Hot-water gadget could 'kill the kettle'
Could the Quooker spell the end of the electric kettle?
Waiting for the kettle to boil could soon become a thing of the past following the invention of a gizmo that produces instant boiling water.
Demand is brewing for the gadget, called a Quooker, meaning that the future of the electric kettle - a mainstay of kitchens for over 50 years - could be in hot water, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Introduced to the UK by a Dutch-based company three years ago, Quookers supply boiling water through a tap connected to a small tank hidden in a cupboard underneath the work surface or sink.
Retailers say as many as one in three designer kitchens now features a Quooker, with one declaring that the device would "kill the kettle".
What is more, despite costing nearly £800, nearly 10,000 of the taps were installed last year - an increase of 300% on the previous year.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, kettles are one of the most used appliances in the kitchen with the average family brewing up around four times a day, a total of 1,500 times per year.
However, retailers have praised the Quooker for being more cost-effective and labour-saving than the average kettle.
"Like the electric kettle took over the hob-top kettle, I think it will become part of our lives," said Richard Moss from Mark Wilkinson Furniture.
"More and more people will have them in the future."
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However, not everyone agrees. Linda Bone, the manager of the Smallbone kitchen showroom in west London, said: "They are nice to have but they aren't essential. I can't see everyone having one."
So it seems the electric kettle could be safe, for now.
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Comments
given the choice of either paying £4.99 at tescos for a kettle or £800 to a dutch company i know which i would go for... with the state of the economy do retailers really think were going to go for the later... wake up man and smell the luke warm coffee!
There are other bench top water boiler's on the market for about £60.00 which I think is more cost effective.
As for labour saving, how much 'labour' do you really save compared to filling a kettle.
we had one of these in my last work place but i have to say the water was never quite as boiling hot as a kettle. not so great for herbal teas where you wait a bit longer for the brew as you end up with warm water rather than hot. having said that, my husband always fills up a whole kettle when he's boiling water for tea for two, from cold, which is incredibly wasteful and i imagine others do the same, so the quooker would be an effective energy saver