Sunbeam Hot Shot

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fan-of-fans

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I had been looking for one of these for a while and one popped up at Goodwill. I had been telling myself next time I saw one I'd get it. I am assuming these are discontinued seeing the rediculously high prices I see them selling for new online.

Anyway, it does what it's supposed to. I am planning to use this for making hot chocolate, since I usually want a second mug, and this heats enough water for two servings (16 oz). I used to heat the water in the microwave but I just don't like doing it that way.

The one I got is black and gray in color and, appears to be of relatively recent manufacture. I was more after one of the vintage ones, but at least I have one now.
 
I think I got mine at Goodwill for a few dollars.

I can't even think how long I've had it.

I don't microwave so fast hot water is done with this and it works great.

bradfordwhite-2021031115354206693_1.png
 
Gadgets like that never get the water as hot as an electric kettle. Probably okay for hot chocolate but for tea, undrinkable. Nobody microwaves water in the uk, it’s just unheard of, you will find an electric kettle in every single kitchen, I’m always fascinated by these little cultural differences :-)
 
"never get the water as hot as an electric kettle"?

It brings cold water to a vicious rolling Boil in about a minute before the thermostat turns off the heater.

How much hotter would you want it? You can't drink boiling water.

This isn't a WARMER, it's a HOT water heater.

 
And

for our Tea drinking flunkeys and

those who are cheap (like myself) who don't like to spend a lot of money, can you handle $13 for something that's new?

 
Another reason I like the HotShot is you can easily access the heat chamber to clean it. After each use I attach a simple clothes pin to the edge so the top stays up and the chamber can dry thoroughly. I don't want any mold or bad behaviour going on in there. lol

I have put vinegar and baking soda in mine on occasion to soak it and then clean it with a brush. When I clean it I will hold it upside down over a sink and use the dish hose to flush out the chamber so it's rinsed thoroughly.

You can't do that with a narrow necked, deep kettle. I'm not spending 50 or 80quid for a kettle. There is even a Smeg for 130quid. That just selling a brand name.

bradfordwhite-2021031116424703139_1.png
 
I did the microwave water in measuring cup thing for decades until I got my induction range 4 years ago this May. Now it takes me 30-45 seconds in a tea kettle.
 
I recently picked up a cheap electric kettle. It has an open top and is very easy to clean. I was really surprised at how fast it heats. Definitely a good investment.

cam2s-2021031121434207576_1.jpg
 
Mine looks like the one in reply #3 but in black, actually like the one in #6 exactly. The gray bubble on top is the button you press to start it heating up, and an orange light glows while it's on. Once it reaches boiling or close to it, you hear a click and it shuts off automatically.

I don't own an electric kettle unfortunately. They seem to be gaining popularity here in the US but never seemed as popular here as in the UK and Europe.

I do have, and have had for some time, a Rival Hot Pot Express. It's sort of a kettle but has a variable heat control and non-stick heating surface, so you can use it to heat soups and other things besides water. Although I would be concerned about flavor transfer since it's made of plastic.

I've used it a few times to heat water, but I think the Hot Shot does a faster job and is just less mess.

What always made me about nervous about heating water in the microwave is those stories you used to hear on TV about super heated water and exploding glass containers. I heated water in a measuring cup and never had that happen, but it made me a bit apprehensive doing it.
 
Never boil water in a plastic device. Research here has shown that there will be tiny plastic parts in your water. The Dutch consumer organisation has advised to replace plastic kettles etc with metal ones.

Such a thing as the hot shot would be too small anyway for most people here, you can't make a full pot of tea with it.
 
yeah, I would not boil or cook any food items in a plastic or plastic coated paper-board container(TV dinner tray) because the plastic does dissolve into the food.
Its the same reason I won't use teflon coated anything.

When I did have a microwave before 2011, I would use a glass measuring cup.

It's also been shown that water or liquids in microwave can get super hot yet show no signs of boiling until you break the surface at which point they "explode" out of the dish.

The hot shot has all metal chamber and I can get 1 1/2 cups of water out which is fine for about 99.7% of my needs. Other times, because it heats so fast you just do one batch of water after the other. I suppose one would do the same if they were making a pot of tea. I mean, how much does a tea pot hold anyway?
 
My tea pot is 5 - 6 cups, so using a hot shot would be rather inconvenient. A decent tea pot doesn't fit under a hot shot anyway.

A decent water kettle is around 30 euros here, glass or metal. IIRC a friend bought a glass one that was even cheaper.

Those Philips Tea for Two thingies made the worst tea imaginable. I refused to drink tea from those. Same with water boiled in a microwave. That makes rather awful foamy tea. I remember some English comedy (I have no recollection of which one). An apprentice in an office has to make tea. When an older woman drinks her tea, she almost spits it out: "That water hasn't boiled!" lol
 
industrial strength

It's seems clear that our tea drinking friends have hot water needs that are immediate and high quantity.

