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This kettle is everything you could want! I use it mostly for french press coffee, but my guests have used it for various kinds of tea, instant oatmeal, or hot chocolate with great success.
I did a lot of research on these kettles, and I found that the one thing to avoid was kettles with plastic insides. Every single one with plastic innards had comments about plastic taste in the water. Stainless and glass interiors didn't have this problem, but glass was more susceptable to scale buildup. So I went with stainless. There aren't many of these kettles with stainless insides, and the ones there are are generally more expensive. I looked at the Breville and some others, but they were simply too much money. This one, while not cheap, offered a great feature set, accurate temperatures, stainless interior, good controls, unobstrusive base, and pretty nice aesthetics.
The kettle is easy to fill, solidly built, and heats water very fast. It finishes its heat cycle with an authoritative BEEP that I can hear from the next room as I watch Sports Center. Another bonus is that even once it has reached temperature, it will keep the water at that temperature for up to 30 minutes, so if I'm busy doing something else, my kettle can wait until I get there, and my water isn't too cold or too hot! The most important thing about a good cup of french press coffee, besides the beans, is the temperature of the water.
The base is very minimal and you don't even notice it when the kettle is sitting on it, it looks like one piece of the kettle. The controls are easy to reach while holding the kettle by the handle, and the little LED light on the water level indicator is bright and helps you see the water level in a dimly lit early morning kitchen. It also automatically shuts off after a bit if the kettle heat has been turned off. The kettle will turn off automatically after a certain amount of time, but it also is easy to turn off once you've poured out your needed water by pressing the "keep warm" button again.
Cleaning is as easy as making a water/white vinegar mixture and letting the kettle boil for 10-15 minutes, then rinsing it out a few times. This removes lime scale deposits and calcification.
For the build quality, looks, features, and performance, I can't rate this kettle high enough! Look no further!
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UPDATED entire review on 9/12/2013 (Originally purchased and reviewed on August 2010)
We've owned Krups FLF2-J1 electric kettle for about 4 years and while it was doing the job I was desperately looking for something with selectable temperatures until I saw newly released CPK-17. While there were no reviews available at the time of the purchase I decided to try it out anyway and I was perfectly satisifed from the first cup of tea. We've been using it for over 3 years now and still enjoy the kettle as the day we got it. There is no rust on the kettle and all functions are working. It needs some cleaning, but that's a personal choice.
What I like:
Selectable temperatures. This was main feature why I bought it on the first place. I don't ever boil the tea, I prefer 175 degree setting and no more burning tongues!
There was no smell when it was brand new
Stylish looking even after 3 years I still like the look of it
Fits a cup more then a previous Kettle I had, but I rarely fill it up
Blue led when in operation
Surprisingly quieter then I thought it would be
Beeps when ready
There is a setting to keep water wamr for 30 minutes
Faster tea preparation when selecting lower temps
Cap opens with a push of a button
Neutral:
It is on the pricy side, but you get what you pay for, it's solidly build and looks stylish, plus it's been working for 3 years with daily use
Some plastic there, but not too much
Not so Great:
They didn't make one 10 year ago, not really a con, but you know...
Stains easily
Buy Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp 1.7-Liter Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle Now
I did pretty extensive research before buying an electric kettle. The CPK-17 appealed to me on a few different levels. I liked the design, the materials used and the functionality. Although it's nice to have the option of different temperature settings, it's really only useful if you drink a lot of tea, which I don't. I generally use the "French Press" and "Keep Warm" settings, and there's also a Boil option (which is the next setting up from French Press). On the design side, it's a great looking appliance made from mostly stainless steel. Of course a big concern of mine is the use of BPA-leaching plastic in many kettles on the market, but there appears to be none on the interior of the CPK-17. The water level, as far as I can see, is covered with another sheet of steel. The only non-steel component I see on the kettle's interior is a silicone nub near the bottom, which nearly all kettles have and which are also heat-resistant. Another thing I like about the CPK-17's design is the 360-degree swivel capability of the kettle while resting on its heating element. And of course, the illuminated water level (on when the kettle is in use) is very attractive a nice soft blue color. The pouring spout is perfectly-shaped which makes for a fool-proof pour every time. In terms of functionality, the CPK works exactly as advertised. Heat-up time is quick and the controls are responsive.
