In my opinion, electric blankets are a superior alternative to hot water bottles. They come in various forms such as throws, pillows and mattress toppers, and can be adjusted for temperature and don't need to be refilled. The only place they don't work is when you're on the move. For that you can nowadays get gloves with active heating that are powered by batteries, or chemical reaction handwarmers.
A good creative writing piece, but somewhat out of touch.
> A draft code update released Thursday by the California Energy Commission would require new single-family homes to be equipped with circuits and panels that would allow them to be powered by all-electric appliances for heating, cooking and drying clothes.
> The new code would not prohibit natural gas infrastructure, a step many environmentalists would like the state to take. But if the draft is ultimately authorized by the commission this year, it would require new homes to be “electric ready,” meaning they’re prepared to be transitioned away from gas appliances if any are used initially.
If you get a cold snap like in Texas last year with rolling blackouts it's the perfect way to store the heat you can produce while your electricity is running. When I camp in late fall, early winter I always use a food safe water bottle at night and reuse the water in the morning for coffee or washing up with the added benefit that with a good bottle the water is at least lurk warm.
I don’t think so. On sunny winter days, you can heat them in the sun, using a solar water heater (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_heating) and let them cool down at night, heating your body.
The low tech version is to paint them black and put them in the focus of a roughly parabolic reflector.
This is one of my favorite YouTube channels. Not quite "low tech" because he has a ton of tools he powers off grid, but he nails the quaint cabin feel with the house he built.
Your suggested solutions don't work so well for sitting outside.
When Covid made outdoor socializing necessary, we used out hot water bottles at restaurants and at fire pits.
Blankets and gloves aren't as good at keeping nether regions warm on cold surfaces, and anything that needs to be plugged in is a no go. A minor point too but I wouldn't want batteries/electrics around fire.
Our hot water bottles kept us toasty for hours and you could also tell easily when it was running out of power, so to speak.
We've also taken them to winter cabins when you don't know how convenient electrical outlets will be. You can have several of them for when you're on the sofa, to pre-warm the bed, make the dog cozy.
"The first “hot water bottles” – quite literally – were other people and animals. Since time immemorial, people have warmed themselves by huddling together"
I had to chuckle at that! Low Tech Magazine is such a cool site! So many really interesting things to read about there, low tech hacking at it's finest.
> The first “hot water bottles” – quite literally – were other people and animals. Since time immemorial, people have warmed themselves by huddling together.
We bought some after some of the recent winter related power outages. Being able to capture gas-sourced heat (cooking water on the stove) and then being able to transfer it somewhere else in the house directly where we need it (under a blanket) is a killer app.
Maybe it's because I am British but hot water bottles have been something I've owned and used forever. They just exist as a thing you use. To warm the bed, or your feet, or your back. Given that the British also have electric kettles for warming water they are simple to use.
I did try to buy one here in Portugal and I was sent to the pharmacy where they had a tiny little one that you might use for pain relief.
What is the "proper" name for these? Last time I looked for foot warmers all I got was electric bootstie things, or hotplates for foot. So I got a small radiant heater instead.
Though I guess a microwavable grain bag on a normal footrest would also work.
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_stove) says its restricted to wooden ones with hot charcoal, but I would call them “Foot Stove” regardless of construction material or heat source.
Yeah, British expat now American here... I buy people kettles and hot water bottles if I'm going to be at their home for any extended amount of time. Also a toaster.
Toast is usually buttered, but it's not considered to be a sandwich in and of itself in the United States.
Now, a sandwich can be made with toasted bread, certainly, but in that role it's normally slathered with mayonnaise, mustard, or something of that nature rather than being buttered.
Exception: grilled cheese sandwiches are often buttered, though with those they typically have the butter on the outside. On the inside is either nothing or (my preference) mayonnaise.
One of those "chef lifehacks" that stuck with me is that you can use mayo in place of butter on the outside of a grilled cheese. Easier to spread, browns perfectly, and turns out to taste exactly the same. (Which is surprising, given that every time I've made a grilled cheese with any kind of oil in place of the butter, it's turned out disgusting. Emulsifying the oil fixes the problem somehow.)
Was just about to comment the same thing. Massive upgrade in grilled cheese quality.
If you can get it, Duke's Mayo is just absolutely bonkers. I also really like the Trader Joe's organic mayo.
Also, since I'm deeply invested in grilled cheeses, more recommendations:
I use a ratio of 1 part gruyere, 1 part sharp or extra-sharp cheddar. I also really like a little parmesan or pecorino, but it tastes less "classic grilled cheese," so might not be for everyone.
Cooking method:
- heat pan to medium
- put mayo on one side of two pieces of bread
- put the first piece of bread into the pan, mayo side down (it should sizzle lightly)
- heap your cheese on top of this piece, and press it down onto the bread a little
- after 2 minutes, take the other piece of bread and put it mayo side up onto the top of the cheese. flip the sandwich (so that the fresh mayo is now down).
- 2 more minutes and you're good to go. serve with tomato soup (naturally) and a little ranch if you're a degenerate like me.
When I moved in with my partner, she came with a small George Foreman grill. She used it occasionally for reheating burritos, but together we found out that it makes grilled cheese so quickly and easily, that grilled cheese went from being an occasional treat to a weekly staple. I highly recommend it over the pan option.
In my opinion, the Foreman grill is one of the rare massively-hyped kitchen gadgets that's actually useful enough to be worth the cabinet space in the long term.
My only suggested upgrade is to make your own mayo. You can use nice oils that have a flavor you like, and you can use a high-grade mustard to add some nice, subtle flavors. It only takes a minute or two, especially if you make it in a blender.
