Thermopot – Who Will Need It and How to Choose It?

What is Thermopot: Modern kitchens are packed to capacity with different kitchen appliances. Often it is acquired on the principle of “so that it is,” and not all of its types are used equally actively.

What is a Thermopot?

Some kitchen units become our faithful assistants in cooking, others are used irregularly, according to mood or significant holidays, and others take up precious space in storage systems in vain. Which of these categories does thermal pot fall into? Let’s discuss this issue.

Overview of Thermopot

Thermopot is a hybrid of a kettle and a thermos, invented by the inventive Japanese almost 30 years ago, in 1992. Such a device heats water like a kettle, then maintains its high temperature for a long time. Thermo pots differ from kettles also in a larger tank capacity – in some models, the capacity of the tank can reach eight liters.

Thermo pots are usually made of durable, high-quality plastic or metal. Premium models are often equipped with a ceramic or glass tank. To ensure reliable thermal insulation, the design of the thermopot provides double walls. 

But a thermopot differs from a thermos. Unlike a thermos flask, its tank does not have a reflective layer. Because of this, the thermal insulation of a thermopot is still weaker than that of a traditional thermos. The higher heat losses of the thermopot make it necessary to keep it permanently connected to the power supply to ensure the set temperature of the water poured into the tank of the device. 

The heating element in this technique is installed at the bottom. It can be a disk or spiral. To heat water to the required temperature, you must fill the tank and press the power button. 

When its contents reach the set temperature values, the unit will turn off and notify you of the completion of the process through the indicator. You don’t have to tilt the Thermo pot like a kettle when you want to pour heated water into a glass or other container – press a special button or use a manual pump. 

Modern Thermo pots have different modes of operation:

• Maintaining water temperature in the range of 40-100 ° C
• Providing for a delayed start, providing heating of the tank’s contents by a particular hour.

Advantages of the thermopot

What is a suitable and convenient thermopot?  Firstly, if such a device exists in the kitchen, there will always be a hot water supply at hand – do not forget to replenish the tank periodically. If every time to drink a cup of tea, boil water with an electric kettle, then much more electricity will be spent than the thermopot will use up. 

This device is very useful in large families, not to mention those with very young children who constantly need hot water for cooking and disinfecting children’s dishes. The convenience of using a Thermo pot will also be appreciated by elderly or sick people who have difficulty using a hot kettle. A thermopot will come in handy in the country, especially if numerous groups of friends and relatives often gather here. 

Another important advantage of this type of kitchen appliance is the safety of operation. It will not work to burn yourself with a thermal sweat, the surface of its body will never heat up, and if it is accidentally knocked over, the system for protecting the device from spilling water will work.

Flaws

There are a few of them, and they are ambiguous. For example, it is considered a disadvantage that it takes more time to heat water than if it is done with a kettle. But this disadvantage can be leveled by competently using the delayed start mode. Another drawback mentioned by the opponents of this kitchen technique is the high cost. The costs incurred during the purchase will pay off over time due to the savings in electricity that the operation of the thermopot gives.

Choosing the right thermostat

When buying the thermostat, you should consider several essential selection criteria. Let’s briefly look at each of them:

