Best Kettle 2024: Our Favorite Rapid-boil, Quiet and Stylish Models, Tried and Tested
Time for tea? We’ve put the best kettles through rigorous testing
The best kettles are the ultimate kitchen staple in Europe and are becoming increasingly popular here in the US as well. As more and more of us are enjoying a soothing cup of tea, we are wising up to how useful a countertop kettle can be.
Convenient and mess-free, using a kettle means boiling water is available with no need for using the stovetop or microwave for your herbal tea, instant noodles or coffee. But with everything from quiet kettles, rapid-boil kettles, and all-singing all-dancing models available on the market, picking your perfect one takes some research.
Thankfully, we’re here to help you sort the good from the bad. We’ve tested 15 kettles across a range of budgets and styles for this round up, boiling countless quarts of water. We’ve tested noise levels, temperatures, and played around with all the controls to find the best performing models.
Below, you will find mini reviews of the best kettles from our in-depth testing, as well as links to full reviews of each one should you need to do more research. Furthermore, you can also check out our full buying guide, which will talk you through everything you need to consider when choosing the perfect kettle – from noise level to speed.
Best Kettle: At a glance
| Best luxury kettle | KitchenAid 1.5 L Pro Line Series (~$200) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best dual-wall insulated kettle | Zwilling Enfinigy Pro: (~$150) | Check price at Amazon |
| A simple, stylish option | Dualit Lite (~$138) | Check price at Amazon |
How we test kettles
When testing kettles, we start by using a two-channel thermocouple thermometer, which measures the external and internal temperature of the kettle during a boil. This also tells us how quickly the temperature drops after it clicks off. Then, we use a noise meter to measure how loud each kettle is during a 1qt and 0.5qt boil in dBs, also taking the room’s ambient noise level into account.
Next up is usability. We test how easy the kettle is to fill, hold and pour, its weight, and whether the fill lines are easy to read. If the kettle has any additional features beyond boiling water, we also look at how useful these are.
Finally, we take into consideration each kettle’s build quality and design, and whether these reflect its price.
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The best kettles you can buy in 2024
1. KitchenAid 1.5 L Pro Line Series Electric Kettle: Best luxury kettle
Price when reviewed: $200 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… style, temperature control and low noise
- Not so great for… keeping costs down
KitchenAid’s Artisan kettle comes in as the most expensive model on our list, but we found it to be worth every cent of its premium price tag. Its sleek, matte finish and general design are beautiful and the range of colors available make it easy to tailor its look to suit your kitchen.
We’re also big fans of the old-fashioned temperature gauge on the front, which proved both charming and practical. We also like the smooth-acting temperature setting lever on the bottom, which allows you to heat water to between 122°F and 212°F, in 50°F increments, ideal for a variety of drinks. Once set in action, the kettle emits a soft white light and a calming low beep. It might sound silly, but the Artisan gives boiling water a truly luxurious feel thanks to deft design touches like these.
Aesthetics aside, the Artisan also proved itself in our tests; it excels when it comes to keeping the noise down. During boiling, it only reached a maximum of 52.2dB, making it the quietest kettle on our list. What’s more, once the water’s boiled, there’s no worrying about burning your fingers on the sides. The outside of the Artisan reached an exterior temperature of just 91°F, owing to its dual-walled insulation.
Key details – Power: 1,440W; Capacity: 1.6qt; Variable temperature: Yes; Warranty: 5 years
2. Zwilling Enfinigy Pro: Best dual-wall insulated kettle
Price when reviewed: $150 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… dual-wall insulation and sleek design
- Not so great for… cost saving and boil times
One of the more expensive kettles we tried, the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro justifies its lofty price tag with an ultra-modern design, commendable suite of features, and solid performance. This sleek, space age kettle placed highly in both our exterior temperature and heat retention tests. Its peerless dual-wall insulation helped it maintain an outside temperature of just 84.9°F in use, while keeping the water inside at 202.3°F five minutes after boiling. In terms of functionality, the Enfinigy Pro has variable temperature settings ranging from 104°F to 212°F and a 30-minute keep warm function, all programmable via the touch buttons on its base.
