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Kettle that will give you a cuppa in just three seconds
Last updated at 23:22pm on 08.06.07When you nip into the kitchen to make a cup of tea during a TV ad break, it can be touch and go whether you will be back on the sofa by the time your programme starts again.
Research suggests that a kettle filled with cold water will take two minutes 47 seconds to reach bubbling point.
Now scientists have come up with a solution to the dilemma by designing a kettle which they say can produce a cup of hot water in only three seconds.
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Green machine: The Quick Cup could help users cut their power bills
Users fill the Tefal Quick Cup kettle from the tap in the normal way. The clever bit comes when they press a red button.
The device sucks up a pre-set amount of water – 220ml, which is enough to fill a mug. This is drawn through a spiral heating element and emerges, piping hot, from the spout.
If 220ml is too much, users can press the button again to kill the flow. If more is needed, they keep their finger on the button until the device has produced enough.
The Tefal kettle is more than just a super-fast water heater for it also incorporates a water filter, which is designed to clean up the tap water it uses, reducing chlorine.
Users can press a second, black button to get a glass of room-temperature, filtered water.
The makers say the kettle will help families cut their energy use. For those of us who are inclined to heat a full kettle of water and then only use some of it, producing one cup of water in three seconds is infinitely more efficient – and cheaper.
Tefal claims the device offers energy savings of up to 65 per cent compared with the normal kettle.
Currently, more than 230million cups of tea and coffee are drunk in Briton every day. A company spokesman said: "If people heated only the water they needed, rather than full kettles, the country would save enough energy to power the entire nation's street lighting.
"We believe Quick Cup is one small step which could have a significant impact if widely taken up."
At £59.99, the Quick Cup is not cheap, but Tefal claims the energy saving offered amounts to around £30 a year.
There are some other drawbacks. While the water the device produces is very hot, it is not quite at boiling point. Consequently, tea lovers may find it doesn't draw as much flavour from a tea bag.
Similarly, the water might not be quite hot enough to work with all types of dried soup, hot chocolate or a Pot Noodle.
The company warns that it would not be hot enough to produce the sterile water needed to reconstitute dried baby milk.
Initially, the Quick Cup will be available only from Currys, where it will go on to the shelves from July 1.
Reader views (23)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
Ditto to all the above comments but after about a month I started to notice a film on the tea I changed the filter but no change so then I cleaned it with vinegar as per instructions but still no change, I cant even strain it as the scum like film is to fine Help what is this!!!
- Maritsa, Hertfordshire
The machine is good and does what it says, but the only limitation is, the filters are very expensive and last for a few weeks.
- Andrew Mckenna, Chilwell, Nottingham uk
When making a cup of tea I find the best way to stop the splashing is to use a tea strainer, put the tea bag into the strainer pop the strainer on to the cup then fill from the 1 CUP as normal, this makes a super cup, my wife like the strength of the tea made this way, I like mine stronger so I put another bag on top of the used one and hey I have a stronger brew, you can also use a teaspoon to squeeze the bag when pouring has finished. Friends and family use this method and they say it works well, tea strainer from ASDA 37p.
- Hugo Galli, Coventry UK
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