Choosing an Electric Kettle, No Plastic Allowed! -

This post is about choosing an electric tea kettle: no plastic components touching water.

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I am convinced after decades of studying health and seeing my own son become extremely ill from a brain inflammation disease caused by bio-toxins that one of the most important things we can do for ourselves and our family is to lower the toxic load in our bodies. There area macro decisions we can make like making sure our home is free from mold and there are micro-decisions we can make like using non-toxic detergents. Choosing an electric kettle with no plastic components touching the water is a decision that lays somewhere in the middle. The quality of our water is definitely a macro decision that makes a huge effect on our health but since no-one (that I know of) is heating all of their water in an electric kettle, I would consider choosing an electric kettle with no plastic touching the water one of the bigger micro health decisions you can make to lower the toxic load in your body.

Why is Plastic In An Electric Kettle Bad for You?

Plastic is poison for the body. There are many types of plastic and they vary in safety as far as being used to store water or food because each type of plastic has a different chemical makeup which make them more or less likely to break down and to leach chemicals into the water they are containing. Anything with BPA or phthalates are an absolute no, always. BPA and phalates have been linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive issues, and cancer.

There are some plastics, such as polypropylene that are more stable and better for heat applications than other plastic choices but even polypropylene can degrade and leach over time and should be avoided.

Beyond the health risks associated with using plastics in heat applications where your drinking water will be in contact with the plastic there are also environmental factors to consider as plastic does not naturally or safely break down and overtime it will breakdown into micro-plastics that find their way into marine life and our water supply and end up leading to a never ending cycle of ingesting plastic, even if we are trying to avoid that very thing.

Is it OK to Have Some Plastic Pieces in an Electric Kettle Design?

This is a question that many will answer different ways. On one hand, any plastic that is being heated, even if it’s not in contact with your drinking water, could give off VOCs that you breathe in when it’s heated. On the other hand, it can be almost impossible to find an electric kettle with zero plastic components on the heating base. The way I see it, it’s always best to aim for no plastic anywhere in the design but sometimes function, durability, or price will dictate that you have to compromise.

What Are The Best Non Toxic Materials to Look For In An Electric Kettle (No Plastic) Design?

Borosilicate Glass: Borosilicate glass is extremely non toxic and an amazing choice for a material for an electric kettle. To learn more about borosilicate glass kettles you can go here. The negative of this material is that it can break more easily if dropped and as of today, I can only find one borosilicate glass electric kettles with no plastic touching the water and it does have a stainless steel base. Since there are some borosilicate glass kettles that can be used on stoves, one in theory could buy a standalone electric heating base and a standalone borosilicate glass kettle and use them together as a makeshift electric kettle but I have to admit that sounds like too much work for me.
Stainless Steel: My first choice for a non toxic electric kettle, no plastic parts, is a stainless steel bodied kettle. I prefer stainless steel electric kettles over glass kettles only because of the durability if bumped or dropped and also because they are usually made in larger capacities. Most of the electric tea kettles on the market are made from stainless steel. The trick is finding options that do not also contain plastic components that are touching the water. Don’t worry though, I’ve done all the research for you and even contacted manufacturers when needed.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Electric Kettle: No Plastic

Just because it looks like it doesn’t contain plastic, doesn’t mean it actually doesn’t. When I do research I always read product descriptions, read the FAQ, and if needed, I will contact the manufacturer. “BPA Free” doesn’t mean there is no plastic parts touching the water, it just means there is no BPA in the plastics.
Capacity: This is a personal choice but my personal thought process is that I would rather have a larger tea kettle and a smaller tea pot to actually brew tea in or to use for coffee pour-overs because, with a family of 7 I will often have the need for larger quantities of hot water. On the other hand, you don’t want something so large that it’s hard to store or lift.
Shape: I LOVE the look of the gooseneck kettles but I personally think they might be trickier to store. However, they are so pretty that might make a great styling piece that stays out all of the time.
Spout Shape/Function: Gooseneck spouts are best for pour overs and precision pours and shorter and wider spouts are better for things like soup and oatmeal or when you need the water to pour out more quickly.

Best Electric Kettle Options With No Plastic Touching the Water

Conclusion

Finding an electric kettle (no plastic touching water) can be challenging but it’s very important that this standard is withheld because of the very negative effects on health that come with ingesting toxins leached from plastics. If you are looking for more information on non toxic electric tea kettles you can check out this post. If you are interested specifically in borosilicate kettles you might want to check out this post.