If you're willing to shell out several hundred $ plus the cost of installation (or DIY) a ISE hot water dispenser faucet mounted on your sink will solve those problems.

An unlimited amount of steaming hot water whenever.

Only issue though, I'm not sure if these come in UK/EU 220 volt.

I know I've seen used one's on ebay.

https://insinkerator.emerson.com/en-us/insinkerator-products/water-dispensers
bradfordwhite-2021031206433405144_1.png
 
We went the route of the hot water tap....

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I never liked heating water in the microwave and the kettle takes a few minutes longer than I was willing to wait.  I found one of these under the sink hot water dispensers on eBay.  Brand new in the box for under $100.  I think they normally run a little under $200.  There was nothing wrong with it.  It was still sealed I think it was last years model.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">We already had a plug under the sink so it was a relatively easy install.  We bundled ours with the installation of a new sink we had bought but had I not been doing that I could have installed it myself and I have no plumbing experience.  It comes with everything you need to tie into your existing water line.  We connected ours to the cold on the recommendation of the plumber but I don't remember why.  If this thing dies we will replace it with another.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">We love it.  You get 180 degree water on demand.  Just the right temp for most green teas.  I think black teas like water a little warmer but we use ours literally all day long for many different uses.  It has a dial to set the temp of the water.  It was funny when the plumber finished he turned the dial to high and the thing started rumbling because it was actually boiling the water.  We have it set around an 8 which gives us the 180 degree water.</span>
 
I had a Sunbeam Hot Shot, but it was too small for a mug. I gradually worked my way up to a 3000 watt induction hob. I pour the 12 OZ of water in the kettle and turn it on. I take the tea bag out of the Tupperware and put it in the mug and before I close the cabinet, the water is boiling. The trouble with the water out of the instant hot is that it is not boiling hot for tea. I guess you could make a smaller amount of tea with the boiling water from the Hot Shot and then, after the tea is brewed, you could add the hot water from the Instant Hot. Do tea experts think that would work? Have you seen the one cup drip coffee maker they made using that design? I saw one in Harvest like the big Sunbeam ADC of the 70s they had the nerve to call a Coffeemaster.

The instant hot is great, though, for running hot water over the big end of hard cooked eggs after you crack them. Then you hold them under a small stream of cold water and peel the shell away beautifully and easily.
 
Tea

I am far from a tea expert but I have been drinking more tea as of late. I've read never to use boiling water for tea. Different teas respond best to different temp water. IIRC green tea should be steeped with 160 degree water, black tea just below boiling about 210 degrees.
 
I gave up coffee last July due to ongoing acid reflux problems.  I thought I’d have a had time giving up something I’ve loved all my life.  But fortunately it wasn’t hard at all.

 

 I can’t drink Black tea because it stains my teeth so much.  So I drink Green tea.  I use Lipton’s Green tea bags and just pour boiling water straight out of the kettle over the tea bag in my mug.  It tastes great to me.  And I’ve felt much better since I gave up coffee, it wasn’t hard at all.  I guess there is just enough caffeine in Green tea to give me the caffeine I needed to prevent withdrawal from coffee. 

 

I’ve heard and read  that Green tea is best brewed with lower than boiling temp water, but I like my tea piping hot and the tea in tea bags probably isn’t as sensitive to temperature as a better grade of loose leaf Green tea.

 

I also like not having a bunch of extra appliances on the counter in my small kitchen.  David just drinks one cup of coffee in the morning that he brews in a Melitta one cup pour over brewer so all we really need for brewing hot beverages is a tea kettle on the stove.

 

  I guess I’ve outgrown my gadget phase, at least for now.  There was a time I couldn’t buy enough small electric appliances.  Now less is more.

 

Eddie
 
Now less is more.

that is my rule too.

trouble is, I keep making exceptions to the rule.

I now have a pantry shelf and a cupboard full of exceptions to that rule...
smiley-wink.gif


 

Really, I do love a gadget. I also resent the space they take up...
 
Kettles

We have a Breville kettle. this one:

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/breville-soft-open-stainless-steel-kettle-bke495bss
 

It is fast (2400 watts), you can boil as little as a cup in it, reasonably quiet, and has a little bell that "pings" when it shuts off.

I occasionally boil a vinegar solution to descale/clean inside.

My partner drinks tea all day, I have the occasional rooibos or peppermint tea.

I am more of a coffee drinker, which I make in my ancient Quaha espresso machine that I rescued from  a hard rubbish collection. It makes a faaaabulous coffee.

gizmo-2021031221034807136_1.jpg
 
We've been using an electric kettle (vintage GE) for years and I'd never be without one; it's the civilized way to make one's tea! LOL!  The kettle stays on the counter as I have a travel mug of tea every morning once the weather turns cold, and continue until I sub it for iced tea in the warmer weather. We're not close enough for the switch yet, but even then, I use the kettle to heat the water for brewing the iced tea! It just doesn't stay on the counter then. I repaired where the cord goes into the kettle once, and suspect I'll need to do it again at some point.

 

Chuck
 

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