Though the large open kettles come in different shapes and sizes, both terms are used interchangeably to reference the same item. In the 17th through 19th centuries, large open kettles were used in the process of taking sugar cane and producing granulated sugar crystals. Sugar cane juice was boiled in large open kettles, skimmed, and channeled to successively smaller kettles. The last kettle in the process was where the sugar cane juice became syrup. This is why you will often hear the same open faced kettle design referred to as both sugar kettles and syrup kettles.