The proper way to store butter is in a butter dish [0], not a refrigerator. At room temperature you'll have no issues spreading it. It'll go rancid after a week or so, so if you don't use it everyday then this obviously isn't a good option. In Britain toast is more popular than cereal for breakfast.
If you like toast when you make it, I suggest one. I personally won't make toast often if I'm using the broiler - I mean, it isn't hard, but it takes time and a bit of attention. I have it quite often if I own a toaster, though - it makes it so darn easy and convenient.
What's the difference between a pop up slice toaster (I assume that's what you're talking about) versus a toaster oven?
I grew up with the first kind, but now only use the second kind to reduce clutter on my countertop. I never detected a difference in the two methods, but I'm also not very observant!
It might be a cultural thing but a slice toaster is way more of a set and forget operation, which I like... also, a toaster gets based used for one thing and a toaster oven is used for a lot of other foods, and I have to worry about cross contamination.
Yeah, that’s one thing I discovered when I stopped using a slice toaster. I can put a cold pat of butter on the bread about halfway through the toasting process, and avoid the trauma of trying to spread cold butter on the toast.
I do this mostly because I buy loafs of ciabatta or baguette, cut and freeze them.
Trying to get those odd/thick shapes after freezing into a slice toaster was challenging, and we already had a toaster oven so I never replaced my slice toaster when it died.
I prefer toaster ovens because cookies. You can make cookie dough and make one or two cookies at a time, ensuring they are always fresh out of the oven.
As I understand it, electric kettles never became as popular in the United States (though of course they do exist) because the electrical standards here mean that it's infeasible to make one that works really well -- a British electric kettle might be rated at 3,000 W (about 13 A at 230 V), but a standard U.S. convenience outlet can only provide about 1,800 W (15 A, 120 V). Even the higher-rated 20 amp outlets are only going to get you 2,400 watts. To get 3,000 watts, you'd either need a special circuit (like the ones for RV hookups), or plug it into a dryer or electric range outlet.
15A outlets are only rated that for instantaneous current. For continuous current, appliances are only allowed to pull 80%. So kettles in the US are 1400W, half that of British kettles.
Like many modern kitchens, I have 20A outlets. Current code says that you either have to have 20A circuits in the kitchen or split 15A circuits. What the electrician chooses to install depends on whether 14/3 or 12/2 wire is cheaper that day.
One of my pet peeves is that I can't buy a 20A 1900W kettle. There has to be enough market demand for one? Put a big picture of a NEMA 5-20 outlet on the front so that fewer people get confused.
I just assumed they never took off here because tea isn't as popular in America. The only people I know who own kettles in America are people who regularly drink tea, including myself.
I drink both, but now use my kettle almost exclusively for the awful indulgence of pre-mug warming before dropping in the espresso from my stove-top pot.
So, my roomie is an ex barista. She only does pour over coffee with a Melitta cone and filter. (My wife like K-cups, but they need filtering to get the grounds out.) We have an electric kettle, which we just had to replace because the 15 year old one stopped heating completely.
We also just bought a couple of hot water bottles...
Electric kettles are very common in Canada and we have the same power systems as the USA. I've never found that the electric kettles here are painfully slow or anything, it's just a culture thing on who wants boiling water on demand more I guess.
I think that's because it is more common for Canadians to have resistive electric stoves. Americans typically have gas stoves. Boiling water on resistive electric stoves vs electric kettles are kind of the same.
I bought an electric kettle[1] a decade ago shortly after I switched to an Aeropress for coffee. I now drink green tea a couple times a day in addition to my morning coffee. I think most Americans just don't have much cause to heat water for anything except coffee, and they use a coffee maker for that.
My kettle is 1500 watts and I just timed it. Heating a bit over 1L (~36 oz) of water from 68°F (20°C) to 200°F (93°C) took 4:20.
It's one of those things where the first time you use it, you can't imagine ever not having one, assuming you have cause to heat water on a regular basis.
Still don't own a toaster though. A toaster oven does fine with toast and can be used for a lot more besides.
Don't own a rice maker either. That's been an ongoing negotiation with my wife for 25 years now. :-)
I have a basic rice cooker and I absolutely love it. Perfect rice every time without having to think too hard about measurements or the time, as the measurements are stamped on the bowl (fill rice here, fill water here) and it will always switch to warming mode at exactly the right time. I wouldn't bother getting a fancy computerized model, the old thermostatic ones are pretty much perfect.
My wife convinced me to buy what I would consider an expensive rice cooker, computerized. Now the rice is fantastic, I'll admit. However, I'm not really convinced that it's worth 6x a basic rice cooker.
FWIW we used to make rice on the stove for years and it was fine, but then we got an Instant Pot and it's even better--makes rice that was comparable to what we'd get with the stove, plus all the other stuff you can use it for. So personally I'd encourage you to consider a "smart" pressure cooker with a rice setting rather than a dedicated rice maker.
EDIT: Might also help you tip the balance of the negotiations in your favor ;)
It turns out my wife was opposed to an Instant Pot too. Why? I don't know.
But I got one over the holidays anyway[1] because I wanted something for incubating yogurt that could do more than just be an incubator. I've now made yogurt in it maybe eight times and it's come out perfectly every time. I had lots of failures in the past trying other ways of making yogurt. The steady incubation temperature really seems to make a big difference.
I've also used it for a handful of meals, lots of oatmeal, and it's excellent for hard-boiled eggs that are easy to peel.
But I haven't used it for rice yet. My wife just insists on making it on the stove and the reviews I read indicated the Instant Pot isn't particularly great at making rice.
[1] I got the Pro 10-in-1 6 Qt when Amazon had it on sale for $80. I bribed my wife with a Lodge 6 qt dutch oven. It was a fair trade. :-)
My wife is against the instant pot too. It's actually really complicated to use -- especially if you have grown up cooking on the stove top.
