To date, the kettle is an integral part of the kitchen, which is used in everyday life. With the latest advances in advanced technology, electric kettles are easier to use than ever. But making a choice among the many options is very difficult. To make this process easier for you, we have outlined some key points to help you choose the best kettle for your budget and requirements.
Content
Frame
Kettles must withstand high temperatures, so the material used to make them must be very durable. For this, manufacturers use the following types of coating:
Stainless steel. The stainless steel body has a long service life compared to other types of kettles. This device is not heavy and easy to clean, but it gets very hot when boiling, so plastic is used in the design of the handle and lid.
Plastic. The plastic kettle is the lightest in weight and the lowest in price. But there are downsides, if plastic comes into contact with hot water, it is likely that this can affect the taste of your drink due to the presence of an unpleasant smell of plastic.
Glass. The glass teapot appeals to connoisseurs of minimalism, it looks great in a modern interior and is more environmentally friendly, but the glass surface is difficult to care for, it collects smudges and fingerprints abundantly and is the most fragile of all surfaces. However, it always shows the amount of water in the device.
Teapots with a ceramic flask. Very heavy, not comfortable and easily broken when dropped, only the appearance can be distinguished from the pluses. Such devices are in very low demand.
Which material should be preferred depends on your personal needs. But, for example, from electric kettles with a glass case, many liked DEVISIB.
Volume and power
The most important component when buying an electric kettle is its capacity, because it affects the rate of heating water. The capacity of electric kettles varies from 0.5 liters to 3.5 liters. Most often, up to 1.5 liters – the kettle is designed for one or two people, 1.7-2.0 liters – for a small family.
Power. There are kettles on the market ranging from 600W to 3000W, depending on the size of the appliance. A larger capacity kettle may require more energy to heat the water.
For example, a 750W electric kettle may take slightly longer to boil water than a 1500W model.
Power wire
As for the power supply of the kettle, it is available in two versions – wired and wireless. Some older models of kettles include a cord connected directly to the kettle, which can interfere with pouring hot liquids and be inconvenient when washing the appliance.
Wireless also have a cord, but it is connected to a removable base. This is important, as it makes it easy to carry the kettle with you to the right place without carrying the power cord with you. It also makes the kettle very easy to clean. It is for this reason that wireless models are more popular these days, but you will need to choose a base that will not slip and will allow you to place it anywhere.
heating device
There are two types of kettle heating element: open and closed. In the closed type, the heating elements are tubular and hidden, they are sealed, so the electric current cannot pass through the water in the kettle. In the open type, the heating elements are attached to the bottom of the kettle and are visible to the user.
Mineral deposits often accumulate on exposed heating elements. This is not aesthetically pleasing, and also interferes with the smooth operation of the device. In addition, the formation of scale will add another inconvenience, forcing users to periodically clean the kettle and remove it. Kettles with a closed heating device are more expensive than those with an open one, but they fail much less often.
Today, most consumers prefer a closed type of heating element.
Boiling rate
When buying an electric kettle, you should pay attention to the speed of boiling water. If you are looking for the fastest option, you need to pay attention to the power of the device. Boiling speed is higher at higher power. A standard kettle will take about 7 minutes to boil water, and powerful models from 2 to 4 minutes. For example, a kettle with a power of 1500 watts. with a volume of 1.5 liters will bring water to a boil in 5 minutes.
Convenience
This factor should not be neglected, because ease of use is no less important. The lids of the kettle should be easy to open and it is desirable that they be on hinges so that when the button is pressed, the lid opens without much effort. The wide spout means you don’t have to constantly open the lid to fill the kettle. A comfortable handle should be made of plastic, providing enough space for the fingers to avoid contact with the hot surface of the kettle body.
Control
Mechanical control involves turning on the device manually and does not have additional functions. The touch control gives more choice of functions, and in terms of design it has a very modern look.
Electronic control. Provides control of the appliance using an application on a mobile phone, access to some additional functions, which makes it possible, for example, to turn on the kettle without approaching it. The price of touch and electronic control will be higher than that of a standard electric kettle. One of the most popular smart electric kettles is Mi Smart Kettle Pro from Xiaomi.
Scale filter
No matter how hard you try to take care of the kettle, you won’t be able to avoid 100% scale deposits, for this a filter is provided in the electric kettle. It is usually found in the “spout” and is especially important if you live in an area with hard water. It should be easy to remove for cleaning, and the mesh should be thin enough to keep limescale out of your cup. The most common are nylon meshes, metal ones are also found. Metal ones are the most durable, but they are also more expensive.
Additional functions
There are a number of other features worth paying attention to:
Protection against overheating and boiling over. From time to time, we forget to turn off electrical appliances, which can lead to burnout of the heating device and, as a result, to breakage of the kettle. One of the advantages of this feature is that the electric kettle automatically turns off when it reaches the boiling point. This will prevent the possibility of fire. Also, the device will not turn on if there is no water in it.
Water level indicator – allows you to see how much water is in the kettle without opening the lid. A water meter is usually very handy when you need to boil a certain amount of liquid. It is worth paying attention to its location so that it is in a good field of view. In models with a glass case, of course, this function is not needed.
Thermostat and temperature control. Some advanced models have temperature selection features that allow users to boil water to the desired level. This function will be especially convenient for those who, for example, need water at a certain temperature for preparing infant formula or certain types of tea and coffee.
Function heating. An electric kettle with this function will maintain the water temperature for as long as you need. Another handy feature is the ability of the kettle to keep the water warm after the boil is complete. Some models will be able to hold water at the desired temperature for about 30 minutes – 1 hour. If you choose a kettle with two walls, then the water in it cools more slowly. More expensive models even have a dedicated keep warm option so the user can choose when to use this feature.
Conclusion
Summing up, we highlight the main points that will help you with the choice of an electric kettle:
The most environmentally friendly appliances are made of stainless steel or glass, but the stainless steel body is the most durable and easiest to clean;
When choosing the power of the kettle, be guided by the volume of the device, depending on the number of people in the family, given that up to 1.5 liters is enough for 1-2 people. water;
Choose models in which the power supply wire is connected to the base, this will facilitate the movement of the kettle;
In order to avoid overheating of the heating device and its breakdown, it is worth choosing a device with automatic shutdown;
Stop your choice on the closed type of the heating device, it will not create any inconvenience for you in the form of cleaning the heating element from scale, and will also last much longer than the second type;
If you often use water at a certain temperature, then you should purchase a device with a temperature selection and maintenance function.
If you are still thinking not only about buying an electric kettle, but also a vacuum cleaner, then we recommend reading “How to choose a home vacuum cleaner and what to look for when buying.”
Be sure to write in the comments below what else you need to pay attention to before buying an electric kettle. Thank you!
