Chantal Stainless 1-4/5-Quart Classic Teakettle

... start with a Chantal tea kettle. After having purchased tea kettles that didn't whistle consistently even when full (the OXO Good Grips Uplift for one), it is nice to finally have one that does. No longer do I have to worry about putting the kettle on and forgetting about it! The water is heated very quickly, and it has a nice sounding harmonica whistle that is just the right loudness. I have a gas stove and the handle did get hot. Another reviewer had a good idea about using a pot handle hotpad (the Woolworks wool one fits well), but the handle cools so quickly that I find that I usually don't even use it. This is the nicest looking tea kettle that I've seen. Even though it is 2.5 quarts it's not as big and clumsy as some of the others. One look at the bottom of this kettle, and you know that it is sturdy, sturdy, sturdy! Most definitely a high quality kettle.

For two or three times the price of an equally attractive and useful kettle I fell for the Chantal whistler. What was I think? Once again you don't always get what you pay for. The design, especially of the heavy wire handle suggests that the form actually functions, in this case to dissipate heat and make the handle cool enough to lift. Alas, no: you have to dress the handle in an asbestos-appearing little pot holder that comes with the kettle. One more thing to misplace, one more layer of complexity in the early morning routine. And filling or pouring isn't a breeze either. As for the whistle - anyone can whistle - better. And the whistle mechanism frequently fails due to moisture buildup. Come on Chantal - it's a kettle and there's bound to be steam: that's the point for goodness sake! And it isn't a perky little kettle whistle nor is it a romantic foghorn. It's a ho-hum harmonica at best. OXO makes a much better whistling kettle that fills and pours far more reliably and...Read more

Have had this teakettle for over five years with perfect service. Earlier, I had a blue enamel Chantal from Williams-Sonoma, and the interior enamel began flaking off. W-S is known for excellent customer service and cheerfully allowed me to replace it with this model (plus the difference in price between the two models, about $30 at the time).

The kettle came with a handle-shaped pot holder-like sleeve for using the handle after boiling water. However, the salesperson and the user manual both warned that the holder is NOT safe to leave on the pot while heating: you slip it on only when the pot is boiling, and you remove it immediately after use (between use, you can store it on the kettle handle). Seems like an after-thought workaround.

Earlier this year, I saw the same kettle at the home of a relative. She had a silicone handle on her kettle handle that apparently is safe for use when heating. I didn't take the time to note whether this was a specific...Read more