TIL that most American's don't have electric kettles in their kitchens to boil water.

Voltage from a wall is irrelevant.

What matters is the maximum amperage.

With basic electrical engineering knowledge you can step up a 120 volt source to 220, or even 1,000,000 volts, it's not difficult.

You cannot however, exceed it's maximum rated amperage as the breaker will pop and or (if the breaker is upgraded) cause the wire in the wall to melt.

So while this article is neat, an electric kettle maker could make one that heats up just as fast as the eurpean ones if they wanted to (on an american electrical circuit at 120 volts ac, no problem).

Imo, they don't catch on in America because we don't drink as much tea or things that need hot water.

If I make tea I use my tea maker where it brews the tea for me and dispenses it straight into it's pitcher then I Just add ice and put in the fridge.

If I make soup I boil the water and all ingredeients together in a pot.

I don't drink hot cocoa.

If I make coffee I use my Keurig.

If I need hot water for noodles in a cup I just microwave a glass of water, it's faster (1200 watt Microwave).

So again, imo, our culture/lifestyle just leaves little need for an electric kettle.

/r/todayilearned Thread Link - uk.businessinsider.com