The Best Electric Kettle to Efficiently Boil Water

Some homes always keep an electric kettle, and then there are ones that never had it. People who keep it handy give four main reasons to buy a good quality electric kettle: they boil water quickly, are the easiest way to boil the water, are the most energy-efficient way to boil the water, and are very accurate. Electric kettles provide a convenient way to boil water to make tea, coffee, oatmeal or instant noodles, or pasta. Electric kettles come with some indispensable benefits, such as being faster than stove kettles for boiling water, warming water within 30 seconds, and boiling water within 3 to 7 minutes. If you want your coffee ready in a snap, you need an electric kettle for quick water boiling.

Before buying the right electric kettle for your kitchen, make sure that you learn all about electric kettles with our buying guide.

Material and weight

The base is almost always made of plastic to provide the necessary insulation from the rest of the body. The water tank, handle, and lid are usually made of plastic, stainless steel, or glass. Usually, the combination of these three makes up the whole kettle.

Some people have a preference regarding the material to boil water for tea. In that case, a glass body is the most preferred.

Price

Electric kettles made of plastic are usually cheaper than glass and metal. There is no difference in the efficiency or the range of functions that the plastic kettles can perform. The main downside is that the plastic starts to look worse sooner than glass and stainless steel. This happens because plastic is more prone to scratches than other harder materials.

Longer warranty periods, a bigger water tank, and temperature control are some of the features that add to the price of a kettle.

Warranty and life

Electric kettles usually come with a warranty of 1-year for any malfunctions and breakdowns. You can also make use of an optional additional 1-year warranty, which is sometimes offered by the manufacturers. The average life of an electric kettle came out to be 4.4 years based on some research done in the UK.

Temperature control

This is a useful option if you like your tea to be made at a certain temperature. Tea enthusiasts know that ground tea leaves brew at different temperatures. The basic electric kettles seldom have any temperature control other than the boiling point. High-end electric kettles provide more precision control through a knob or digital settings. It only takes around three minutes to boil water in an electric kettle, but that varies depending upon the wattage of the kettle.

Exterior insulation

The exterior of the electric kettle is fairly insulated in case of plastic or metal but not so much in the case of glass. Glass absorbs heat as the water boils inside the kettle, and it is unsafe to touch it directly. This insulation also helps with the noise reduction that boiling water can produce.

Safety

The auto shut-off function makes it safe for home use. If the kettle has this function, as soon as the water starts boiling, or reaches the preset temperature, the kettle automatically shuts down. Apart from this function, safety needs to be practiced by the users.

• The kettle base should be kept dry at all times so that no short-circuiting happens when powered.
• Manufacturers mention the minimum and maximum water levels on the electric kettle, beyond which the user should never use the kettle. These levels are necessary for the temperature sensor to work and perform an auto-shutdown function.

Cleaning

The mouth of the electric kettle should be large enough to wash from the inside. If that is not possible, then it should be washed using a brush. The importance of this fact is increased when you plan to use the kettle to boil pasta or instant noodles. In that case, you will have to wash the kettle after every use.

Features of Electric Kettle

Auto shut-off: Electric kettles with auto shut-off feature make sure that the kettle shuts off when water starts boiling or when kettle water has dried up. It prevents overheating of the kettle base. In addition, it saves energy by shutting down the kettle when boiling finishes.

Cordless: Electric kettles that can be detached from their base without a cord are very convenient to use. Detachable cords are also easier to store.

Water gauge: A water gauge that is visible can tell you about the exact water level inside the kettle.

Comfortable handle: An electric kettle handle with a strong grip and anti-slip properties will let you balance the weight of the kettle while you are pouring the hot water. The handle should be big enough to help you fit your fingers around while lifting the kettle up. The handle should not be too heavy and should help you lift up the kettle comfortably.

Size of spout: The size of the spout should be wide enough so you can thoroughly clean up the interior of the kettle. The spout should have a lid closing for safe boiling and pouring.