Answering your 5 most popular iKettle questions
Never before have we spent so much time at home. Without a doubt, lockdown has transformed the way that we view our homes, and the importance that we place on investing in these spaces.
Currently, the nation is prioritising home renovations and investing in home upgrades more so than ever. This trend is especially apparent in kitchens.
With no restaurants to pop out to, we’ve been cooking at home day in and day out. And far from being a chore (although there have certainly been some days where we couldn’t quite be bothered to cook up something too elaborate) this has largely been a lot of fun. We’ve seized this opportunity to learn new skills and reconnect with our love of cooking.
We want to create a kitchen that is not only stylish, but is also innovative and fun to be in, while making our home cooking easier - all in all, we want it to be a room that we can be proud to call our own. Investing in devices and technology that help us achieve this seems like a no-brainer, especially when our homes are such a fundamental part of our daily routine.
With these home transformation ambitions in mind, we wanted to share some key information about our iKettle. This intuitive kitchen device represents a fantastic investment for keen home cooks, or anyone working from home who is partial to a tea break.
For anyone who isn’t sure about how our smart kettle works, or what it can offer to them, we’ve dedicated this blog post to answering five of the most common questions that we have received from customers who are interested in the iKettle.
In a previous blog post, we provided answers to some of your common smart kettle-related queries. Below, we will expand on some of the points that we covered in that earlier post, while also answering five further customer FAQs.
The topics that we’ll be taking you through in this blog are:
- What benefits can a smart kettle provide me with?
- Can the iKettle connect to my voice activated devices?
- How does the Smarter app work?
- What do the ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Home’ modes provide?
- What models are included in the iKettle range?
We’re delighted to have introduced a brand new range of designs to the iKettle range. The latest addition to our Smarter online store is our sleek new monochrome range of iKettles. These sleek models provide the perfect fit to a minimalist design, and will be right at home in any modern kitchen. To celebrate this latest product launch, we wanted to dedicate a blog post to shining a spotlight on the numerous capabilities of our smart kettle.
So, to help you with your kitchen upgrade, let’s get started on answering your smart kettle queries.
1. What benefits can a smart kettle provide me with?
The iKettle is a fantastic investment for regular tea drinkers, or anyone who enjoys cooking at home. It’s a tool which is intuitively created around the requirements of homeowners. The smart kettle recognises the needs of day-to-day life, and aspires to make those little tasks easier.
A great example of this is the remote app-controlled feature. This enables you to get the kettle ready to be used when you’re busy with other tasks, or if you’re in another room in the house. With just a few taps on your phone, your kettle can heat the water up to the specific temperature that you require, exactly when you want it.
These intelligent features will ensure that your temperature is at the right heat for its usage - for example, if you are making a green tea, you can heat the water to precisely 85°C (185ºF). This will create the perfect balance between a warming cup of tea, that will not create a bitter aftertaste by overheating the delicate leaves.
Another example is when you’re cooking. Vitamin C can easily get broken down and destroyed when it is cooked in water which is too hot. If you boil foods that contain Vitamin C too vigorously, this nutrient can be broken down, which means that it will leave the food. As a result, you won’t be consuming it when you eat the food. That’s why the iKettle’s ability to heat water to a more delicate, slightly cooler temperature is such a handy feature when cooking with fresh, nutrient-rich foods such as these.
This remote boil capability is also ideal for new parents. The device has a Formula Mode, which means that, during the night time feeding sessions, you can set the smart kettle to boil straight away without getting out of bed. Furthermore, you can set it to exactly the right temperature for your formula, to warm it without making it scalding hot!
As you can see, the iKettle boasts a wide range of intelligent capabilities, which are quite simply designed to make your home life easier.
2. Can the iKettle connect to my voice activated devices?
The short answer is yes - the iKettle can connect to voice activated devices that you have installed in your home.
In fact, all of the products in the Smarter range are compatible with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Home and IFTTT.
Then, you can use these devices to control the iKettle with your device. It makes your daily routine even more effortless. You can even personalise the phrases that you use for each command.
For example, you can ask the iKettle to boil to 85°C in 10 minutes, all completely hands-free. This is ideal if you need some extra warm water for your baking, but your hands are covered in flour. Or, you might need to top up the warm water in your baby’s formula, and so this voice activation feature will mean that you don’t have to put your little one down right away.
It’s important for us to note here that this isn’t a requirement. You don't need a voice activated device in order to use our iKettle - all of its features can be used via the free mobile Smarter App. We just think that connecting the smart kettle to these devices is a fun way to make it even smarter.
3. How does the Smarter app work?
As we mentioned above, you can also control the iKettle through your phone. To do this, you will need to download the Smarter mobile app.
This app is completely free and super easy to install - if you're an iOS user, all you need to do is download the app via the app store. Go to ‘Settings’ and turn on the ‘Siri shortcuts’, and then it's ready to use.
Once it’s all set up, you can start to use the app straight away. You can even make the most out of the new shortcuts feature of the app, and modify it to best fit your personal routine.
The app allows you to control the iKettle remotely, even when you are in a separate room, or on your way back home. You can use the app to direct any of the iKettle’s functions, and input commands with complete user flexibility - as much (if not more) control as you would have if you were there boiling the kettle manually.
4. What do the ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Home’ modes provide?
Wake Up mode is designed for usage first thing in the morning. It’s designed to make your morning cuppa easier than ever to brew. It works by enabling you to set the kettle to boil without having to leave your bed. You can even programme it to boil automatically at a set point every morning, so that the device seamlessly fits into your daily routine.
Home mode allows you to create a daily kettle plan that fits around your itinerary. With this setting, you can map out your typical plan for the day on the app, and have your iKettle boil water ready for these moments in the day. The iKettle takes your tea breaks seriously.
5. What models are included in the iKettle range?
We currently have three models in the iKettle range - the Original, the limited edition white and gold model, and our brand new monochrome range.
These models provide customers with plenty of choice, so that they can choose an iKettle which perfectly suits their existing kitchen aesthetic. These models all feature a minimalist design, and sophisticated ergonomic features.
Each model includes a stainless steel body, a perfectly weighted handle, and the patented ‘Strix’ controller on the base. These elegant design features have been made with a sleek, stylish kitchen in mind.
If you’re interested in securing yourself a brand new iKettle for your kitchen, be sure to check out our online shop. You can even take this opportunity to check out the latest addition to our iKettle range - the luxe new monochrome collection (not available in the US). And if you have any further questions, be sure to leave them in the comments below, or ask away on one of our social media platforms.
Written by Josephine Walbank