The instant pot is superior -- but it is also very very different.
It has a long warm up period, but then it cooks things incredibly quickly. Then, you have a long cool down, depressurization period ("natural release"). In the meantime, you have no visibility on how "done" is the food.
The basic disadvantages are as follows:
1) if you're an intuitive cook, you are screwed. There are no windows. You can't see how the food is doing. There is a long depressurization period. You can't take it out. You have to follow a recipe with instant pots. Everything becomes like baking.
2) if you're a recipe based cook, you are screwed. You basically have to throw out all of your existing recipes. It cooks faster for long recipes, but slower for short recipes. The chamber is also entirely enclosed and nothing boils away. None of them works unless you re-adjust the water levels and cooking time.
3) pressurized cookware has a really bad reputation of explosions. You can also very easily burn yourself either on the exposed metal parts or get impatient and accidentally steam yourself. The steam from the instant pot seems a lot hotter than regular steam.
@js2, try it for rice. Just watch a youtube video on it first because the process is very strange if you're used to cooking rice on the stovetop. The ratio of rice:water has to be very precise. You also have to follow the timer clock for the depressurization part.
I re-learned how to make rice just for the instant pot. I read the supplied instructions and then I watch a youtube video. I actually messed it up the first time. I still occasionally use too much water whenever I get careless.
But, I love mine. The rice do come out good. But obviously, it won't be like the way it comes out from a pot. It doesn't burn or form a crust.
Will do. I love cooking in front of the stove as much as anyone, but I am _never_ making risotto on the stove top again. The Instant Pot isn't any quicker start to finish, but it saves me 30 minutes of constant attention to the rice ladling in broth.
The IP has its uses, and for those things, it's a great tool.
Oh, it's also really great for making flan.
There's a gazillion recipes for it online, so I haven't worried too much about that.
I switched from a basic electric rice cooker to an Instant Pot for rice. The rice is as good as stovetop, but the electric rice cooker is still better. Plus, the electric rice cooker was easier. It has one button and requires less precision when it comes to the amount of water vs rice.
On the other hand, I have a finite amount of kitchen space. So a multi-use device was better than a single-use device.
On a different note: my parents went back to cooking rice on the stovetop for a few months after their electric rice cooker broke. They thought they will just save the money and go back to cooking the way they used to when they were kids. They liked the nostalgia --- but they also like having an extra 30 mins everyday. Stirring the pot over the stovetop and watching the water boil away was not how they wanted to spend their time.
> Stirring the pot over the stovetop and watching the water boil away was not how they wanted to spend their time.
I don't understand. When I cook rice on the stove, I leave it alone. Heat until it simmers (takes only a moment, I start with 190F water), put the lid on and turn the heat down to minimum, set timer for 20-30 minutes and walk away.
We even have a rice cooker, too, but it stays in the pantry because it's less convenient to take it down and set it up than just doing a pot on the stove.
Unless you are in an apartment/condo in the US (which can have 208V), you likely have 240V power in your house. I have a 240V 15A outlet in my kitchen so I can use a British kettle with a swapped plug. It would be nice if it was standard to have 240V outlets in US kitchens.
Note: If you are wanting to do this yourself, if you get one with any electronics in it (even an led power light), you should modify the capacitive dropper power supply for the electronics to operate on 60hz. For a well designed circuit, forgetting to do so means a resistor/zenier will be running hotter, for a very cheap circuit it can let magic smoke out.
I dunno, tons of people I know in the US have electric kettles. Its not like its incredibly painful to use them, and they'll still usually beat out using the microwave to heat water quickly, but only slightly. While it is about half as much power than most of Europe, its still only a few minutes to go from tap water to boiling. It is not like we're talking hours to get it to boil.
From my experience one of the biggest reasons why people don't have an electric kettle is because they often don't think they have a use for them. Tons of people in the US would really only use it for making coffee, of which drip coffee makers were incredibly popular for a long time. So needing fast hot water is somewhat rare, and usually when its needed in regards to cooking you can just measure your water in a measuring cup and microwave it for a couple of minutes which is just about as fast.
The people I know who actually use electric kettles in the US are:
* Those who brew a lot of tea (far less common in US than globally)
* Those who often do alternative coffee brewing methods (pour over, french press, aeropress, etc)
* Those who make a lot of ramen or other instant noodles and have limited kitchen spaces (college students)
Our electric kettles work just fine on 110VAC. We're just isolated from the rest of the world so external cultural changes don't take hold. We still use Imperial measurements and serve half-pints of beer. Same reason Japan has an "old" World Wide Web; it works fine for them, and their culture doesn't change easily.
It depends on whether taking more than twice as long to heat the water is "just fine" for your use case.
Me, I use the high output burner on the gas range and a traditional kettle.
Note that other European and Asian kitchen gadgets have had no trouble making inroads in the United States. While some people obviously do have electric kettles here, they're far, far from being the ubiquitous thing they are in British kitchens.
Electric kettles are finally starting to get traction here, we use ours for tea and instant coffee, and pre-boiling water for making noodles on the stove since it's so much more efficient.
On my twelfth year of North-American kettle operation I've gotten past the tedium of waiting extra minutes for the water to boil.
Visiting my family, however, I now have to flick the switch on twice - autopilot usually means the water has cooled below the supposed optimal infusion temperature by the time I return to the kitchen.
I live in the US and have an electric kettle. I was made aware of their existence in my travels abroad. It was a game-changer. Even with our electrical standards my kettle can get to boiling in a mere minute or two.
I always figured it was the popularity of tea in the UK.
Electric Kettles are (or were) ubiquitous when I grew up in Canada and the US. They take a little longer to heat up, but you’re talking 3-4 min instead of 1-2.
