How to Cook with Just a Kettle

Reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur

Last Updated: April 30, 2024 References

If you're in a hotel or dorm without a well-equipped kitchen, you might be tempted to reach for the takeaway menu. But there are lots of ways to prepare tasty meals with simply a kettle. By heating water in a kettle and adding a few basic ingredients, you can cook eggs, soup, rice, and other dishes like spaghetti and curry.

Cooking with a Kettle

Boil water in your kettle and pour it over ramen or oatmeal. Or, boil rice, pasta, or potatoes in your kettle. For a quick meal, heat up canned soup in your kettle.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Cooking Eggs

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Rap the egg against the edge of the tumbler. Rap softly at first, and slowly add force to your raps until the egg cracks. Discard the shells.^{[1]
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Add salt, pepper, and vegetables. Add as much salt as you wish. If you want to add finely diced peppers, onions, mushrooms, or other vegetables, add 1 handful per egg.^{[2]
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- You could also add a handful of diced ham or spinach per egg.
- Remember to add no more than 1 handful of additional material (meat or vegetables) per egg, otherwise the egg-to-vegetable or egg-to-meat ratio will be thrown off.
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3
Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the kettle. Roll the kettle around so that the oil evenly coats the bottom. Turn on the heating element beneath the kettle and wait about 30 seconds. Drop a droplet of water into the kettle to test its readiness. If it is ready, the oil and water will make a loud hissing noise.^{[3]
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- If it’s not ready, repeat the test every 30 seconds until it is.
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Pour the eggs and vegetables into the kettle and cook them. Reduce heat to low or medium. Use a long-handled wooden spoon to scrape the eggs around within the kettle. Stop cooking when the eggs appear fluffy and begin to smell cooked.^{[4]
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- This recipe works best if you have a wide-mouthed kettle.
- Scoop the eggs out of the kettle and onto a plate or into a bowl. Top the eggs with salt, pepper, and ketchup, if you wish.
Tuck an egg into a roasting bag and seal it. If it doesn’t have an self-sealing capability, tie it off with a twist tie. Drop the bag into the kettle and cover with water. Boil for about 10 minutes.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Heating Soup

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Normally, you’d heat soup in a pan, but if all you have on hand is a kettle, that will work just as well. Open the can of soup and pour the contents into the kettle. If the soup is condensed, add water or milk in the volume recommended by the directions on the label. Heat the soup for about 8 minutes on medium heat, then allow to cool for several minutes before consuming.
Instant ramen is a tasty and quick noodle soup. Put the noodle brick and the contents of the flavor packet into a bowl, boil some water in your kettle, then pour the water over the ramen until it covers the noodles. Place a plate or cover over the bowl and wait about 5 minutes before eating.^{[6]
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Make a chickpea soup. Place 200 grams (7.1 oz) canned chickpeas into one container, along with half of a red bell pepper (sliced thinly), and a handful of sliced sugar snap peas. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground coriander. Cover your ingredients with boiling water and place a plate or lid over the container to keep heat in. Wait about 2 minutes, then enjoy your tasty soup.^{[7]
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- Add salt or pepper if you wish.
- For a smoother soup, put all the ingredients in a blender, then cover with boiling water. Turn the blender on high for about 20 seconds.
Pour canned food directly into the kettle before heating. Heating canned goods directly in the can is unsafe, and can lead to harmful metals and chemicals leaching into your food.^{[8]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making Oatmeal

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1
Put your oats in a bowl. You can use rolled oats or quick oats. Quick oats, as their name suggests, cook faster than regular (rolled) oats, but they often end up mushier than rolled oats, and have less texture. If you wish, you could combine both types.^{[9]
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- There is no “right” amount of oats you should use. If you are quite hungry for oatmeal, you’ll probably want 1 cup or more. If you are just having a snack, you’ll likely use about 1/2 cup of oatmeal.
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Boil twice as many cups of water as oatmeal. If you’re cooking 1 cup of oatmeal, boil 2 cups of water. This will ensure the oats are cooked well. For slightly thicker oatmeal, however, you could reduce the water-to-oats ratio from 2:1 to 3:2.^{[10]
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- Substitute milk for water if you want to enjoy a stickier, thicker oatmeal.
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Add spices and flavorings to your water. When your water is boiling, add a dash of nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon, or allspice. These spices will kick your oatmeal up a notch in flavor.^{[11]
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- Add about one teaspoon of each spice and one tablespoon of sugar per cup of oatmeal.
Wait about 5 minutes for the oats to absorb it and cool to an edible temperature. Add additional spices and flavorings if you wish.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using a Kettle for a Larger Meal

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1
Make rice in your kettle. Pour 1 cup of rice into a bowl, then cover it with water. Drain the water by pouring the contents of the bowl into a fine strainer. Add the rice and ¹⁄₂ litre (0.13 US gal) of water to your kettle. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.^{[12]
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- Spoon a bit of the rice out of the kettle after about 20 minutes. If it is easily mashable in your hand, it is ready.
- If you cannot easily mash the rice, return it to the kettle and boil it another 10 minutes.
- Serve your rice with canned vegetables or beans.
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Make spaghetti bolognese. Add 100 grams (3.5 oz) spaghetti to your kettle, breaking the long noodles into shorter lengths, if necessary. Cover the pasta with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low and wait about 25 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander and put it in a small bowl. Cover the bowl to retain heat.^{[13]
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- In another bowl, mix corned beef, tomato puree, and olive oil. Combine 170 grams (6.0 oz), 2 small spoonfuls of tomato puree, and 1 small spoonful of olive oil. Sprinkle some thyme, oregano, salt, and/or pepper over the mix, to taste.
- Put everything in a roasting bag and drape the end of it over the edge of your kettle’s mouth. Put the lid on the kettle to trap the roasting bag in place.
- Boil the beef and other contents for about 10 minutes, then remove it and cover the spaghetti with the sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese or additional spices, if you wish.
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Boil vegetables in the kettle. Place about 1 cup of diced vegetables into the kettle and cover with water. Boil the water for about 10 minutes.^{[14]
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- You can also parboil veggies by putting them in a hard plastic box, covering them with water, and dropping the sealed box into the kettle.
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Boil potatoes in your kettle. Dice a potato into chunks that are about 1 centimetre (0.39 in) on each side. Place the chunks in your kettle and cover them with water. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes. When you can pierce them with a fork, empty the potato chunks into a colander and then put them in a bowl. Add rosemary, chives, salt, thyme, and any other seasonings you wish.^{[15]
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- You could also mash the chunks with a fork or mashing tool if you want mashed potatoes.

Common Questions: Kettle Cooking

What meals can I make with a kettle?

There’s a lot you can make with a kettle. For breakfast, make oatmeal or eggs. For lunch or dinner, make soup, rice, pasta, or ramen.

Can you cook rice with just a kettle?

Yes, it’s easy to cook rice with just a kettle. Pour 1 cup of rice and ½ liter of water into the kettle. Bring the water to a boil and then switch it to low. Then, cook the rice for 20 minutes.

Is boiling healthier than frying?

In general, boiling food is considered healthier than frying it. When you fry foods in oil or butter, you add fats. The high heat can also destroy some of the food’s nutrients. Boiling uses a lower heat, so fewer nutrients are usually lost.^{[16]
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Tips

If you’re using an electric kettle and it switches off automatically before the time necessary to complete your recipe has elapsed, simply switch it back on again.

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