5 Best Stovetop and Electric Kettles of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Whether you're in the market for a stovetop tea kettle or a precise electric model, these are the best kettles you can buy.

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Updated on January 18, 2024

Related To:

Our Top Kettle Picks

Tested by Jill Novatt for Food Network Kitchen

Whether you are a tea lover or just someone who has the occasional cup, the right kettle can make teatime super easy. Kettles come in three basic models, stovetop, electric and gooseneck. Each type has positives and negatives. We tested a variety of each to find out which kettles performed best for various jobs and circumstances. Stovetop kettles can live on your stove and require no instructions to bring water to a boil. Electric kettles come to a boil very quickly and many can set and hold various temperatures. Gooseneck electric kettles are for those who really care about specific temperatures and a delicate pour and are a good choice for pour over coffee connoisseurs or households with both tea and pour over coffee lovers.

Read on to find out which kettle is right for your kitchen.

What to Know About Kettles

  • Stovetop kettles can be made of borosilicate glass, stainless steel, enameled steel and other metals. The majority nowadays are made of steel.
  • Stovetop kettles are a great choice for no fuss water boiling. You don’t have much temperature control and there is usually a whistle, but no automatic shutoff. They will heat your water for your tea/ramen/couscous or whatever fix but won’t do much else.
  • Electric kettles come to temperature very quickly – about half the time of a kettle over medium to medium-high heat.
  • Many electric kettles can be set to specific temperatures other than boiling and have safety features like automatic shut off and the ability to hold water at a temperature.
  • Gooseneck kettles pour much slower and are more precise so better suited to the precision of pour over coffee

How We Tested

We tested 10 kettles in a variety of sizes, materials and constructions including stovetop, electric and gooseneck. We evaluated the size, weight, how comfortable it was to pour, if the handles got hot, how much information came with the kettle and how easy it is to clean. For the electric kettles we also evaluated whether you could set temperatures other than boiling and what that range was.

For each kettle we started with 68-degree F water. We noted how long it took to come to a boil and how easy it was to tell when the kettle was boiling (whistle, lights, beep, etc.). For electric kettles that had multiple temperature settings, we also tested them at 160 degrees F and 185 degrees F.

Lastly, we evaluated how easy it is to clean the kettle. We noted if it was dishwasher safe and if that came with any restrictions. We noted if there were initial use cleaning instructions. We then cleaned the kettles after using them and recorded how easy it was.

This article has been reviewed since its original publish date for accuracy, pricing and availability. We stand by our list of top electric and tea kettle picks.

$99.95

This Cuisinart electric kettle is made of stainless steel with programmable temperatures located in the handle. Right out of the box this was an attractive design that could easily live on a counter without looking out of place. This model has six preset temperatures based on different types of tea and also allows you to customize your temperature in increments of 5 degrees from 160 degrees F to 212 degrees F. The kettle came to a boil in just over 3 minutes, which is faster than any stovetop model, and automatically holds the temperature once reached for 30 minutes. The kettle beeps to let you know it has reached temperature. This kettle was very easy to use. The preset temperatures and information about tea that came in the manual would make this a serious tea lover’s dream. This kettle is, however, more expensive than most more basic models, so if you aren’t specific about exactly what temperature you want your tea, this pot might be too much bang for your buck.

$49.95

The OXO Brew Classic Tea Kettle is a stainless-steel stovetop tea kettle with silicone handles. Both the handle and the spout cap are silicone, so this kettle feels great in your hand and, more importantly, is easy to use once the water comes to a boil. The handle stays cool enough to use without an oven mitt, is comfortable in your hand when pouring, and folds down to make this easy to store. The OXO kettle had a little more heft at 2.6 pounds than some of the other stovetop models, but it came to temp very quickly, and the weight did not make it too heavy to pour. The spout design makes this pot pour very smoothly and neatly. This kettle whistles when it reaches a boil, and the whistle was clear but not shrill or piercing. Overall, this is a great stovetop design that really puts a premium on ease and comfort of use. A potential drawback is that there are a lot of rivets in the design that could become hard to keep clean after heavy use.

$49.99 $30
40% Off

The Mueller Ultra Kettle is an electric kettle made of borosilicate glass. It only heats to boiling but does so quickly and efficiently. It has a pretty large capacity and uses just one button, which makes it incredibly easy to operate. While it is operating, blue led lights are lit, and they go off once the water reaches boiling. It does have boil dry protection, but there are no other bells and whistles like alternate temperatures or features that hold the pot at a boil. This kettle is "no frills," but is extremely easy to use, comfortable to pour, comes to a boil at just over 3 minutes and won’t break the bank.

$24.95

The Cuisinart Aura Tea Kettle is a stainless-steel stovetop kettle. The feature that set this kettle apart was the handle with release button for the spout cap. One simple push of the button and the spout cap opens without having to touch a potentially hot cap or get in the way of any escaping steam. The whole handle also stayed cool enough to use without a potholder once the water came to a boil. In addition to its ease of use, this is a nice-looking kettle that could easily stay out on your stove and will look great. The release button on the handle is a great feature but does require that the handle be fixed which makes this a bit more difficult to fill and do a thorough cleaning. This kettle came to a boil quickly and whistles fairly loudly when it does — great if you like a strong alert, not so great if loud noises aren’t your thing. Plus, for the $20 pricetag, this is a no-brainer buy.

$195

The Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour Over Kettle is a stainless-steel gooseneck kettle that is specifically designed and marketed for pour over coffee enthusiasts. The black matte design is sleek and beautiful and feels like it was made to be out on your counter. This is the most precise kettle tested featuring to-the-degree temperatures that can be set from 135 degrees F to 212 degrees F. The kettle will hold your set temp for up to 60 minutes and operates both Celsius and Fahrenheit temperatures. Like all the other electric kettle tested, this came to a boil in under 4 minutes, but does not alert you when it reaches the set temperature. It does automatically hold set temperatures, so the lack of an alert may not be as crucial. Because of its gooseneck design, the water pours very slowly ideal for pour over coffee, not so much for a simple cup of tea. If you tilt this pot too much the water will come out of the top, so patience is a virtue. Pour over coffee enthusiasts will love the slow, precise pour as it is important to that perfect cup of coffee. This pot also had a smaller capacity that others tested so it would not be suited to large amounts of boiling water.

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