The Best Electric Kettles in 2018
If your old electric kettle has just packed up, don’t buy a new one till you’ve read this article. This is a review of the best electric kettles available in 2018.
Most modern kitchens can’t do without a kettle, usually an electric kettle. With its ability to rapidly provide boiling hot water, it has a variety of uses – making hot cups of coffee and tea, to add to the food you are cooking, for baby’s bottles, general sterilising and so on.
In the past, it was quite a simple gadget, the water reached boiling point and then the kettle switched itself off. Then came the 360° swivel kettles so it worked whether you were left or right handed. Of course, cordless kettles became a must so that you aren’t having a wire trailing when you try and pour out the water.
Current Trends in Electric Kettles
However, with modern technology and the increasing demands of the urbane consumer, there have been changes happening even in this sphere of home gadgets. So now its not just a cordless 360° swivel kettle you should be looking for.
Variable Temperature Kettles
Variable Temperature
There are many kettles today that let you select the temperature in a range that’s provided. This temperature control often varies from 40C-100C. This lets you make warm water for one range of requirements, create hot water for tea, for hot chocolate, for coffee and of course boil water.
Smart Kettles
How about saying “Alexa, turn the kettle on” There’s a range of smart kettles that have apps to control the exact temperature. These also have integration with home automation gadgets like Alexa and others like Nest.
The Ten Best Electric Kettles
Here’s a summary of the top picks we have on electric kettles that are in the market today. Scroll down to read the reviews.
Brand | Model | Variable Temperature? | Smart Kettle? | Price Range (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
myappkettle | AppKettle  AppKettle | Yes | Yes | 100-150 |
Aicok | Aicok Kettle  Aicok Kettle | Yes | No | 30-50 |
Breville | VKJ956 Impressions  Breville VKJ956 | No | No | 15-30 |
Morphy Richards | Prism Kettle  Morphy Richards Prism Electric Kettle | No | No | 30-50 |
Russell Hobbs | Color Plus Kettle  | No | No | 15-30 |
Quest | Quest Jug Kettle  Quest Jug Kettle | No | No | 5-15 |
Breville | VKJ142 Hot cup  Hot water dispenser | No | No | 30-50 |
Russell Hobbs | Brita Filter Kettle  Russell Hobbs Brita Filter Kettle | No | No | 15-30 |
Morphy Richards | Pyramid Kettle  | No | No | 30-50 |
Russell Hobbs | Cambridge Kettle  Russell Hobbs Cambridge | No | No | 15-30 |
1. AppKettle
AppKettle Review – The Smart Electric Kettle You Must Have
AppKettle
As we move towards an era of smart homes and integrated technology, a smart kettle will become part of the householder’s kitchen gadgets. This is a review of AppKettle, a variable temperature, and one of the world’s first smart electric kettles.
Innovative Design
App for the AppKettle
The AppKettle creators have put in effort to think of design features that matter for consumers. So, there are controls at the base, so you don’t need the app on your mobile device to make a cup of tea.
The LED display at the bottom of the kettle tells you within a degree of what the temperature is in the kettle. This prevents the need to heat and reheat, creating more energy efficiency.
The stainless steel brushed finish looks elegant and with the double-sided glass, it works for left or right-handed users.
The basic design isn’t that different to several other kettles on the market. But it’s what it can do that sets it apart.
The app enables to set up the temperature of your favourite hot drinks. It also gives you the feature of setting a time when you want the kettle to have hot water ready for you.
And you can use Amazon’s Alexa and say “Alexa, put the kettle on” or use Nest to let you get hot water ready easily for you. If the kettle is empty, it won’t turn on, so there’s nothing to worry about.
Time will tell how durable this kettle is, but buyers from the very first month are still happy with this kettle.
2. Aicok Kettle
Aicok Kettle Review
Variable Temperature
This is a review of the Aicok variable temperature electric kettle. This is a new brand to have hit the market in 2017.
Aicok Kettle
Many households let the kettle boil and cool it down to lower temperatures. Having variable temperatures makes this kettle is a great boon. There’s so much you can do with that – warm water for yeast, water for coffee, tea, other cooking requirements, sterilise bottles and many more.
This is a new brand and off to a great start. Time will tell on the durability and overall performance.
3. Breville Impressions Kettle
Breville Impressions Kettle Review
Breville VKJ956
Breville is one of the UK’s leading brands of small kitchen appliances. This is a review of the Breville Impressions Electric Kettle (VKJ956).
The Breville VKJ956 is a highly regarded electric kettle that has an interesting textured finish and comes in multiple colours – black, white, cream, red and purple.
This is a standard plastic electric kettle that makes it quieter when it boils water. The taller design means it can boil smaller amounts of water as well.
