Ponder..from what i have seen on other sites they are for water only as you can not open them to clean out burned on food..
in a pinch maybe, and rinse and boil to clean..

Yup, all these kettles are water only as there is no way to clean the inside out.

The Thermette comes with a support ring that can sit on top of the chimney....this support ring supports a pot for soups etc so you can cook and boil at the same time. You do have to remove the pot to add sticks though so this is a good potential but not a perfect setup. How tall and ungainly it is etc remains to be seen.

The large Kelly can be had with an accessory kit....really a small two piece grill that sits on the firepan only. This way you can grill something or possibly support a tiny pot over the coals after your boil is finished.

I have seen someone make a hardware cloth "ring" that fits the Kelly chimney that could then support a mug or small pot, but this is a very tippy operation.

I then to think of these as hot water boilers exclusively.

Schwert - "These are a half gallon, copper and again perfectly suited to larger kits."

That's just about the size I want for my coffee. Proper caffination is important. As to what everyone else is drinking, hey, that's their problem. Pretty too. Always a plus.

And, BTW, a very nice photo also.

I would still brew the coffee in it. Coffee, as long as it is straight up will leave a stain but it is easy to remove chemically. Worse case I pour in some sand, wet with water with a touch of detergent and shake. No problem.

I would have to stitch up an insulated cozy for the pot so the coffee stayed warm.

I would advise against brewing in the Kelly or Thermette. The Kelly would likely hold the grounds quite well in the tight areas of the chimney and there is definately nothing worse than stale coffee grounds to ruin your next boilup. I imagine the Thermette with its very restricted spout would even be more difficult to clean of grounds.

I just take a top-of-cup filter device, brew coffee in an cup with integral press arrangement or for my disaster kit filter brew into a Nissan thermos with cone. This way the water can be used for soups, tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc in a nearly endless manner.

Rancid coffee oils in my boiler would be something I would not want to have to figure out how to deal with.

BTW...thanks for the image compliment. Only the Kelly Kettle image is mine....the Thermette image came from their site.

As a means of ensuring that you have safe water to drink those are definitely the D.B's.

The way they taper down on the inside tells me that they can only be used to boil water. I need a container that I can boil soup in and won't have any trouble cleaning out. Also, I need my container to have an opening big enough to spoon from, and also big enough to store some things in when not in use. I don't like the idea of empty space in my kit.
I am designing my own compact wood gas stove that will accomplish all I need in a cook kit, and serve as storage for when not in use.

I just picked up my semi-shiney new copper Thermette.

First impressions....

Huge.
Cruder than the Kelly's.
Big.
Heavy.
Gigantic.
All soldered rather than just crimped.
Monsterous.

Galvanized steel fire ring on the bottom.
Tinned (?) burner top ring.
Steel cook ring for the top.

Lots of solder so the joints should not leak…hopefully they are tin not lead.

Knuckle burn a distinct possibility...care required.

It has a bit of the look of some of my metal work projects from 7th grade shop class.


Made in China.

That last bit surprised me...I thought New Zealand.

Anyway it is a giant boiler, that has a very efficient looking copper cone and a huge draft potential.

This will be boiled in sometime soon.

It looks like it has great potential for my express purposes of emergency water boiling.

I am glad I have my Kelly's though....

I only buy from China if there is absolutely no other way.

Hi Schwert - glad to see you got one, I'm really looking forward to your evaluation.

Dave

Another source for the Kelly Kettles in the U.S. is Garrett Wade (www.garrettwade.com).

Very comparable to what Lee Valley has (in their general stock). They charge a few dollars more, but available with the large Kelly Kettle (they call them "Foul Weather Kettles") is an accessory kit.

Quoting their site now: comprised of a small 5-1/2" diameter fry pan, a fire grate/grill, a deeper Cooking Pot, plus a Handle) can be used with the Base of the Large Kettle.

That might be a nice add-on to go with a Kelly Kettle, don't know how it compares functionally to the Thermette's advertised ability to cook with or without the water boiling on the base.

Dave