Often, those with a brushed stainless steel exterior reach hotter temperatures than other materials – not ideal if you have young children in the kitchen.

Kettles with a higher wattage tend to be noisier – we test the noise using a microphone and a decibel metre, so if any are particularly loud or quiet, we can tell you this in our reviews. How good the toaster is at fitting conventional supermarket loaf slices, tall "toastie" slices, large breadmaker slices, and thick items such as crumpets. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. This kettle is among the most compact we’ve tested and the wide, rounded spout makes for fast filling, providing a clean and accurate pour. It took on average under two minutes to boil a litre of water and a little over a minute to boil half a litre (its minimum capacity).

Other smart features include pre-programmed temperature buttons for different hot drinks and a "keep warm" setting to retain the water temperature for a certain amount of time. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Most kettles have this clearly visible on the exterior but some are more awkwardly placed, such as behind the handle. This kettle has a handy illuminated water level gauge, which lights up when it's boiling and switches off when it’s ready.

After spending countless hours testing over 182 kettles in our lab – we've boiled enough hot water to make nearly 5,460 cups of tea!That said, we found the silicone handle quite wide to hold, and the hinged lid was a bit fiddly to use at first. It’s equally important to check the water gauge to make sure your kettle hasn’t been overfilled, which could boil over and become a safety hazard. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. There’s more to a great kettle than just boiling water though, which is why the Good Housekeeping Institute has tried a wide range of models to find the best on the market.

We also check the temperature of the external casing of the handle when water is freshly boiled – some kettles get extremely hot and extra care needs to be taken when picking up to pour. Electric dome kettles often have lift-off lids, which can be a bit more fiddly than flip-top models to use, and these kettles usually have a smaller water capacity.You’ll find the majority of kettles on the market have a pirouette connector centre, which simply means you can place the kettle on the base to face in the direction most convenient for you. A kettle is an essential appliance in any kitchen and with our stylish choices, there is something to complement any kitchen decor. The casing temperature after boiling reached 63C - hotter than we'd like – but the handle remained cool and safe to touch.

It's also worth checking the position and shape of the handle, which may affect the balance when pouring and filling. The minimum quantity is 280ml, enough for a large cup of tea, and it takes a speedy 45 seconds to boil. We tested this two-slice toaster in our lab and found that it was easy to clean - but you'll have to read our full review to find out if it also makes fantastic toast. When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her cooking, running and exploring London’s foodie hotspots – or trying to make friends with every dog she passes. We assess a range of taks, including inserting bread into the slots and pushing the lever down, removing items without burning your fingers, using the controls and the crumb tray, and whether the instructions are clear and easy to understand.Filling through the spout resulted in a little spilling and splashing so we’d recommend filling through the hole instead, and its exterior got quite hot during boiling, but those were our only niggles. Given how regularly our kettles get used, it’s worth thinking about what features you want and those that you can pass by. litre capacity is also quick to boil, taking just three-and-a-half minutes (only 30 seconds more than the winning kettle).