My friend got me a gift of a hot water dispenser like they use in Asia and I’ve never looked back. On demand hot water? Even waiting a min for a kettle to warm seems like a burden. They use very little electricity since they are well insulated.
Recommendations for American electric kettles for use with hard water? Cleaning calcium residue out through a narrow opening sent me back to my microwave...
I've never put much thought into this but my mother who spent some of her teenage years in the UK in the 70's used to use a hot water bottle. Here in the US, we had a mid-century ideal of "energy too cheap to meter" that would have been provided by the burgeoning nuclear industry. It never really panned out, but a lot of houses had things like radiant heaters in floors and room wrapping baseboard heaters installed for comfort which is nicer than having to deal with a fluid filled bladder, but obviously much more costly.
Every hot water bottle tells you not to use boiling water in it, but at the same time everyone I know who regularly uses hot water bottles uses boiling water from an electric kettle.
I do see that there are silicone ones available, those should take boiling water in stride (though you'd need to wrap them in a thicker cover to avoid boiling yourself...)
Used to know a girl with about half of the skin of a darker color, from face to toes, burnt by a water bottle burst when she was little. Still I regularly fill them with boiling hot water. Same for everyone I know. Sometimes we're just that stupid...
As an American I've been shocked how they've basically disappeared. Hot water bottles used to be a staple of American household. While they are easy to find on Amazon, they don't seem to be as ubiquitous as they once were.
Nah, they're also not uncommon in the Netherlands, where I'm from, and Germany, where my partner's from (don't know if I'd call them "common" though).
What I found truly surprising is that they're impossible to find in Sweden, where we live. You'd think that hot water bottles would become more common the further up north you go.
Ha, you're just too modern up there. Come to think of it I've not seen one either down here in Australia for many decades. Maybe they've finally died out altogether.
Of course, girls like Bobby Wickham ask you to pierce someone's hot water bottle with sharp implements while they are sleeping in bed. At least that's what the title reminded me of. Oh, what fun!
It’s a pretty common winter camping trick to fill a water bottle with boiling water, put a sock over it, and put in your sleeping bag while you sleep. Works extremely well!
Ideally yes but it's really hard to find fully metal driking bottles.
If you buy something like a Sigg aluminium bottle or no-name copy it will be lined with some kind of plastic.
If you use a light weight drinking bladder that will be plastic too. I've read that risk is much higher if you apply heat to a plastic container. This is why you should avoid microwaving in plastic containers.
So that leaves you either only using a cold liquids in plastic and accepting some risk or buying expensive (and relatively heavy) titanium drinking bottles.
Using an insulated bottle kind of defeats the purpose which is to transfer heat from the water to yourself. You'll wake up in the morning with a bottle full of hot water but you'll still be cold.
Kleen Kanteen sells non-insulated metal bottles as well; I've used them for this purpose (not sleeping, but holding against my body to help stay warm in a cool room). Bonus: once the temperature drops far enough you can also drink it for a quick internal thermal boost, if needed.
I do ice in the summer (this is mentioned in the article). Great for when you have warm feet in bed. It works longer than the hot bottles because of the phase change which adds the equivalent of a 60 to 70 Celsius energy absorption.
I think you could do the same with wax for the hot version. Hot wax would last longer than hot water because of the phase change. I assume this is not commercially available because of the dangers of heating wax which should be done in a hot water bath. Some people would inevitably ignore the instructions and burn down their house.
Edit after a bit of research: Maybe the lesser heat capacity of wax offsets the benefits of the phase change.
Besides heat capacity, the advantage of liquid hot wax is that it stays at around 50°C during the entire melting process, which is a good temperature for something that keeps you warm.
Instead of staying at an ideal temperature, water will gradually cool down.
My wife and I enjoy a rice filled sock. It has the added benefit of being able to wrap around our shoulder/neck when needed. Might be a bit harder to heat in a low-tech way than water though.
Hot water bottle. In french we have a specific name for this tool : "bouillotte", from verb "bouillir" (boiling) and sufix "otte" (diminutive). Everybody in my familly use it. My ex wife was litteraly addicted to it.
When I was a kid, I remember my grandmother used metal hot water bottles with a crocheted cover. My wife has recently started taking a cola bottle with hot water (not boiling, or the plastic will melt) to bed. Perhaps I should give her one of these fancy rubber ones.
here in germany you can buy the rubber ones with cloth over it. They are way more comfy and don't get super hot. Regardless of the temperature in my room, my girlfriend is always cold, so every night I fill it up to warm the bed
> here in germany you can buy the rubber ones with cloth over it.
There are even different thicknesses of cover, depending whether you want lots of heat (thin cover so you don't get that rubber feel) or more of a lower temp and slow release (thicker padded cover).
When my mother was a child (Northeast US), they'd take baked potatoes to bed to keep their feet warm. Growing up we had one of the soft/red hot water "bottles" and it was used mostly when someone was in pain or sick.
One side of my family were farmers in prior generations (mid-Atlantic US). They utilized heated bricks in the same way that you're describing the potatoes.
Yeah, my mom (grew up in the rural south US) has told me multiple times about how her mom would heat bricks fro the beds each evening. They were very poor and had no central heat so wood stove, bricks, and multiple kids to a bed (there were 13 of them) was the go to winter strategy.
We now use "Wheat Bags" ... cloth bags, usually cylindrical, filled with wheat. Heat in a microwave and use where one would use a hot-water bottle, but without the danger of a leak.
Indeed. It needs to be heated for 30 seconds, then "stirred", heating again, etc., and the temperature needs to be limited. We had one catch fire, but we patched it and it's good to go again.
I still prefer them over hot water containers. We have some that are floppy and flexible, ideal for wrapping around the back of the neck and over the shoulders.
