"Phil Addison" wrote in message
...
SWIMBO bought a shiny new steel kettle, and now we can't listen to the
kitchen radio when its on (the kettle that is!!) because it makes such a
vigorous 'kettling' racket, and not just when it's near boiling. Last
weekend I talked to a guy in our independent appliance retailer and he
said they are all like that these days, its due to the trendy new
'concealed element' design.

The concealed element 'feature' is where the element is embedded in the
flat bottom of the kettle, rather than being the conventional 'bent rod'
style immersed in the water. I think the noise is due to the large flat
base acting as a kind of sounding board.

On a quick look it seems as if this style of kettle is all that's
available these days. Has anyone else come across this problem? Any
recommendations for a good quiet cordless kettle?

Phil
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We used to be in the same boat, got through 3 of these in virtually as many
years, at 30 quid a pop not cheap.
The reason they are so noisy is the heated baseplate acts as a large
radiator for the sound of water instantly expanding to water vapour at
various hotspots across the surface.
The reason why they have a crap lifetime is the element itself is not fully
cooled underneath by the water, and gradually vaporises/sublimes over a
period of time until finally the weakest link gives.

We bought an el cheapo 'Cookware' kettle from Argos (£5) with the
conventional fully submerged element about 3.5 years ago.

It's still going strong!