With these kettles, you can feel like a barista at home without having to go to a coffee shop.

They say that a pot under surveillance will never boil. But I have been observing the pot-well, the kettle-for a few days, let me tell you, they will boil. And very fast, I might add. 

The electric kettle is underestimated as a kitchen appliance. If you like to drink coffee or tea, they are essential, but there are many other advantages to being able to boil water quickly, and not all of these involve breakfast beverages. Using a bain-marie (hot water bath for baking), dredging a spare drain, or disinfecting countertops are just some household tasks that require hot water.

Electric kettles will become very efficient in 2021. They also have exquisite functions and a variety of materials, including metals, glass, and ceramics. Most have hidden heating elements to prevent burns and make them very safe to use (not including the danger of boiling hot water). They also usually provide dry-boiling protection, so if you accidentally open the kettle when the water level is insufficient, the kettle will shut down. In addition, some have special tea baskets and a "hold temperature" button so that the water stays at the temperature you want within a set time (usually 20 minutes).

In order to find the best electric kettle, we tested some popular models. It turns out that most people complete their most basic function-boiling water, at the same speed, so we dug through the rest of the puzzle, including quality, functionality, ease of use, and other details to determine the best few of the different category. 

Our test queue includes affordable electric kettles, kettles, a Wi-Fi-enabled kettle (controlled by a mobile app), and even an electric tea kettle with retro charm. Below, I detailed the test results of electric kettles with different prices and functions. Let's see which ones stand out the most. 

I like this kettle just like I don't like its name "Enfinigy", which means a lot. In addition to the brand fire, the Zwilling kettle is completely rock-and-roll. This model may not be as fancy as some of the other models on our list, but for me it is a perfect size (1.5 liters), with a sturdy construction and a simple, pleasing design.

It also has a cool appearance, so even if the liquid boils inside, the outside stays cool. Speaking of this, the Zwilling kettle is on par with some of the fastest boilers in its class, reaching temperature in just 2 minutes and 40 seconds. 

In any case, this is not the cheapest kettle we have tried, but considering the quality and additional guarantees of top kitchen brands like Zwilling, $80 is a reasonable price. Therefore, (uh, don't let me repeat it) Enfinigy got the overall highest position in our teapot slam.

Although Zwilling is my favorite overall, I will put Oxo's electric kettle with other elite models. If you prefer a glass kettle so that you always know how much water is in it, or maintain a visual focus on boiling progress and kettle cleanliness, then this is what you want to grab. 

Oxo Brew is actually the fastest and most stable of the boiling test. In all three tests I ran, it reached 212 degrees Fahrenheit in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It also has a stylish and sturdy structure, which can be perfectly matched with any kitchen theme.

If you haven’t heard of it, from child actor to adult actor to daytime talk show host is now making kitchen utensils. B (for beautiful) electric kettle is a pretty good electric kettle. 

This 1.7-liter kettle is priced at only $40, but the look, feel and operation are comparable to higher-priced models. It heats water in 2 minutes and 32 seconds-as fast as any other method-and maintains the temperature most stably. It is made of sturdy matte plastic and is one of the few kettles I have tested that is cool to the touch, which means it never gets hot outside. This is appreciated by a careless fool like me. This pot also has special tea sets, including black tea, green tea and oolong tea. 

Everything is controlled through a stylish digital interface, but it is worth noting that over time, there is always a risk of short circuit or malfunction. In other words, this kettle of $40 is still a clear budget choice for me.

This was a reserved option in our first round of testing, and (still) an excellent splurge for experienced tea drinkers. The $280, 51-ounce Breville with a stainless steel base is technically a kettle — but it is also a teapot, and the most luxurious electric tea kettle we have tested so far. 

It has hot water and tea buttons, which can be set to specify the perfect temperature for brewing green tea, black tea, white tea, herbal tea, oolong tea or customized refined tea. You can also choose whether it is strong tea, medium tea, light tea or customized tea. The digital display lets you know what the coffee machine is doing, and it has a keep warm button that helps keep your water warm for up to 60 minutes.

In addition, Breville also comes with a basket for loose leaf tea, which will automatically lower when you select an option, and a teaspoon measuring spoon. As a tea lover, I really like these features, but it is a luxury item, only worth it if you are a frequent customer of loose leaf tea and have a coin budget to buy such an expensive kettle.

Read our Breville One-Touch Tea Maker review.

The $100 Oxo is another outstanding product in our previous kettle test, and because of its gooseneck spout, it is a particularly attractive kettle for pouring or other manual coffee making settings that require stable, controlled pouring . 

We also like that the Oxo electric gooseneck kettle has an insulation function that can keep the water at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature starts to drop, the kettle will automatically reopen to reheat the water. 

It has a small capacity of 34 ounces, which is perfect for 4 cups of water. This gooseneck kettle will automatically turn off after 30 minutes.