I have one of these that has cherry stones in it. I much prefer the hot water bottle for two reasons. Firstly, I fully understand the failure mode of the hot water bottle and have rarely seen one fail; on the other hand the "cloth thing that catches fire inside the microwave" is not a failure mode I really want.
But most importantly, hot water bottles are really hot and much better at keeping me warm.
We've had more than one hot water bottle fail and it's resulted in one case in a soaked bed, which was unpleasant and difficult to deal with. I much prefer the failure mode of "catches fire in the microwave". The fire is small (and mostly just a smouldering edge of fabric), easily contained, easily put out, and the failure is easily avoided.
We've used both and settled on the wheat bag, but I recognise that other people will make other choices, and that's fine.
I tried to heat two rice bags at the same time once and they melted together. I didn't think about the fact that they had used synthetic fabric! I'm so used to doubling the cooking time because our microwave is only 600 watts (compared to the usual 1000-1200 watts).
I think they are usually husks of some type. Cheap, smell nice, conform to body, doesn't transfer heat fast enough to hurt you, and for some reason heats up in microwaves.
Not husks - those don't have enough heat capacity. I've used ones made of corn and rice too. It's heating up the actual grain seeds, which I guess have a fair amount of water locked in the starch matrix. It always is a little steamy coming out of the microwave.
If it's not dry husks but full grain, they're mostly water by weight anyway, so you get almost the same heat storage but different other properties (no leaks, slower dispersal of heat).
Yep, this is a huge benefit over water bottles. I tested out both and it's nice to have water as a backup but the residual heat effect has a longer tail-off.
If you want to really spoil yourself or your partner, place the hot water bottle in bed about an hour early -- and then, just before going to sleep, refill it with fresh hot water.
I find that between the bottle itself and the surrounding sheets and mattress, a lot of heat is absorbed in that first hour. Pre-heating everything should keep the hot water bottle warm until morning. I find this to be an unreasonably effective life hack.
I wasn't aware that this was a thing that happened. I use a hot water bottle now — the typical flexible rubber one, encased in a little wooly jumper. I typically go to bed around 01:30 with the hot water bottle under the covers near my feet, and it's still warm around noon. I'm getting at least 12 hours of warmth from mine each night.
Huh? Water has a significantly-higher specific heat capacity than these dry powders, so will definitely stay warm many, many hours longer. I can say this with experience: the hot water bottle I put in my bed at midnight last night was still warm at 7:30am, while the buckwheat cushions I got my kids stay warm 15 minutes tops, no matter how hot I make them in the microwave.
Even with the very best dry microwavable pillows, there will be at least a 20x difference in heat capacity.
And your premise doesn't make sense. A hot water bottle under the blankets will also be at body temperature after (many) hours. There's no reason for it to get colder than the wheat pillows. And the fabric covering feels just as warm.
IME they're not necessarily wrong, HWBs without fabric covering (which used to be relatively frequent a few decades back for some reason) would feel really rather cold in the morning, the rubber feels clammy. And because they'd be way too warm early on, you'd push them to one side and get close but not too close. So body heat wouldn't really keep them warm once their eat is expended.
With a woolen cover or padded cotton, the heat release is much slower and more uniform, so the HWB is more comfortable, last a lot longer, and because you only touch (relatively insulating / insulated) fabric it never feels really cold.
Yeah, I recall as a kid it was easy to scald or burn oneself on an exposed rubber bottle, and of course it cooled much more rapidly (I too remember that cold clammy feeling in the morning).
However, the more usual situation was to put the HWB in a knitted woollen jacket. That kept the heat in and it didn't burn one and was still warm in the morning.
It's mostly a function of the rubber, while it's not a great conductor it's also not a great insulator. So the water will release heat relatively rapidly, and once it's cooled down to ambient temp the rubber will pull water from your skin if you touch it (it also tends to feel somewhat clammy in my experience).
That's why wrapping the rubber container in a woolen or padded cotton cover mitigates the effect a lot, it will slow down the heat release, and once the water has cooled down it'll limit the heat transfer back into the container, and thus won't feel cold.
I use these too, though ours are made with corn for some reason. I guess the friends who gifted them were hanging with the corn crowd on craft-Pinterest or something. They smell like sweet Corn Nuts when heated, which is a pretty pleasant effect.
We do have a cylindrical one but the two biggest are shaped like mini pillows, more rectangular patterned.
Combine them with a lap blanket, hot tea, brand new thick winter socks, insulated slippers, a hoodie, 50 push-ups before work and a 400W zone heater, and you will be able to survive my office in the winter :D
Exactly this haha. Even a relatively mild workout keeps my body warm for hours. For cycling in the winter (which feels especially cold after a warm bed) I used to take cold showers before going outside. I can really recommend this, as the outside temperature feels way more pleasant this way. Instead of shivering the whole trip, I actually enjoyed going outside. Besides, it mentally wakes you up like nothing else.
Edit: and indeed, don't forget the winter socks! I prefer them in wool. Also a baggy fleece sweater/vest made of polar fleece (which I can't find anywhere anymore) with the thickest and highest collar possible.
Bonus points, they're shaped like cute animals and super-fuzzy. Harder to do with a water bottle. (There are covers, but who wants a soppy teddy bear?)
"...use where one would use a hot-water bottle, but without the danger of a leak."
Very interesting. Did you find any noticeable difference between the longevity of its heating as compared with water? The reason I ask is that the specific heat of water is higher than that of wheat so water should retain the heat longer.
BTW, I'm familiar with hot water bottles, they were all the rage when I was a kid before electric blankets became commonplace.
P.S.: I can't say I ever had one leak but I reckon I'd have come close. After some use, they'd start to perish around the filling point/screw stopper. The idea was to always keep an eye on it and once one noticed the first signs of perishing then not to gamble too long before replacing it.
