That time my $20 kettle died mid-boil and I had to McGyver a solution

I was making tea last Tuesday morning, half asleep, and my cheap electric kettle just stopped working with a loud pop. Water everywhere on the counter, steam still rising. I ended up boiling water in a saucepan on the stove like it was 1995, which took forever. Anyone else have a cheap appliance quit at the worst possible moment and have to resort to old school methods?

2 comments

2 Comments

paulschmidt12d ago

Wait, a loud pop and water everywhere but the kettle didn't actually explode?

julia_carter7011d ago

Have you checked the pressure release valve on the lid yet? In my experience, those pop off pretty dramatically if there's a buildup of steam and the seal is still tight. Take this with a grain of salt but I'd give the whole kettle a good once-over for hairline cracks around the bottom and the handle attachment points. I had a similar situation once and it turned out a tiny bit of mineral scale had jammed the whistle mechanism, causing the pressure to go somewhere else. Your mileage may vary but a thorough cleaning with vinegar usually fixes weird popping issues for me.