The following is a list of eight models we tested to find the best electric kettle in the latest round of testing:

The following is a more detailed overview of the main specifications of each model used for comparison:

The $80 Zwilling Enfinigy is my favorite out of the box purely from an aesthetic point of view, so I was very happy when this kettle also showed a high level in the test. For me, it feels the strongest, and I dig into a simple one-click minimalist design. It is not too bulky, weighing only a little over 2 pounds, and has a cool appearance to ensure finger safety.

The expensive $280 Breville (from our first round of testing) is a tea drinker’s dream, and its custom heating options can be used to make the perfect green, black, herbal, oolong tea or other varieties. Drew Barrymore's B kettle and Cuisinart PerfectTemp also have these features, so if you are picky about different brewing temperatures, then these two products may be good choices. However, Breville is the only model equipped with a basket dedicated to brewing loose leaf tea, making it the most professional teapot of its kind.

Although B's 40 electric kettle (Drew Barrymore's series) is not the cheapest model on our list, it is by far my favorite less expensive electric kettle. It has large capacity, fast boiling time (see below for more data), cool appearance and stylish digital interface, with the above-mentioned special tea settings. 

The Smarter iKettle also performed well in the test. I like the solid stainless steel structure. This is the only APP controlled kettle in the group, which is both a blessing and a curse. Although controlling the iKettle via the app can quickly and completely boil water, when I tried to manually boil the water using the button on the side of the kettle, it turned off before it boiled completely. If you are addicted to the app, you can conveniently check the amount of water in the kettle and start boiling remotely from your device. I certainly would not recommend not to buy this technologically advanced electric kettle. In fact, I like it very much.

The expensive Smeg Electric Kettle is another high-octane kettle with a sturdy construction and a lot of vintage charm. My main disadvantage of this kettle is that it feels very hot to the touch, and how expensive it is ($170), considering that it has no special functions other than simple boiling water. If you like its appearance, you will not be disappointed, but it is not great value for money.

Smeg quickly gained style points and boiling water, but its features are a bit expensive.

Cuisinart PerfectTemp also performed well in the test, but its performance is not commensurate with the $100 price. If you want to buy one from this brand, I would recommend this basic model with a price of $70. It has fewer presets but a more reasonable price. As Megan Wollerton (Megan Wollerton) reported in her first round of CNET testing, PerfectTemp has received customer feedback and Amazon reviews that its automatic shutdown feature is flawed and has a potential fire hazard. Cuisinart did not respond to a request for comment.

The two Ovente electric kettles I tested—the $31 Illumination and the $41 Victoria series—are affordable options that boil water quickly and are easy to use. That said, none of them stood out in the test, and they felt a bit cheap. In addition, the lids of both are unnecessarily separated from the kettle, which means you may misplace them. Know myself, I might.

There are only three models that provide heat preservation or heat preservation, so I conducted additional tests on these models. Although the iKettle (205 F) and Cuisinart (195 F) kettles also performed well in this test, Drew Barrymore's B can maintain the most stable temperature for 10 minutes (209 degrees Fahrenheit).

The sensor connected to this RisePro thermocouple thermometer helps to track the water temperature.

To test the eight electric kettles of our batch, I used a RisePro thermocouple thermometer. The thermocouple measures two things: the speed at which each kettle boils 3 cups of water-and the degree to which each model with insulation function maintains the temperature of the water in 10 minutes. 

For the boiling test, I observed three independent thermocouple displays until the three sensors tracking the temperature in each kettle reached 212 degrees Fahrenheit. I started each test with water at room temperature (approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit), and I ran each kettle 3 times. Every time I visually confirm that the water is actually boiling in the kettle.

For the temperature holding test, I used a thermocouple thermometer to measure the minimum, maximum, and average temperatures maintained in 10 minutes. The following table shows the average time it takes for each kettle to reach 212 degrees, as well as the minimum, maximum, and average temperature of each kettle, which is maintained for more than 10 minutes. 

Please keep in mind that the thermocouple reading is not accurate and will vary slightly depending on the placement position during the test. In other words, I tried my best to place the thermocouple in the middle of the water, in the center of each kettle.

The boiling speeds of all the kettles I tested were very close in the three-round average, most of the time was between 2 minutes 30 seconds and 3 minutes. Officially, the fastest to reach 212 degrees is the 2:26 OXO Brew, but all the top players give or accept each other within 20 seconds. Since this photo is complete, the ranking of this list actually comes down to auxiliary attributes, including special brew settings, build quality, and cool touch features, for example. 

The brand name and reputation also play a role, because you can't always consider the durability of a new brand. For example, Drew Barrymore’s beautiful water bottle performs very well and looks very good, but since this production line has only been launched for a few months, we don’t have much data on how long Drew will last, no matter Is it an anecdote or something else. On the other hand, Zwilling is a brand I have been using for many years, and its kitchenware has withstood the test most of the time over time. Of course it's worth it, right?

No matter which specific model you buy, first consider how and how often you plan to use the kettle. Are you a coffee devil? If so, the Oxo model is the best choice. Just need something stylish and simple with good capacity? I like the Zwilling model, but Drew Barrymore's B can also meet your needs for a kettle at half the price.

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