My impression is that they don't last as long, but definitely for long enough. People think that if you need to heat them more often then it's less efficient, but if the heat doesn't last as long then almost certainly they take less energy to heat up in the first place.
It's all about transferring energy/heat from one place to another.
I've used a bunch of different pillows (cherry stone, wheat, etc) and found that, while the initial heat is great and feels better than a hot water bottle, they only stay properly hot for about five to seven minutes. Once when I had a bad back pain day, I put the microwave next to the bed so I could keep a constant reheating cycle going.
We had a hot water bottle burst this week. My wife woke up to soggy feet and the water had penetrated right through the mattress. The bottle was empty and probably slowly leaking all night. It took much of the day to dry the mattress out.
On inspection we found the rubber had perished, probably as the bottle was around five years old. The replacement cost less than £10, including fluffy cover. We'll be sure to inspect this one more frequently when filling.
Not only does the bottle provide her warmth, to helps ease the pain in her arthritic feet.
I recently discovered Warmies[1] which is essentially this but inside a stuffed animal and scented with lavender and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm low-key obsessed with them.
They can certainly still leak, but the consequences are different. Instead of getting wet and risking water damage you have to sweep and vacuum wheat (or in my case rice) out of everything. Still, much less harmful to electronics and wood floors.
I forgot about this until now - when I was a kid we had a block of cement, basically a patio stone, sitting on top of the woodstove. When I went to bed, since my room was unheated, I would wrap the cement block in cloth and put it by my feet in bed. I kind of miss that cozy feeling, but then at the same time I don't miss how cold the rest of the room was. If I woke up to a 50 degree room now I'd probably never want to get out of bed!
Very off-topic but if you've never seen someone inflate and burst a hot water bottle, it's really something. It's one of those goofy strongman feats, like tearing a phonebook in half, with a big bang at the end.
That's a very thin hot water bottle. The hot water bottles commonly available where I live are made of thick rubber, and would be impossible to inflate in this way.
Many/most hot water bottles have a knitted fabric cover. When the heat runs out (which takes many hours), you are not in direct contact with the rubber/plastic body of the water bottle, so there is no sensation of cold or clamminess.
The coldest they become is body temperature under the blanket. It would only have a chance to become colder than its surroundings if the water had a way to evaporate, which it doesn't.
They are good but make sure that the bottle is sealed properly and you don't have the bottle over your body while you sleep because people getting burned by these things is surprisingly common.
393 comments
[ 4.5 ms ] story [ 489 ms ] threadA good creative writing piece, but somewhat out of touch.
Good thing we never have electric supply issues.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/No-more-gas-stoves...
> A draft code update released Thursday by the California Energy Commission would require new single-family homes to be equipped with circuits and panels that would allow them to be powered by all-electric appliances for heating, cooking and drying clothes.
> The new code would not prohibit natural gas infrastructure, a step many environmentalists would like the state to take. But if the draft is ultimately authorized by the commission this year, it would require new homes to be “electric ready,” meaning they’re prepared to be transitioned away from gas appliances if any are used initially.
The low tech version is to paint them black and put them in the focus of a roughly parabolic reflector.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zh29DJI_wE&list=PLEZ2hvCDKU...
Whereas you can boil a kettle in under a minute, decant the water, and you can stay warm for hours.
When Covid made outdoor socializing necessary, we used out hot water bottles at restaurants and at fire pits.
Blankets and gloves aren't as good at keeping nether regions warm on cold surfaces, and anything that needs to be plugged in is a no go. A minor point too but I wouldn't want batteries/electrics around fire.
Our hot water bottles kept us toasty for hours and you could also tell easily when it was running out of power, so to speak.
We've also taken them to winter cabins when you don't know how convenient electrical outlets will be. You can have several of them for when you're on the sofa, to pre-warm the bed, make the dog cozy.
I had to chuckle at that! Low Tech Magazine is such a cool site! So many really interesting things to read about there, low tech hacking at it's finest.
Ha I never thought of it this way.
I did try to buy one here in Portugal and I was sent to the pharmacy where they had a tiny little one that you might use for pain relief.
Though I guess a microwavable grain bag on a normal footrest would also work.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Hand-warmer-charcoal-includi...
We used to take them to football matches but eventually they became the sort of thing they'd confiscate cos fire and idiots don't mix.
Err, wha? I don't know anyone here without a toaster - or 2...
Now, a sandwich can be made with toasted bread, certainly, but in that role it's normally slathered with mayonnaise, mustard, or something of that nature rather than being buttered.
Exception: grilled cheese sandwiches are often buttered, though with those they typically have the butter on the outside. On the inside is either nothing or (my preference) mayonnaise.
I suspect it depends on the ingredients ... you need a bread that goes well with the oil and have to be very careful on not oversoaking it.
If you can get it, Duke's Mayo is just absolutely bonkers. I also really like the Trader Joe's organic mayo.
Also, since I'm deeply invested in grilled cheeses, more recommendations:
I use a ratio of 1 part gruyere, 1 part sharp or extra-sharp cheddar. I also really like a little parmesan or pecorino, but it tastes less "classic grilled cheese," so might not be for everyone.
Cooking method:
- heat pan to medium
- put mayo on one side of two pieces of bread
- put the first piece of bread into the pan, mayo side down (it should sizzle lightly)
- heap your cheese on top of this piece, and press it down onto the bread a little
- after 2 minutes, take the other piece of bread and put it mayo side up onto the top of the cheese. flip the sandwich (so that the fresh mayo is now down).
- 2 more minutes and you're good to go. serve with tomato soup (naturally) and a little ranch if you're a degenerate like me.