The major complaint I have with the CPK-17 is the fact that it's already scaling at the bottom and I've only had the kettle for 2 weeks. To me, this is crazy especially considering I use filtered water by Multi-pure (one of the most advanced filtration systems available), so the water is as clean as it gets before it even goes into the kettle. No chlorine, no calcium, no lime -so what's with the scaling deposits already? It's annoying, and I wonder if other owners have had similar issues. Anyway, I'm giving this product 4 stars. To recap...
Pros:
great design, little if any interior plastic
smooth functioning, fast heat-up
Cons:
Scales easily after only a few uses
Pricey
Read Best Reviews of Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp 1.7-Liter Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle Here
This has review three parts: (1) why you should get something like this in general, (2) specific concerns about this product not addressed in other reviews, and (3) detailed operational measurements (water temperature range)
=== Part 1: Why to get an variable temperature electric tea kettle ===
For anyone who drinks tea (unless it is exclusively black) or makes coffee outside an all-in-one, department store drip-brewer, this is absolutely indispensable. Though most recipes have been built to use only room-temp or boiling water (since those are the only temperatures to easily reach with consistency), more cutting-edge cooking as well as coffee/tea prep requires more finesse. Unless you're willing to watch the proverbial pot boil with a thermometer in hand, this is the only way to heat water on such occasions.
=== Part 2: Concerns / questions raised (and/or) left unanswered by other reviews ===
I won't go into detail about well-established pros and cons covered in other reviews, but I would like to make clear a few things I couldn't determine from reviews/specs before I bought mine:
("Hot sides/surfaces"): Yes, the sides get hot, and yes, it is startling to touch the metal outer wall when the water is hot. However, according to my IR thermometer, the surface never gets much above 130 degrees. Sure, that's hot and you should avoid contact, but for comparison many people's hot water heater is set this high and (as validated by my rather stupid intentional touch test) an accidental touch is highly unlikely to cause even a mild first-degree burn unless you actively fight the reflex to instantly pull away.
("Construction / Material touching the water"): True, the sidewall level indicator and the "frame" of the removable spout filter are made of plastic (the BPA content of which I have not conclusively proved or disproved) but the former is part of a small compartment which only a small amount of water reaches and which has very limited circulation, and the latter is removable. The entire rest of the construction that touches water is steel. Since hot water dissolves BPA from plastics, and aluminum's role in neurodegenerative disease is unclear, iron/steel and glass are pretty much the only materials I trust completely for food storage/preparation containers. In this regard, this kettle is the safest option I've found.
=== Part 3: Operational test data ===
As a tea fanatic with a minimum of four kinds of tea always on hand (black, red/oolong, green, and white) and general geek, I have meticulously measured the actual temperature of the water in the kettle for the various settings. I share them here in hopes they will provide a useful operational profile for buyers interested in temperature variability. (Bear in mind that the container you pour into will greatly affect the water temperature, so remember to preheat it by filling it with hot water right before use.)
Button | @ First Trigger Completed
Label | "Beep" Re-heat Re-Heat
--------|-----------------------
160 | 164 160 163
175 | 180 175 178
185 | 192 185 188
190 | 197 191 194
200 | 203 199 204
Boil | 214 206 214
(All temperatures are in degrees F, as registered by my probe thermometer in the top half of the water with the kettle fully-filled.)
=== ===
I know this is half generally-relevant bullet points, and half geek-oriented test data, but I hope this review still has something useful for everyone.
Want Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp 1.7-Liter Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle Discount?
Hi.
I almost never write reviews but I believe this one deserve it.
I purchased this kettle from Amazon 6 months ago for $99. I really like the thermometer and could live with the stainless steel look. It worked like a champ until about 2 wks ago when I begin noticing how unusually long it is boiling. I use my kettles a lot for tea, hot water...pretty much 5-10 times a day. One time the water was boiling for close to 3 mins with scalding water splattering out of the spout. My husband suggested I wait no longer for it to shut off automatically and do it manually before it blows up.
That's when I contacted Cuisinart Customer Service only to learn that the only thing I can get from them is an exchange with me paying shipping both ways....NO thanks, I am not interested in spending any more of my money on something that may fail again.
So I called Amazon and begged them to take this kettle back and give me a refund. Amazon came thru and I got $79 back today.
I did lose $20 and my faith in Cuisinart products but at least Amazon didn't fail me. Thanks Amazon.
PS: When I took the base of the kettle off to ship it back to Amazon I noticed that it has been leaking under the base.
