{"id":12598,"date":"2022-07-27T10:03:18","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T10:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.housejunkie.co.uk\/?p=12598"},"modified":"2023-01-10T02:20:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T02:20:00","slug":"who-invented-the-kettle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homesguide.co.uk\/who-invented-the-kettle\/","title":{"rendered":"Be In the Know: Who Invented the Kettle?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wanting to know who invented the kettle is a common question. It is one you may have asked yourself when enjoying a delicious cup of tea or when you decide to boil water for a meal. The automatic kettle, which most of us use today, is a simple and effective tool for boiling water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the electric kettle hasn\u2019t always been the simple device we know and love today. Throughout the years, the evolution of tea kettles began with a handful of inventors keen to find a reliable way of getting water to the right boiling point. Without these inventors experimenting with copper kettles, whistling kettles, and electricity, we wouldn\u2019t have one of the world\u2019s most popular small kitchen appliances in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Did the Kettle Originate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The automatic electric kettle<\/a> is a relatively recent invention. However, the kettle as a concept goes back many centuries. Over the years, we\u2019ve seen cast iron kettles, tea kettles, and stovetop kettles. Long before companies began producing plastic kettles and using an electric heating element<\/strong> to boil water, people already used their own version of the kettle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Did Kettles Boil Water in the Past?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vessels almost identical to the modern tea kettle, from the spout (or metal tube) to the body’s shape, date back all the way to 3500 BC<\/strong>. Of course, these were often time consuming and inefficient. Most often, they had a small water chamber and nothing but fire for heating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Was the First Kettle Invented?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There’s not much information about the history of the kettle, nor do we know where the first kettle came from. On the other hand, most agree that the age of the modern kettle began in the nineteenth century<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kettle history is complex. If you asked someone when the first kettle was created, they\u2019d often ask whether you\u2019re talking about old-fashioned kettles with decorated spouts, the old kettle with a spout that emitted a whistling sound, or the new modern era kettle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carpenter Electrical Company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first kettle for making tea and boiled water with electricity first emerged from the Carpenter Electrical Company in 1891. Based in Chicago, the company made perhaps the first kettle capable of heating water with electricity<\/strong>. Still, it took around 10 minutes for the water to come to a boil because the heating element was in a separate compartment from the water. The separate chambers made it harder to heat the water quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Swan Company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Swan company’s early kettles solved the inefficient electric kettle by sealing the heating element into a metallic cylinder placed directly in the water<\/strong>. This new design outshined the first electric kettle with something that could heat water a lot faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These kettles were made almost entirely out of metal and featured their new electrical component. During the war, shortages in metal for the new electric kettle meant manufacturers had to switch to ceramics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arthur Leslie<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While he might not have been the first to use electricity to heat water, Arthur Leslie<\/a> is often credited with inventing the electric kettle because he was the first to create a plug-in model<\/strong> that rendered the whistling kettle unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harry Bramson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first whistling kettle was designed by a man called Harry Bramson. This initial design featured a device creating a whistling sound<\/strong> to inform users when the water inside had boiled. This tea kettle let users know when to take the kettle off the heat and add green tea leaves or pour the water into teacups for serving. Kettles were also regularly used for cooking food at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Hobbs and William Russell<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first fully automatic kettle was introduced in 1955, designed by Peter Hobbs and William Russell. The two men created a company titled Russell Hobbs. The K1 automatic kettle had a sleek design<\/strong> and was made with polished chrome<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The K1 was the first electric kettle introduced in 1955 by Russell Hobs. pic.twitter.com\/dN2P0B4NMU<\/a><\/p>— Rewind Time (@RewindTime_) October 22, 2016<\/a><\/blockquote>