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Question from Cheryl

Hi Debra and everyone,

I have been shopping for a new tea kettle. I just want a simple stove top type. All the kettles I see are made in China. For instance, Copco kettles abound at stores in our area. Does anyone know if Copco kettles are non toxic, or if the enamel kettles or stainless steel kettles can be assumed to be safe regardless of where they are made in general? I prefer not to risk shattering a glass pot. If both enamel and stainless steel kettles are equally nontoxic, is one more durable or rust resistant than the other? Thanks very much for any help you can provide.

Cheryl

Debra’s Answer

The first thing I want to say is that not all products made in China are toxic or contaminated. There is a lot of press on a small number of toxic and contaminated products from China, but there are many more products that are fine and safe. I personally know businesses that manufacture in China that are making good products. So “china” does NOT equal “toxic.”

About enamel and stainless steel. Elsewhere we’ve already discussed that stainless steel leaches. In fact, the first I read of this was years ago from Rodale Press, where they discovered that stainless steel water distillers were leaching metals into the boiling water in the distiller. So I would not use stainless steel kettle or pot for boiling water.

An enamel kettle is fine if the enamel is on the inside of the kettle. If it’s on the outside, it doesn’t protect you from the metal on the inside that the water is in contact with. If it’s stainless steel or aluminum, I wouldn’t recommend it. I looked at the Copco website and all their kettles are either stainless, enamel on steel or aluminum.

Personally, I heat my water for tea in a Visions glass pot. I don’t see the need for an extra piece of cookware just to boil water. Let’s be efficient with the resources of the Earth and have cookware that multi-tasks.

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