[0] https://www.nordichouse.co.uk/enamel-butter-dish-p-4219.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/14/dining/field-...
If there's one food America knows how to do in many variations, all delicious to varying degrees, it's the sandwich.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_sandwich
I grew up with the first kind, but now only use the second kind to reduce clutter on my countertop. I never detected a difference in the two methods, but I'm also not very observant!
If I was also using it to heat up chicken tikka masala or something, then that would probably not be good.
Trying to get those odd/thick shapes after freezing into a slice toaster was challenging, and we already had a toaster oven so I never replaced my slice toaster when it died.
It's been in constant use for at least 60 years (I'm not sure when his parents got it), and is now making perfect toast for a fourth generation.
Like many modern kitchens, I have 20A outlets. Current code says that you either have to have 20A circuits in the kitchen or split 15A circuits. What the electrician chooses to install depends on whether 14/3 or 12/2 wire is cheaper that day.
One of my pet peeves is that I can't buy a 20A 1900W kettle. There has to be enough market demand for one? Put a big picture of a NEMA 5-20 outlet on the front so that fewer people get confused.
We also just bought a couple of hot water bottles...
You probably would if you were used to UK kettles...
My kettle is 1500 watts and I just timed it. Heating a bit over 1L (~36 oz) of water from 68°F (20°C) to 200°F (93°C) took 4:20.
It's one of those things where the first time you use it, you can't imagine ever not having one, assuming you have cause to heat water on a regular basis.
Still don't own a toaster though. A toaster oven does fine with toast and can be used for a lot more besides.
Don't own a rice maker either. That's been an ongoing negotiation with my wife for 25 years now. :-)
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter...
Technology Connections video on old-style rice cookers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSTNhvDGbYI
We have that exact same kettle, its wonderful.
EDIT: Might also help you tip the balance of the negotiations in your favor ;)
But I got one over the holidays anyway[1] because I wanted something for incubating yogurt that could do more than just be an incubator. I've now made yogurt in it maybe eight times and it's come out perfectly every time. I had lots of failures in the past trying other ways of making yogurt. The steady incubation temperature really seems to make a big difference.
I've also used it for a handful of meals, lots of oatmeal, and it's excellent for hard-boiled eggs that are easy to peel.
But I haven't used it for rice yet. My wife just insists on making it on the stove and the reviews I read indicated the Instant Pot isn't particularly great at making rice.
[1] I got the Pro 10-in-1 6 Qt when Amazon had it on sale for $80. I bribed my wife with a Lodge 6 qt dutch oven. It was a fair trade. :-)
The instant pot is superior -- but it is also very very different. It has a long warm up period, but then it cooks things incredibly quickly. Then, you have a long cool down, depressurization period ("natural release"). In the meantime, you have no visibility on how "done" is the food.
The basic disadvantages are as follows: 1) if you're an intuitive cook, you are screwed. There are no windows. You can't see how the food is doing. There is a long depressurization period. You can't take it out. You have to follow a recipe with instant pots. Everything becomes like baking.
2) if you're a recipe based cook, you are screwed. You basically have to throw out all of your existing recipes. It cooks faster for long recipes, but slower for short recipes. The chamber is also entirely enclosed and nothing boils away. None of them works unless you re-adjust the water levels and cooking time.
3) pressurized cookware has a really bad reputation of explosions. You can also very easily burn yourself either on the exposed metal parts or get impatient and accidentally steam yourself. The steam from the instant pot seems a lot hotter than regular steam.
@js2, try it for rice. Just watch a youtube video on it first because the process is very strange if you're used to cooking rice on the stovetop. The ratio of rice:water has to be very precise. You also have to follow the timer clock for the depressurization part.
I re-learned how to make rice just for the instant pot. I read the supplied instructions and then I watch a youtube video. I actually messed it up the first time. I still occasionally use too much water whenever I get careless.
But, I love mine. The rice do come out good. But obviously, it won't be like the way it comes out from a pot. It doesn't burn or form a crust.
The IP has its uses, and for those things, it's a great tool.
Oh, it's also really great for making flan.
There's a gazillion recipes for it online, so I haven't worried too much about that.
On the other hand, I have a finite amount of kitchen space. So a multi-use device was better than a single-use device.
On a different note: my parents went back to cooking rice on the stovetop for a few months after their electric rice cooker broke. They thought they will just save the money and go back to cooking the way they used to when they were kids. They liked the nostalgia --- but they also like having an extra 30 mins everyday. Stirring the pot over the stovetop and watching the water boil away was not how they wanted to spend their time.
I don't understand. When I cook rice on the stove, I leave it alone. Heat until it simmers (takes only a moment, I start with 190F water), put the lid on and turn the heat down to minimum, set timer for 20-30 minutes and walk away.
We even have a rice cooker, too, but it stays in the pantry because it's less convenient to take it down and set it up than just doing a pot on the stove.
Note: If you are wanting to do this yourself, if you get one with any electronics in it (even an led power light), you should modify the capacitive dropper power supply for the electronics to operate on 60hz. For a well designed circuit, forgetting to do so means a resistor/zenier will be running hotter, for a very cheap circuit it can let magic smoke out.
From my experience one of the biggest reasons why people don't have an electric kettle is because they often don't think they have a use for them. Tons of people in the US would really only use it for making coffee, of which drip coffee makers were incredibly popular for a long time. So needing fast hot water is somewhat rare, and usually when its needed in regards to cooking you can just measure your water in a measuring cup and microwave it for a couple of minutes which is just about as fast.
The people I know who actually use electric kettles in the US are:
* Those who brew a lot of tea (far less common in US than globally)
* Those who often do alternative coffee brewing methods (pour over, french press, aeropress, etc)
* Those who make a lot of ramen or other instant noodles and have limited kitchen spaces (college students)
Me, I use the high output burner on the gas range and a traditional kettle.
