Electric kettle versus gas stove

[GoneOffShore]

We were away over the weekend and we had a house sitter.

Left the usual instructions:

Cats are locked on the 3rd floor - don't let them out.

Lock all the doors when you leave.

Make sure the security system is on.

Yada , yada, yada.

What we didn't tell them (and thought that any sane person would realize) was NOT to put the plastic bottomed ELECTRIC kettle on the gas stove.

We came home to a destroyed kettle and one burner of the gas stove covered in burnt, black plastic. Luckily the stove has separate burner heads and easily replaceable grates and the plastic only took out one burner head. We were lucky as this could have been a total disaster.

And the house is still standing and the cats are alive.

For ostensibly smart people our sitters were amazingly dumb.


The bottom of the burner head - the orange wire is the ignitor which still works and the silver pipe is the venturi tube which was also undamaged.


The unholy alliance of cast iron and plastic


The former kettle.

[Duer 157099]

1. Well how else ya gonna know what the inside of the kettle looks like?

Still, lucky you that no other damage or cats didn't die from toxic fumes or something. Good thing they were on the 3rd floor.

What did the housesitter have to say about it?

[GoneOffShore]

2. They apologized for starters.

They paid for and ordered a new kettle - which arrived today.

And they are paying for new parts for the stove. I can install the parts because it's just a big old box of fire restaurant style range.

I don't think we'll be using them again as house sitters.

[Demoiselle]

3. A friend of ours did the same thing in our daughter's house.

Fortunately, daughter was home and smelled hot plastic before total disaster struck.
And this lady is an Australian who should be completely familiar with electric teakettles, English heritage and all...

[fortyfeetunder]

4. Ouch! On a Blue Star?

I recognize burner from a Blue Star range...those burners don't mess around, they are pretty darned powerful!
Glad there was limited damage and your pets were OK.