• Volume – In different models, it varies between 2.5 and 8 liters. For large families or relatives uniting several generations, purchasing a Thermo pot with a giant water tank is advisable.
• Dimensions – They are directly related to the volume of the unit: the larger its displacement, the larger the size of the thermopot.
• Manufacturing material – the outer case of such devices is made of plastic, but you can also find metal models – they look more presentable and weigh more than plastic models. The inner flasks of Thermo pots can be either metal or glass. Metal containers are more durable and reliable, but traces of use may appear on their surface – ugly scratches. Glass flasks are more resistant to mechanical damage. But they often break with careless handling.
• Heating temperature and its regulators – The design of most models provides for heating water in three modes – up to 60 ° C, up to 80 ° C, and up to 95 ° C. If heating to any intermediate values ​​\u200b\u200bis required, you need to choose a more expensive model equipped with a step-less thermostat. Such a regulator allows setting the desired heating temperature at 60-100 ° C.
• Method of water supply and the possibility of automatic dosing- Mechanical or electric pumps can be used to supply water. Electric ones are much more convenient to use because, with their help, you can fill the cup with one touch of a button;
• Additional features – Thermo pots of the latest, most progressive modifications are equipped with the option of delayed start and blocking the button for pouring water during boiling. It allows for self-cleaning of the tank from the deposit scale and protection of the unit from the hand pump’s inadvertent pressing, signaling that the heating program is running, etc. But each additional option and opportunity increases the cost of this type of kitchen appliance – the more “tricked out” the thermopot, the more expensive it is.
• Design: Design is the most subjective selection criterion. Each buyer chooses the equipment design that corresponds to their ideas about style and beauty. Some choose a Thermo pot, so its color scheme is in harmony with the appearance of household appliances and furniture already in the kitchen. For others, the most important thing is that the unit fits precisely, for example, into a niche next to the refrigerator. On the market, thermo pots are presented in abundance, so everyone can easily find a device that meets not only technical but also aesthetic criteria.
• A brand is a criterion that is important for many- If owning the equipment of well-known brands warms your soul, then be prepared to pay a tidy sum for a branded thermal pot. On the other hand, buying equipment from the manufacturer you hear for the first time can run into a low-quality thing. The brand still guarantees a certain level of product quality; well-known companies do not risk their good reputation.
• Cost – This criterion is undoubtedly crucial because buyers’ financial capabilities influence the model’s choice, often limiting it to a cheaper model. But the criterion of cost should not become decisive. One should not give preference to equipment that is sold at a bargain price. Try to determine first whether such savings are due to the quality of the thermopot or insufficient functionality. The thermopot will serve you for more than one year, so its operation should be convenient.
• User reviews-User reviews, found on the Internet, will also help you decide on thermopot. Of course, there are custom ones among them, but they are usually easy to calculate. And real reviews of those who share their experience in operating certain models will help you make the right choice, taking into account the mistakes of others.

What are brands of thermo pots popular with consumers? 

Of course, these are world-famous branded manufacturers producing a variety of types of household appliances, such as for, example, the famous Panasonic. The products of this Japanese company, established at the beginning of the last century, are distinguished by practicality, high functionality, and the use of the latest technologies and developments – the result of a large team of talented engineers. 

Thermal pots of the Polaris trademark are actively in demand. An international company that produces them has founded a quarter of a century ago. Thermopots of this brand is distinguished by an optimal ratio of quality and price.

Features of the operation of thermopots

The composition of water that flows from the taps of our apartments is rich in chemical elements. Magnesium and calcium, when heated, tend to transform and settle with a hard limescale deposit on the walls of the thermopot tank and the heating element, whether a disc or a spiral. The appearance of such a plaque can significantly reduce the operational life of the unit. You must remove lime deposits.

You can also take measures to improve the quality of the water poured into the thermal pot, thereby extending the life of the equipment. You can improve the composition of the water used with the help of special cleaning filters. It will not completely solve the problem but significantly reduce scale formation.

How to care for a thermopot

The sediment on the walls and the heating element impairs the operation of the heating unit, the water in it boils longer, which means that the electricity consumption increases. 

In addition, the thermo pot starts to work with a lot of noise and does not improve the scale and taste of heated water. To reduce the effects caused by scale formation, the thermopot needs regular competent care.

For the appliance to serve for a long time, it is desirable to wash it often, but it is better to wash it daily with a sponge with clean water or a solution of special detergents.

Ideally, it would be good to rinse the thermopot after each use and not leave boiled water in the tank for a long time. But then, it will not differ much from a teapot. Therefore, go the other way – use purified water by installing a filter system under the kitchen sink or bottled drinking water. In this case, it will be possible to clean the thermal pot much less frequently.

Sometimes with the removal of the scale, there are difficulties. It is due to the peculiarities of the composition of the deposits. We’ll have to try to find an effective purification technology. We can remove scale with folk remedies, which our grandmothers used to clean teapots. We will not give them here. The Internet will kindly provide you with dozens of possible methods and technologies. In turn, the household chemicals market offers highly effective special products that no scale can resist. 

If you cannot remove the sediment once, you must repeat the procedures until the scale softens and exfoliates. You can easily remove the sediment in this state with a soft sponge.

When cleaning the thermopot, do not use hard sponges and cleaners with abrasive particles in the composition. When choosing detergents, carefully study the chemical composition. 

Do not use preparations containing aggressive acids! Do not wait until the walls of the thermopot are covered with a thick coating. Remove the scale at the first appearance of sediment. 

To prevent the appearance of scale effectively, boil water with citric acid or lemon slices in a thermopot, and wash once a month. You can also clean the thermo pot with soda every three weeks or a month. After completing each cleaning procedure, boil fresh water in the tank several times, changing it after each boil.