Editors’ note, Oct. 16, 2020: The Cuisinart CPK-17 electric kettle has been removed from this list due to customer feedback and Amazon reviews stating that the auto shut-off feature is defective and poses a potential fire hazard. Cuisinart did not respond to a request for comment.

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An electric water kettle is among the most underrated kitchen appliances. I use mine regularly to brew French press coffee and to add boiling water to a simmering stockpot. There are a wide variety of options, from the most basic models to kettles with specialty features such as hold temperature buttons and dedicated tea-steeping baskets. Most have a concealed heating element, preventing burns and making them super safe to use. They also usually offer boil dry protection, so that if you accidentally turn one on without any water in it, it will automatically shut off. And, even if you’re not a coffee drinker or a tea drinker, there are so many uses for an appliance that can boil water quickly.

Below, I’ve detailed my results after testing eight electric kettles that range in price from the $25 AmazonBasics MK-M110A1A to the $280 Breville BTM800XL. Let’s see which ones stood out the most.

Kettle talk

Here’s a list of the eight models I tested to find the best electric kettle:

• AmazonBasics MK-M110A1A
• Bodum Melior
• Breville BTM800XL
• Cuisinart CPK-17
• KitchenAid KEK1222SX
• Miroco MI-EK003
• Ovente KG83B
• Oxo 8717100

And here’s a more detailed overview of each model’s key specs for comparison:

Electric kettle specs

	AmazonBasics MK-M110A1A	Bodum Melior	Breville BTM800XL	Cuisinart CPK-17	KitchenAid KEK1222SX	Miroco MI-EK003	Ovente KG83B	Oxo 8717100
Price	$25	$35	$280	$100	$80	$38	$25	$100
Color finish	Stainless steel	Black	Stainless steel	Stainless steel	Stainless steel	Black	Black	Stainless steel
Capacity (in ounces)	34	27	51	58	42	51	51	34
Dimensions (HxWxD, in inches)	8×7.9×5.5	8.3×11.8×6.3	9.8×7.8×8.5	9.8×8.8×6.1	10.4×8.9×7	9.4x8x5.9	9.3x8x6	8.1×11.4×9
Weight (in pounds)	1.8	1.9	5.1	2.9	2.6	2.2	2.3	2.5

The AmazonBasics MK-M110A1A kettle is the most affordable and shares a smaller footprint and water capacity with the $100 temperature-customizable Oxo 8717100, although the $35 Bodum Melior electric kettle has the smallest overall capacity of the group at just 27 ounces.

The $80 KitchenAid KEK1222SX looks the most like a classic stovetop kettle, but its on/off-only functionality seems limited for its high price. It’s also difficult to remove its lid without getting hit with steam, so I’d suggest waiting for the water to cool down completely before attempting to open the KitchenAid kettle’s top lid.

The $100 Cuisinart kettle has the largest capacity at 58 ounces, or 7.25 cups and nearly as many options as the very pricey $280 Breville BTM800XL tea maker. Both of these kettles have custom heat options for the perfect cup of tea, whether it’s green, black, herbal — or another variety. The Breville is the only of the eight models with a dedicated basket for brewing loose leaf tea in the kettle, making it the most specialized kettle of the bunch.

While the $38 Miroco MI-EK003 electric kettle isn’t the least expensive model we tested, it’s my favorite reasonably priced kettle. It has a large capacity, a pretty fast boil time (more on that below) and a simple on/off toggle. The Ovente KG83B electric kettle has a great price and it’s easy to use, but it didn’t particularly stand out during my testing.

How we test: Electric kettles

To test our batch of eight electric kettles, I used a RisePro thermocouple thermometer. The thermocouple measured two things: how quickly each kettle boiled three cups of water — and how well each model with a “hold temperature” function held the water temperature over a 10-minute period.

For the boil test, I watched the thermocouple display until the sensor tracking the temperature inside each kettle reached 209 degrees Fahrenheit. While 212 degrees is the boiling point of water, elevation and barometric pressure put the boiling point in Louisville, KY — where the smart home team is based — at 209 degrees.

For the hold temperature test, I used the thermocouple thermometer to measure the minimum, maximum and average temperatures held during the 10-minute period. The table below displays both the average time it took each kettle to reach 209 degrees and the minimum, maximum and average temperatures each kettle with a hold temperature function held over and 10 minutes.

Keep in mind that the thermocouple readings aren’t exact and that there will be slight variation based on placement during testing. That said, I did my best to place the thermocouples midway down in the water, in the center of each kettle. I also ran each test two times to confirm my readings were as consistent as possible.

Test results

	AmazonBasics MK-M110A1A	Bodum Melior	Breville BTM800XL	Cuisinart CPK-17	KitchenAid KEK1222SX	Miroco MI-EK003	Ovente KG83B	Oxo 8717100
Average time to boil (three cups)	3 min 27 seconds	4 min 50 seconds	3 minutes 22 seconds	3 min 53 seconds	3 min 21 seconds	3 minutes 32 seconds	4 min 45 seconds	3 min 24 seconds
Min, max and average hold temperature (over 10 minutes, in degrees Fahrenheit)	N/A	N/A	175.3; 206.8; 197.2	187.7; 210.4; 197.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	195.4; 205.9; 200.8

The KitchenAid KEK1222SX boiled water the fastest, at 3 minutes and 21 seconds to reach boiling temperature, but the AmazonBasics MK-M110A1A, the Breville BTM800XL and the Oxo 8717100 were nearly as fast at boiling water. The Bodum Melior and the Ovente KG83B were the slowest by far, at nearly 5 minutes to boil three cups of water. The Cuisinart CPK-17 and the Miroco MI-EK003 landed somewhere in the middle for boiling water, at 3 minutes and 53 seconds and 3 minutes and 32 seconds, respectively.

The Breville BTM800XL, Cuisinart CPK-17 and the Oxo 8717100 each offered keep warm or hold temperature functions, so I did extra testing with these models. The Oxo kettle was the only model of the three that allowed you to select a set temperature for it to hold. The other two simply had “keep warm” options that prevent the water from cooling down as quickly as it might otherwise, but don’t let you customize the temperature setting the kettle maintains. Because of this, the Oxo 8717100 is the absolute best of the pack if you want to hold your water at — or at least close to — a specific temperature. I set the Oxo at 209 degrees (our boiling temperature for these tests) and it managed to stay within about 10 degrees. As soon as the temperature began to drop, the kettle would turn back on and heat the water up to around 205 degrees.

The Breville and Cuisinart models, in contrast, had steeper temperature drops overall. The Breville BTM800XL ranged from roughly 175 to 207 degrees and the Cuisinart CPK-17 ranged from about 188 to 210.

Regardless of the specific model you buy, start by thinking about how you plan to use your kettle — are you a pour over coffee fiend? Maybe the Oxo model is the best pick. Just need something simple with a large capacity? Consider the Miroco MI-EK003. Do you like to make large pots of loose leaf tea? The Breville is your best bet.

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