5 Best Stovetop and Electric Kettles, Tested by Food Network Kitchen

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.