annieg Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Hi! I am new to the Forum!We are retiring and moving to the south west of France early next year - I know this might seem a silly question, but can English type kettles now be bought in France?I'm sure I will be dipping in and out of French Property a lot for help and advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 [quote user="annieg"]Hi! I am new to the Forum![/quote]Welcome to the Forum![quote user="annieg"]We are retiring and moving to the south west of France early next year - I know this might seem a silly question, but can English type kettles now be bought in France?[/quote]Yes, or you could just put a French plug on a spare UK one if you wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTrash Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 What's an English type kettle? Are they different from French ones? I'm probably being dim here, but I'm very curious to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Well, probably what the OP is referring to is the fact that the kettle is a fairly recent thing in France. Certainly when I used to live in France back in the mid 1970's, nobody had a kettle.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Carefull here! Isn't the voltage in the States lower? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneySuckleDreams Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 [quote user="annieg"]English type kettles now be bought in France?[/quote]What exactly do you mean ? The things for boiling water that you plug into a plug socket ? or one you put on a stove ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 My guess is the same as Betty's - going back into the not too distant past, electric kettles weren't to be seen - not anywhere I went in France, nor in Switzerland. Water was boiled in a pan on the cooker. We have friends who still didn't have an electric kettle in their home only a couple or so years ago when we last visited them; we're stopping off for lunch with them on our way south soon, so it will be interesting to see if that's still the case. I know Marcelle was always quite happy boiling water by that method, so I wouldn't be too surprised to find her still boiling pans of water for coffee etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTrash Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Thanks for explaining that. Now I'm trying to think how I used to boil water and maKe coffee in the student residence in Lille in the 70s, and I honestly can't remember. I think I did have an electric kettle, but maybe I brought it with me."The things for boiling water that you plug into a plug socket ? or the one you put on a stove ?" - of course, if one is very absent-minded, it's occasionally one and the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneySuckleDreams Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 My brother, when we were a lot younger, was asked to make coffee...3 spoon fulls of instant Nescafe, plus water into the kettle...he wasn't asked again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 AnnieG ... whereabouts are you moving to? I'm sure many of us in the southwest may be able to answer questions you may have about a specific area. Do feel free to ask lots of questions, when we moved out five years ago I was on this forum a lot asking lots of questions, most of them rather silly but quite important to me, and everybody was extremely helpful and patient. Hopefully I'm now in a position to be able to answer some questions myself now!Re. kettles, yes you can find them here. But be aware that white goods in France are generally much more expensive than in the UK. I know many people who purchase fridges and washing machines in the UK and bring them over, due to the price saving. Of course the only hiccup is if something goes wrong and you have to return it to the shop. But you can buy a kettle in Tescos for £5 whereas the cheapest one I've found locally is more like 15euros. For kettles, hairdryers and small goods, we just brought over our UK stuff and put a French plug on, but bought the big goods locally (for the reason I gave above).Good luck with your plans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 From other questions asked elsewhere, it appears the OP is moving from the USA, so will need to buy all new in France given the incompatibility of voltage. Pity, as I'm sure most of these small white goods would be heaps cheaper in the US, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 good point, I should have looked at the profile, yes it won't apply. I'm guessing US appliances could just have French plugs fitted on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 [quote user="nectarine"]good point, I should have looked at the profile, yes it won't apply. I'm guessing US appliances could just have French plugs fitted on?[/quote]US appliances are designed for 110V while in France the supply is 220V. Any US kettle plugged into the French mains would probably burn out pretty rapidly. I would not want to try this at home and would not advise anyone else to try this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Fair point, Mr. Nectarine does all the electrical things around here so I hadn't a clue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Going off at a tangent as I am wont to do....I now make green tea in a filter coffee machine.The leaves dont stay in contact with the hot water for long so it doesn't become bitter and tannic as can happen if a pot is left too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Excuse me, I am also at a tangent but I just need to ask this:Is "green tea" black in colour?I'm not being funny but I have some tea leaves whose colour is black and I do want to know if this tea is the same thing that you are talking about?Also, for the OP, you can now also get electric toasters in French supermarkets. OK, the choice could be a bit limited but you CAN get them if you, like me, don't want to have the faff of putting on the grill in the oven in order to make toast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 [quote user="NormanH"]Going off at a tangent as I am wont to do....I now make green tea in a filter coffee machine.The leaves dont stay in contact with the hot water for long so it doesn't become bitter and tannic as can happen if a pot is left too long.[/quote]But, Norman, is it hot? I find coffee machines - and I know the purists will probably say that boiling water compromises the flavour - make coffee that is, at best, tepid. Tea is supposed to be made with boiling water, so I can only imagine that a tea produced with a coffee machine will be tepid and not very flavourful.And, in case you may consider it relevant to the answer, you might like to know that I only drink green tea, or rooibos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkkent Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 [quote user="You can call me Betty"]And, in case you may consider it relevant to the answer, you might like to know that I only drink green tea, or rooibos.[/quote]Are you sure? I thought that this is South African red bush tea.The green tea I had in Japan was made with warm - not boiling - water and was greenish in colour with a very delicate flavour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 OK let's try again.I only drink either green tea or rooibos. [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 [quote user="You can call me Betty"]OK let's try again.I only drink either green tea or rooibos. [:D][/quote]You mean literally. Never water or tepid coffee or a nice glass of wine or whatever Her Majesty serves at her garden parties. [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 I put in rather a lot of loose leaf tea into the filter paper, and while it is true that the water isn't boiling the fact that there are plenty of leaves means it trickles through slowly and so is impregnated with flavour, though you might find it insipid if you prefer a strong brew.I use Gunpowder tea...and of course the jug keeps the tea nicely warm without it stewing.It suits me but of course tastes differ.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 [quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="You can call me Betty"]OK let's try again.I only drink either green tea or rooibos. [:D][/quote]You mean literally. Never water or tepid coffee or a nice glass of wine or whatever Her Majesty serves at her garden parties. [:D][/quote]As it happens, and coincidence is a funny thing, I almost never drink wine (unlike many, cheap wine was nowhere on my list of reasons for moving to France: I can't stand the stuff). Water? If we are being "literal" then I will confess that I do tend to use it to make tea, but again, unlike many, I don't live my life with a bottle of the stuff welded to my hand. The Queen serves ordinary tea or lemon barley water at her little get-togethers. I managed to force down one of each.Coffee? Not really. And, if we are going to pick holes in one another's use of grammar, then how do you know that I mean literally? You wrote a statement, not a question. Are you a mind reader? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 [quote user="NormanH"]I put in rather a lot of loose leaf tea into the filter paper, and while it is true that the water isn't boiling the fact that there are plenty of leaves means it trickles through slowly and so is impregnated with flavour, though you might find it insipid if you prefer a strong brew.I use Gunpowder tea...and of course the jug keeps the tea nicely warm without it stewing.It suits me but of course tastes differ..[/quote]Thanks, Norman. I appreciate the genuine answer to a genuine question. Apparently, it wasn't too difficult for you to make sense of my question. Others seem to have struggled with some semantic issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I also drink green tea, although fennel tea is my main everyday drink, but never use boiling water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 It's just me, then. Can't stand tepid "hot" drinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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