An electric kettle comes in handy when preparing ready-to-use warm water for your soups, boiling eggs, etc. An electric kettle is a fast, convenient, and efficient kitchen appliance to prepare various dishes. However, some people want to take the game even further by utilizing this useful and convenient kitchen appliance for boiling milk.
Boiling milk in an electric kettle is not as simple as it may sound. An electric kettle sure is a very convenient appliance, but using it for boiling milk will stretch its limits far too long. For instance, milk doesn’t behave like water when heated; water evaporates while milk doesn’t.
That, along with many other difficulties, makes it hard to boil milk in an electric kettle.
However, if you still want to do it, how can you? Is it even safe to boil milk in an electric kettle? If not, how many things can go wrong?
Stick together; we will answer your questions shortly in this article.
What Will Happen if You Boil Milk Directly in an Electric Kettle?
To answer this, first, we’ve to shed some light on whether an electric kettle is suitable for boiling milk or not.
Unfortunately, No!
All electric kettles are not suitable for boiling milk, not even close. Meanwhile, it’s not like you can’t boil milk in an electric kettle; it’s just that you shouldn’t.
Let’s see what will be the repercussions if you do decide to do it anyway-
1. Milk may overflow and Spill from Kettle
Milk doesn’t behave like water when it’s boiled. Unlike water, it doesn’t evaporate. This property of milk alone makes it barely suitable to boil in an electric kettle. After all, milk is not just liquid. Instead, it’s a mixture of water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and minerals like calcium.
In addition, when heated, a layer of cream is formed above water, preventing it from evaporation which causes it to spill over. This overflow may cause a short circuit in the electric base of your kettle when entered, ruining your appliance as well as your day.
2. It Leaves Residues and can burn the bottom surface
The fats and proteins in milk will stick to the surface and can burn when heated. These sticky residues will be quite difficult to remove as most electric kettles don’t allow easy scrubbing on the inside. Meanwhile, the sticky deposits of fats and proteins will also reduce the functionality of your electric kettle and will influence the taste of other drinks that you’ll prepare in that same kettle.
3. Can Generate A Foul Smell
Besides ruining the flavor of your future drinks that you’ll prepare in your kettle, the burned deposits of fats and proteins also have a foul smell to make your experience even worse. Moreover, this foul smell will also follow in your other drinks, ruining your electric kettle altogether.
4. Boiling Milk can Fail the Auto-cut System of the Electric Kettle
An electric kettle has a thermostatic switch at the base, which turns off when the generated steam raises the temperature enough. However, boiling milk doesn’t generate enough steam to heat the thermostatic switch, thanks to the deposits of proteins and fats. This results in a complete failure of the auto-cut feature of the electric kettle. So, the kettle won’t shut off automatically, and keep boiling the milk until it’s burned.
Top 3 Electric Kettles
Alternative Methods to Boil Milk in an Electric Kettle
Despite all the repercussions that boiling milk in an electric kettle has if your stubbornness doesn’t allow you to back off or you’re simply left with no other options, some methods and tricks do allow you to boil milk in your electric kettle.
Do not put on the lid when boiling milk in a controlled condition
Not putting on the lid will create room for the expansion of milk to create no pressure inside your kettle. This will effectively prevent the milk inside your kettle from suddenly boiling over. Also, remember to manually turn the kettle off as soon as the milk starts rising.
Apply Indirect heat to the Milk
A great way to boil milk using an electric kettle without any issues is with the help of water. Partially fill the kettle with water and place a metal glass in the water filled with milk. The kettle will boil the water, transferring the heat to the milk, therefore effectively boiling it. Moreover, this method won’t tamper with the auto-cut feature of your electric kettle, nor will it make any sticky residues be left behind.
Add more water and Dilute the Milk
The problem with milk is that it doesn’t undergo evaporation, so why not add some water to make room for evaporation?
Yes, you can do it.
Just add a little amount of water to your kettle (15% of the volume of milk) before switching on the kettle. This method will produce steam that will prevent milk from spilling over. Also, remember to switch off the kettle when the milk starts rising to prevent overflow.
Which Food Items can an Electric Kettle Boil other than Milk?
An electric kettle is versatile; it can be used for purposes other than boiling water, e.g., cooking meals. However, cooking meals in an electric kettle does revolve around boiling water. That being said, here is the list of food items apart from milk that you can boil or cook using an electric kettle-
1. Boiled Eggs
Consisting of huge amounts of protein and other nutrients, boiled eggs are a perfect meal for breakfast that can easily be prepared in an electric kettle. It’s as simple as filling the kettle up with water and letting the eggs boil in it for around 15 minutes. However, ensure that the eggs don’t touch the heating element of the electric kettle.
Read: How to Boil Eggs in an Electric Kettle?
2. Rice
Rice is a staple food in many cultures globally and can be easily prepared using an electric kettle. Just pre-soak rice in a bowl for around 20 minutes before putting it in the electric kettle. Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables and prepare all the spices for an even great taste. Now, all you need to do is add all the ingredients to the electric kettle and keep the kettle running for about 20 minutes. Your delicious rice meal is now ready to satisfy your hunger.
3. Maggi
Want to cook your favorite quick meal even quicker?
An electric kettle is here to help you with that. It’s the easiest meal to prepare in an electric kettle; just heat water in the kettle and add Maggi to it. Let it soften for a while, and add the tastemaker along with chopped vegetables. Now, let it cook for 2-3 minutes. That’s it; your favorite noodles are ready to serve.
4. Oatmeal
Preparing oatmeal in an electric kettle is a piece of cake. It’s the easiest and fastest way to satisfy your midnight cravings. Just put some water in an electric kettle and mix it with the oatmeal in a bowl once it boils or gets hot enough. Stir it thoroughly, and your delicious oatmeal is ready to serve in mere minutes.
5. Pasta
Use your electric kettle to prepare a delicious pasta dish anytime and anywhere. The recipe starts by boiling some water in your kettle and adding your pasta to it. Next, add a little more water to your kettle and leave the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Now, strain the pasta from the mixture and put a cube of butter with some chopped vegetables in your kettle along with tomato puree. Avoid adding tomato sauce as a substitute for tomato puree for the best flavor. Upon thorough stirring, add your boiled pasta back to the mixture. That’s it; your delicious pasta dish is ready using an electric kettle to satisfy your cravings.
6. Sweet Corn
To prepare sweet corn in your electric kettle:
- Add a mixture of water and corn to your kettle.
- Let the mixture boil for about 10 minutes.
- Strain the boiled corn in a bowl and add your favorite seasoning.
Your sweet corn is now ready to make anyone drool over its aroma and flavor.
7. Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are quick dishes that don’t require any effort to prepare. Just fill your kettle with water and add some peeled potatoes to it. Boil the mixture for about 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes). Once the potatoes are ready, transfer them to a bowl. Now, mash the potatoes thoroughly while adding your favorite seasoning and butter. These mashed potatoes are ideal to satisfy your midnight craving.
Boiling Milk in an Electric Kettle: Conclusion
By now, you must have understood why boiling milk in an electric kettle is not an ideal approach. So, as concluding remarks, we advise you not to boil milk in your kettle until your kettle is made for it (yes, a type of electric kettle does allow you to do so). It will help if you look for alternatives instead of using your kettle to boil milk. However, if you’re left with no other option, you sure can do it easily using the tricks we’ve mentioned in this article.
So, if you decide to use your regular electric kettle for boiling milk despite knowing all the repercussions, make sure to prepare yourself to take appropriate action in case anything goes sideways.
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API