4. Morphy Richards Prism Kettle
Morphy Richards Prism Kettle Review
Morphy Richards Prism Electric Kettle
If you desire to have a designer kitchen with matching coloured gadgets, then look at the Morphy Richards Prism Kettle in a colour of your choice. It has a quirky texture outside and a prism shape, so it makes a statement.
The Morphy Richards Prism Kettle is also a durable long-lasting kettle that boils quietly and quickly. You can’t see the water level easily, but that’s only a small drawback.
5. Russell Hobbs Colour Plus Kettle
Russell Hobbs Colour Plus Kettle Review
Russell Hobb Electric Kettle
Russell Hobbs is a brand of repute in the small kitchen gadget segment. The Russell Hobbs Colour Plus kettle is like their Cambridge kettle (reviewed) below in shape and design. The Colour Plus comes in a set of four colours – black, red, grey and cream.
If you are looking for traditional colours with a modern design, this kettle is well liked. The 3kW means it quickly boils water and has a good 1.7l capacity that allows you to make 7-8 cups of hot water.
This kettle is not on the quiet side and this can be an issue for some who spend a lot of time in or around the kitchen.
6. Breville VKJ142 Hot cup
For those who can’t lift a full kettle
Breville Hot cup
The Breville VKJ142 Hot cup is a hot water dispenser rather than a kettle. It can give you a cup of boiling hot water in seconds. It also heats up just in time, so it’s quite energy efficient. It has a drip tray to catch any over flows.
The Breville VKJ142 is ideal if you want to make one cup of a hot drink at a time, your cup instant coffee or tea. It’s perfect for the elderly or those who find lifting a kettle difficult. If someone else can fill this gadget with water, then with a press of a button and 20-30 seconds a hot mug of water is ready.
If you have need to make over a litre of boiling water, then you’ll have to press the button four times. If you drink large mugs of drink, then you’ll need to press the button several times to fill even two mugs. The reservoir capacity is smaller than several other products on the market.
7. Quest Jug Kettle
A light, no frills kettle
Quest Jug Kettle
A budget electric kettle had to make this list, because so many householders need one. The Quest Jug Kettle is in the category of a cheap and cheerful electric kettle. Made of plastic, it’s very light which is perfect for those with wrist problems. It is a budget friendly kettle at around £10. It boils a full kettle of water in about three and a half minutes, which is quick. It’s considered to be faster and quieter than other £10 kettles.
It’s great for students and to have in a granny annexe or because you just want a no-frills kettle.
8. Russell Hobbs Plastic Brita Filter Purity Kettle
A Kettle that filters
Russell Hobbs Brita Filter Kettle
The Russell Hobbs Plastic Brita Filter Purity Kettle is one of clever combinations of a water filter and a kettle in one. One of the bug bears for people in hard water areas is how quickly the kettle can get covered with limescale and hot drinks taste different.
By combining a Brita filter with a kettle, you can have boiled filtered water quickly. It’s relatively quiet and quick to boil. There is a reminder to change the filter. But the filtered water capacity is only 500ml, so if you are having a party, it will take a while to make cups of hot coffee or tea.
This is perfect for one person though giving you filtered water that you can use hot or cold.
9. Morphy Richards Pyramid Kettle (multiple colours)
A durable, statement kettle
Morphy Richards Pyramid Kettle
Morphy Richards is a well established small kitchen gadgets brand. They are known for their durability at a mid-level price range. This is a Morphy Richards Pyramid Kettle review.
For a bit of retro design and a statement in the kitchen, the Morphy Richards Pyramid Kettle is ideal. It comes in a variety of colours – black, white, cream, ivory cream, pebble, sandstone, azure and red.
It rapidly boils water and has a capacity of 1.5 litre which is slightly smaller than the standard kettle these days.
One of the complaints about this kettle is the poor water level indicator. Because of this problem, if you over fill kettle, it results in hot water spitting all over. Please be aware of this if you have elderly parents or children at home.
10. Russell Hobs Cambridge Kettle
A durable & quick basic electric kettle
Russell Hobbs Cambridge
The Russell Hobs Cambridge Kettle is the electric kettle of choice of many homes and offices. It’s fast and has a 1.7litre capacity that’s about seven cups.
It isn’t the quietest kettle, but it has a great spout that makes sure that pouring is easy. It’s also a budget kettle from a reputed kitchen gadget brand. There have been some complaints of some faults with this kettle of constantly switching itself off or needing to hold the switch down but others have found that it does the job.
Take away on Electric Kettles
Electric kettles are an essential feature of the modern kitchen. The technology is changing on even this humble gadget. There are so many electric kettles in the market, you may have made a spontaneous purchase but then wished you hadn’t when you’ve read this article.
If you are looking for the best electric kettle to buy, you should prioritise the factors that matter to you.
The electric kettle is an essential part of your coffee accessories since having a heated cup adds to your coffee experience.
Why not read about other must have accessories for the espresso machine next?