Copco 2-1/2 Quart Teakettle Prescott, Sunset Red

I forgot to mention our newest addition to the household. The newest item makes the dehumidifer look lazy. We got a new tea kettle! You see, I had this really old, aluminim type one that I had inherited from a roommate ... oh about 10 years ago. For the last ten years we have used this kettle almost daily, and over the years calcium builds up on the bottom. Last week I had this cat dish I couldn't get clean because of the calcium build up, so I poured vinegar in it and let it sit for a day. It was clean as a whistle in no time!

I did the same thing with the kettle...except it wasn't working the same. I think there was just too much calcium for it to do any magic...and I would have had to use 20 gallons of vinegar to clean it. After I poured out the first vinegar I decided it would be a good idea to poke it with a butcher knife. Poke, the calcium I mean. I slowly started to break off chunks of the calcium build up that had been softened by the vinegar. I counted at least 3 or 4 layers of different calcium, but eventually started to get bored and did little "drill bits" in the thicker parts to break it up more. Well, I think you can see where this is going.

I accidentally drilled and poked all the way through in about 4 spots. This tea kettle was done. I went and reported the sad news to the DH and told him we needed to go buy a new one (especially since I wanted tea that afternoon). We headed over to Orange Tree Imports on Monroe to on our bikes (and for the start of that big bike ride), and hemmed and hawed over the outrageous prices. But since we had already been to target earlier we couldn't justify going back. We ended up getting the 20$ model, with a high handle, little trigger to open the spout and the color red. This is the most amazing purchase ever, folks. I can't believe we gimped along so long with that inferior tea kettle before.

Now in like 5 minutes (instead of 15) we have hot, boiling water from a tea kettle that doesn't require you have an oven mitt on to touch it AND it lets us know when it's done because it whistles. Geez...if you don't have a kettle like, I suggest you go out and get one, because anything else is a waste of energy, time and money.