And the quality of your tea kettle can affect how your tea tastes. Shunan Teng, the founder and CEO of Tea Drunk, told us that an incorrect water temperature is one of three main brewing mistakes that prevent tea from reaching its best flavor. The other two mistakes are, first, brewing for too long or too short and, second, using too much or too little tea. Rebekah Joan has tested and written about everything from homebrewing kits to meat thermometers for The Spruce Eats. She tried out the Le Creuset Classic Whistling Kettle at home. This is a very, very comfortable kettle to use. OXO likes to push the word “balanced” in the marketing for this kettle, and they’re spot on. The handle feels awesome and has the right amount of heft and angles and grippy feel to make it a joy to use and control. The weight, for an electric kettle with a built in heating element, is really good too.

The construction of the kettle is solid and secure. It does not feel cheap at all. It’s all stainless steel save for the base and the silicone insert in the lid and the handle. Where the Bonavita always felt a bit thin and cheap, I don’t get this feeling from the OXO: ON kettle at all. In case you’re curious, the specific requirements set forth by the SCAA for brewing perfect, Gold Cup coffee are: Superkop Lever Espresso Machine One of the most unique espresso makers currently on the market, this is our First Look at the Superkop ratchet lever espresso machine.Value: After concluding all of our other tests, we revealed the retail prices of the kettles. Stovetop kettles are generally less expensive than electric ones, so we looked at the categories separately, comparing individual prices to the average for each type. OXO Good Grips began when its founder Sam Farber was cooking with his wife Betsy. Sam noticed how Betsy was struggling to use a peeler with her mildly arthritic fingers. He had a moment of inspiration.

Susteas Stove Top Whistling Tea Kettle: This kettle came in dead last (by nearly a minute) in the 1.5-quart boil speed test. The silicone section of the handle is slightly too small, especially for a bigger hand, so we scalded our hand several times on the exposed metal. The high spout made it difficult to empty and, like the Cuisinart, the Susteas, had a trigger opening that was hard to press up and down.The kettle also makes a weird shaking noise, which we also noticed with the cheaper Mr. Coffee model.

The OXO Classic, does fairly well solve these problems, although it is still best to take it off the burner a few seconds before pouring. The lid O-ring seal does a good job of sealing the lid except under extreme boiling (unnecessary and unwise anyway to use more heat than necessary). And it is best not to remove the lid until the pot cools down. This is a highly functional kettle, but a downside we found is that the lid can be difficult to remove. It's certainly more expensive than average, but we think it’s a worthwhile splurge, especially because of its durability and the brand's five-year guarantee to cover manufacturing defects. The Cuisinart PerfecTemp tops our list thanks to its fast boiling time, sleek design, and ease of use. As a cheaper alternative, the Hamilton Beach Electric Kettle is another worthwhile option with six preset temperatures options as well. What to Look for in an Electric Kettle Features

Other pros to the Cosori kettle include the pleasing blue light that glows while the item is in use, as well as the fact that both sides of the carafe are clearly labeled for easy measuring. Customers also say the water boils fast, so you won't have to wait long for a delicious cup of tea. The design-forward Zwilling Enfinigy Electric Kettle Pro looks like it came from an art museum, but it's also highly functional. Its impressive six different temperature settings range from boiling all the way down to 104 degrees for warming up baby formula, as well as a keep-warm function that can hold a temperature for 30 minutes. Other electric kettles we tested heat up faster, but this one's big advantage is its double-walled configuration, which keeps the outside cool to the touch no matter how hot the inside gets. If you've got inquisitive kids around the kitchen (or if you're a little klutzy), it's a nice safety feature.OXO make superb kitchen utensils, but they’ve applied their expertise to a wider range of household products too. Particularly their selection of OXO food storage containers. There’s only one thing about the controls on this kettle I don’t like and am surprised with. OXO is known for their grippy handles and control surfaces, so I’m really surprised they didn’t put a grippy surface on the control dial for when you rotate it. It’s just plastic, and as such is a bit harder to grip, and can be slippery if your hands are wet. This is a minor thing, but one area where I think OXO forgot their design ethos. Otherwise the base is nicely constructed. The lights are bright but not annoyingly so. The flashes vs solid of the light ring around the control dial help understand the modes the kettle is in. Be careful of teapots that sputter water before you open the spout. The water will be hot enough to scald your skin. The item automatically shuts off after three hours of inactivity and has boil-dry protection to alert users when there's no water left in the kettle. There's also a live temperature display that helps owners brew tea at the proper temperature which, in turn, makes a significant difference in flavor. Keep in mind that the kettle can't pause at a specific temperature—a feature that some high-end models are equipped with. Instead, you'll have to keep an eye on the temperature readout and remove the kettle from the base at the right time.

The Caraway Whistling Tea Kettle makes a great first impression. Right out of the box, we loved the matte coating and simple, somewhat tapered silhouette. You can feel how hefty and durable the stainless steel parts are, too, which helps justify the kettle’s high price tag. (Although, in the end we think there are far better value-for-money options out there.) Some customers say the kettle is on the heavier side, so consider if that will be an issue before buying. Apart from that, the only other downside is that the base is a little on the flimsy side. But, for the price, this kettle is hard to beat. This kettle has a unique shape that suits both retro and modern kitchens, and the brushed stainless steel fits any decor. We also found the material to be truly stain-resistant, and according to customers who have used the kettle for long periods of time, it's rust-resistant, too. While there are some more affordable kettles out there, this is an excellent value for money overall.

The Best Electric Kettles, at a Glance

Tea kettles come in many different sizes, though the ones we tested ranged mostly from 1 to 2 quarts. In general, electric kettles tend to have slightly lower capacity than stovetop ones (and our top-rated electric kettle is also the smallest one we tested). What's important is to match your kettle size to your needs. If you usually make a single cup of tea or fill a small French press, you might not want a huge kettle taking up space on your stovetop or in your cabinet. If you often entertain large crowds, however, it’s nice to be able to serve everyone without waiting for a second batch of water to boil. Ease of cleaning: After boiling several rounds of water in the kettles, we washed them following the manufacturers' directions, noting whether there was any mineral buildup in the kettle or spout, or any stains on the interior or exterior. With electric models, we also noted any difficulties cleaning the heating base or other parts that can't get wet. If you have hard water, you might have to occasionally clean it with vinegar or a descaling solution to prevent mineral buildup. But that’s good advice for all of the electric kettles featured here. Of course, all those lovely features (along with the Zwilling brand name) are things you have to pay for. The kettle also can't go in the dishwasher like many stovetop models, though its stainless steel interior is easy enough to wipe down with a soapy sponge. The main downside we found is the kettle's small capacity. At a bit short of a quart, it's only able to make two or three cupfuls of tea or coffee at a time. If you're the kind of person who needs a mug of hot beverage all day long (or if you're brewing for a whole caffeine-loving family), you might find yourself having to refill and reheat multiple times.