To add one caveat, it should be noted that the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro has a heating coil system, unlike many other kettles, which tend to have higher wattage elements. This means it is naturally slower to boil than its rivals. If you tend to get impatient for your morning cup of tea or coffee, then the Enfinigy Pro may prove too long a wait for your liking.
Key details – Power: 1,550W; Capacity: 1.6qt; Variable temperature: Yes; Warranty: No
3. Dualit Lite: A simple, stylish option
Price when reviewed: $138 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… unique design and rapid boiling
- Not so great for… noise
With its gleaming, mirrored finish, and attractive color-accented handle, this kettle’s classic beauty offsets its relative lack of bells and whistles. Practical as well as pretty, this 1.6qt jug model was another reliably fast boiler in our group test.
One notable downside of the Dualit Lite is that it doesn’t do its business super quietly. We recorded how loud each kettle was at boiling water and the Dualit Lite notched up 58.3dB, the second loudest score. Noisiness aside, it did perform well in our tests, including heat retention. There’s no need to rush to pour the water out with this one, either. Five minutes after boiling, the water in the Dualit Lite still measured a toasty 199°F, coming second only to the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro listed above.
Key details – Power: 2,400W; Capacity: 1.6qt; Variable temperature: No; Warranty: No
How to choose the best kettle
Why choose a kettle?
A far cry from old fashioned stovetop kettles, electric kettles are modern, stylish, and convenient additions to your countertop and mean you can access boiling water without resorting to the microwave or stove. Kettles are essential for any hot tea connoisseur to be able to brew properly and are useful for a range of kitchen tasks such as instant noodles, and are more efficient than waiting for a whole pot to boil during cooking. They are mess-free, easy to use, and fairly economical, too.
How much do I need to spend?
You don’t need to break the bank to get your hands on a decent kettle. There are plenty of options costing less than $80 if you simply want a basic, reliable kettle, which should last for three years or more. If variable temperature, dual-walled insulation, or stunning designs are on your list of wants, however, expect to pay a premium.
What types of kettles are there?
Electric kettles: As well as being the most common in Europe, they’re also the safest, with most having an automatic shut-off setting when your water reaches the right temperature. The downside is that limescale can build up and reduce efficiency.
Variable temperature kettles: These kettles allow you to set your temperature to below boiling point – sometimes as low as 104ºF – so you’re able to heat your water for a variety of drinks, not just tea. The ideal temperature for coffee is between 196ºF and 205˚F. Delicate green and white teas usually require water at 158˚F. Black and oolong teas taste best with water around 185˚F, while chamomile requires water at 194˚F.
Stovetop kettle: This is the most basic kind of kettle, which you simply put on the stove and heat up. When the water is boiling, it will whistle to let you know. They can be, though are not always, the cheapest kind of kettle, as well as having an aesthetic, retro appeal. They are less susceptible to damage caused by mineral deposits than electric kettles and require neither a mains plug nor space on your work surface.
Are rapid boiling kettles actually faster than normal ones?
Don’t be fooled by kettles advertised as “rapid boiling” – the fastest boiling kettle here is only 11 seconds quicker than the slowest. Also, be aware that the manufacturer’s boiling time claims are often based on how long it takes room temperature water to boil.
In our tests, we used water straight from the cold faucet like you would at home, which averaged between 48˚F and 52˚F.
What other features are worth looking out for?
Kettles aren’t the most high-tech of kitchen items, but it’s worth looking out for safety features such as an auto shut-off function. Should you accidentally put too little water in the kettle, this will stop it boiling dry.
One very basic thing to look out for is how a kettle is filled. A button-operated flip-top lid is worth having, as it means you don’t need to put your hand anywhere near the spout – or any steam coming out of it – when you’re refilling it.
We would also avoid buying any cheap kettle that has a mains cable connected directly to the jug itself, as the slot-in stand design of most modern kettles is far safer.
Finally, think about noise. The difference between our quietest and loudest kettles (between 52 and 63 decibels) is considerable, with everyone’s tolerance to noise being different.
