microwave
So you heat a whole oven or stove every time you want some leftovers? cries in planet
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