goose77

I am a flight attendant for UAL... I love the electric kettles in rooms at international layovers... I hate the coffee makers in US hotel rooms. I question how clean they are,( all of those rumors about housekeepers cleaning them with bathroom cloths and toilet brushes!!!) and water does not get quite hot enough to make noodles and oatmeal, etc... (i call it astronaut food)...

I have searched online to try and buy mini travel kettles... they all seem to be from the UK, so would not be the right plug in for North America. Does anyone know where I could get a good, small, travel kettle?? thanks!

rally

not just the wrong plug , but the wrong voltage too !

Rally

Rampo

Before I picked up my Zujiroshi hot water pot (great for the kitchen, much too big for travel), I used a Bodum mini-electric kettle. Very light weight and holds .8 litres. I picked mine up a long time ago at the Crate & Barrel outlet store for $10, but you should be able to find it for under $20 ...
link: Bodum mini kettle

Pyg

I don't have a Kettle tip for you but I do second your opinion about the cleaniness of the coffee pots. I woke up one morning and made coffee (I'm a coffee nut so I bring my own coffee). Instead of enjoying my brew, it tasted like someone had put soap in my coffee pot. UGH. I had to toss out the coffee.

I haven't seen anyone use a toilet brush to clean a coffee pot, but I have seen how some housekeepers clean the glasses that they leave near your ice bucket. I walked in a guestroom and the housekeeper was in the bathroom and had those glasses in the sink with the hot water turned on. I suspect that the same rag they were wiping down the shower with was going to be the same one they wiped used to wipe down those glasses.

If they aren't wrapped in plastic, I don't use them.

goose77

Hey thanks... I will search for that brand of kettle... and I think I will def. start paking a cup and a mug of my own too. God only knows what germs I have consumed in my hotel room in the last 6 years of flying! Hopefully all the vodka I have consumed "unwinding" has killed them!

swise

You can also find really basic heating elements that are designed to be plugged in and submerged into a container of water. That would certainly save space. Of course, you'd have to be sure that wherever you stay has at minimum a ceramic coffee mug, or some other container that would not melt if the heating element happened to touch the side of the container.

I found an example of one here: http://www.goinginstyle.com/gis/body...id=7&pf_id=108

LeoB

You can make the UK one work, I've been doing it for 10+ years. The 240v UK kettle will work fine in the US, it just takes longer to heat up. Since it is only a heating element, there's no cycles to worry about. The plug -- you can buy a UK to US adapter and use it like that, but it adds some bulk/weight. I bought a replaceable European two-pin plug, cut off the British plug, and wired that in. Took five minutes, and I use it with an adapter in the US.

Last trip through LHR I bought a replacement kettle because I can't believe that the one I'm using was bought circa 1993-1994 in London and still going strong on 15-20 trips a year.

Cheers,
Leo

oldpenny16

But when travel I use the light weight plug in coil. I carry some disposable cups made of heavy paper (10 for $2.50 at my grocery store). They have a plastic sipping lid. I've made tea, noodles, instant potatos and other sorts of astronaut food. The coils last about a year now that they are made in China. I also carry plastic spoons, forks and knives. I don't touch what the maids do. I stay healthier that way.

rally

what kind of store would you find the metal "coil" heaters in ?

I remember them but have no idea where to look for them here in California ,
or if I was in Europe

thanks

Rally

J Houston

I always carry a water heating coil rated at 110 Volts. They are more compact, more adaptable to any type of container / quantity of water.

To use the 110 Volt unit on a 240 Volt supply have some handy person make you an adapter, with a plug on one end and a socket to suit the heater on the other end, with a 600PIV / 10AMP DIODE in ONE WIRE. Use TEFLON SLEEVING to cover the diode (heat resistant).

<-------(DIODE)-------------------------<
240 Volt supply . . . . . . . 110Volt equipment
<----------------------------------------<

Basically the diode chops half the cycle off the incoming power which effectively cuts the supply voltage in half. This is good for hair dryers, heating elements NOT for razors or electronic goods especially computers.

Get a Vietnamese drip coffee unit (USD$2) < http://images.google.com/images?q=tb...2520filter.jpg > then you can enjoy REAL coffee!

cefntilla

Hi, I know what you mean. You could try the Cookworks Travel Kettle from Argos in the UK. I believe it's dual voltage and is switchable underneath the kettle. Good luck! Here's a link http://answers.argos.co.uk/answers/1.../questions.htm

hawaiian4

HI goose77
i did a search on e-bay for travel coffee maker found 129. you might go there and find what you.

Flahusky

A great travel 'pot' from a previous thread. Sanyo Travel Cooker

Honestly for $100 you can't beat it IMHO..
Plug adapters are less then $3.

h15t0r1an

Yes, many of these kettles are built to run on 110 or 240V. Look underneath them. Either stamped on the plastic or on a label you should find 110-240V if it''s able to operate at dual voltage. Then just use a standard cheap plug converter you can pick this up anywhere.

tentseller

This is the best that I have used. Mine is 7 yrs old. It was recommended by a colleague who's unit was already 8 yrs old and still going strong after 15 yrs.

With one of these you can get a real meal as opposed to instant noodles.