Note that other European and Asian kitchen gadgets have had no trouble making inroads in the United States. While some people obviously do have electric kettles here, they're far, far from being the ubiquitous thing they are in British kitchens.
Visiting my family, however, I now have to flick the switch on twice - autopilot usually means the water has cooled below the supposed optimal infusion temperature by the time I return to the kitchen.
Electric Kettles are (or were) ubiquitous when I grew up in Canada and the US. They take a little longer to heat up, but you’re talking 3-4 min instead of 1-2.
My friend got me a gift of a hot water dispenser like they use in Asia and I’ve never looked back. On demand hot water? Even waiting a min for a kettle to warm seems like a burden. They use very little electricity since they are well insulated.
Nah, they're also not uncommon in the Netherlands, where I'm from, and Germany, where my partner's from (don't know if I'd call them "common" though).
What I found truly surprising is that they're impossible to find in Sweden, where we live. You'd think that hot water bottles would become more common the further up north you go.
Ha, you're just too modern up there. Come to think of it I've not seen one either down here in Australia for many decades. Maybe they've finally died out altogether.
Ref: Wodehouse... Bertie Wooster.
Around 15 min in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uWIGhNPl0g
Was going to add a warning not to drink the water from plastic bottles though due to plasticisers.
Unlined Ti metal bottles should be fine though.
If you buy something like a Sigg aluminium bottle or no-name copy it will be lined with some kind of plastic.
If you use a light weight drinking bladder that will be plastic too. I've read that risk is much higher if you apply heat to a plastic container. This is why you should avoid microwaving in plastic containers.
So that leaves you either only using a cold liquids in plastic and accepting some risk or buying expensive (and relatively heavy) titanium drinking bottles.
Klean Kanteen?
Maybe a bit heavy for me when hiking but really nice for day to day stuff.
I like the Vargo stuff. Also the new Keego flexible bottles look really interesting.
Hot Nalgenes are indeed still all the rage for keeping warm in your sleeping bag at night.
I think you could do the same with wax for the hot version. Hot wax would last longer than hot water because of the phase change. I assume this is not commercially available because of the dangers of heating wax which should be done in a hot water bath. Some people would inevitably ignore the instructions and burn down their house.
Edit after a bit of research: Maybe the lesser heat capacity of wax offsets the benefits of the phase change.
Instead of staying at an ideal temperature, water will gradually cool down.
[0] https://www.amazon.com/Chillz-Cooling-Dogs-Large-Size/dp/B00...
There are even different thicknesses of cover, depending whether you want lots of heat (thin cover so you don't get that rubber feel) or more of a lower temp and slow release (thicker padded cover).
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30024127
We now use "Wheat Bags" ... cloth bags, usually cylindrical, filled with wheat. Heat in a microwave and use where one would use a hot-water bottle, but without the danger of a leak.
I still prefer them over hot water containers. We have some that are floppy and flexible, ideal for wrapping around the back of the neck and over the shoulders.
But most importantly, hot water bottles are really hot and much better at keeping me warm.
We've used both and settled on the wheat bag, but I recognise that other people will make other choices, and that's fine.
You can pop a clove or two in as well to mask the rice scent.
I find that between the bottle itself and the surrounding sheets and mattress, a lot of heat is absorbed in that first hour. Pre-heating everything should keep the hot water bottle warm until morning. I find this to be an unreasonably effective life hack.
Even with the very best dry microwavable pillows, there will be at least a 20x difference in heat capacity.
And your premise doesn't make sense. A hot water bottle under the blankets will also be at body temperature after (many) hours. There's no reason for it to get colder than the wheat pillows. And the fabric covering feels just as warm.
With a woolen cover or padded cotton, the heat release is much slower and more uniform, so the HWB is more comfortable, last a lot longer, and because you only touch (relatively insulating / insulated) fabric it never feels really cold.
However, the more usual situation was to put the HWB in a knitted woollen jacket. That kept the heat in and it didn't burn one and was still warm in the morning.
That's why wrapping the rubber container in a woolen or padded cotton cover mitigates the effect a lot, it will slow down the heat release, and once the water has cooled down it'll limit the heat transfer back into the container, and thus won't feel cold.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30025026
We do have a cylindrical one but the two biggest are shaped like mini pillows, more rectangular patterned.
Combine them with a lap blanket, hot tea, brand new thick winter socks, insulated slippers, a hoodie, 50 push-ups before work and a 400W zone heater, and you will be able to survive my office in the winter :D
Edit: and indeed, don't forget the winter socks! I prefer them in wool. Also a baggy fleece sweater/vest made of polar fleece (which I can't find anywhere anymore) with the thickest and highest collar possible.
Very interesting. Did you find any noticeable difference between the longevity of its heating as compared with water? The reason I ask is that the specific heat of water is higher than that of wheat so water should retain the heat longer.
BTW, I'm familiar with hot water bottles, they were all the rage when I was a kid before electric blankets became commonplace.
P.S.: I can't say I ever had one leak but I reckon I'd have come close. After some use, they'd start to perish around the filling point/screw stopper. The idea was to always keep an eye on it and once one noticed the first signs of perishing then not to gamble too long before replacing it.
It's all about transferring energy/heat from one place to another.
Thanks for that.
On inspection we found the rubber had perished, probably as the bottle was around five years old. The replacement cost less than £10, including fluffy cover. We'll be sure to inspect this one more frequently when filling.
Not only does the bottle provide her warmth, to helps ease the pain in her arthritic feet.
[1]https://warmies.com/
Mine is a little longer...
https://youtu.be/oM5ZzR2KBSQ
(See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30025026)