T-fal 1l Balanced Living (BF6138)

 

Introduction

This kettle looks a bit like “Rico” (to the right)  and “Skipper” (center), the penguins of Madagascar from the Dreamworks movies.

Like the penguins, you want to cuddle it, but this is not advisable. The kettle still produces boiling hot water instead of entertaining slapstick.

The T-fal design looks compact and robust.
With just 1-liter capacity the device is aimed at small households or people that don’t like sharing hot water.

It is still too big to call it a travel kettle unless you have plenty of space (but then you could take any other kettle as well…).

The temperature setting is slightly sketchy – see below.

The cute design would be even more appealing if there were no plastic inside.

How does it work?

Due to the smaller capacity, the full kettle reaches the boiling point in about 4-5 minutes.

For just a cup the producer promises a boiling time of 90 seconds. In The USA and Canada it might take a few seconds longer due to other limiting facors (see our blog on wattage to explain this issue)
The quick heating times is also the reason why the kettle has no keep-warm function.

There is a window that shows the water level and a knob for the temperature setting.
The knob goes from low to medium to high, but you cannot set a specific temperature.
The low setting corresponds to about 160°F/70°, medium to 185°F/85°C and high to boiling water.
This arrangement is somewhat erratic and might not suit people that need a precise temperature reading (i.e., high-quality green and white teas).

Otherwise, the kettle is light (2.8 lbs/1.3kg) and easy to handle.

The lid opens by pushing the brightly colored part back.
This reveals the limescale filter which can be removed for cleaning.

Find here a full list of features.

Price ($)

Amazon: $52.99 (check price here)

Walmart:  $40.49 (check price here)

Suitable for $ budget.

The Good, the Bad, and the Conclusion

Pros:

• Reasonable low price
• Short boiling time
• Compact and energy efficient
• Excellent for small households or offices

Cons:

• Not BPA free (plastic inside)
• No precise temperature setting
• Not suitable for high quality tea

Conclusion

As mentioned above the T-fal kettle is ideal for one or two person households or offices.
If the precise temperature setting is not crucial to you, this might be the right kettle for you.
A concern is the plastic inside. It doesn’t affect the function but might pose a health worry.

Therefore we give it a limited recommendation.

The Kettle Whistler

Please also check out Affiliate Disclosure here.