Kenwood Abbey Lux Water Kettle, 360° Swivel Base, Fast Boiling, Removable Filter, Water Capacity 1.7L, ZJP05.C0DG, 3000W, Dark Grey with Rose Gold

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Aesthetics aside, the Artisan also proved itself in our tests. It took just 2 mins 22 secs to boil 1l of water, which is on par with the rest of the 3,000W models tested. It also excels when it comes to keeping the noise down. During boiling, it only reached a maximum of 52.2dB, making it the quietest kettle on our list. What’s more, once the water’s boiled, there’s no worrying about burning your fingers on the sides. The outside of the Artisan reached an exterior temperature of just 33°C, owing to its dual-walled insulation. Next up is useability. We test how easy the kettle is to fill, hold and pour, its weight and whether the fill lines are easy to read. If the kettle has any additional features beyond boiling water, we also look at how useful these are. Finally, we take into consideration each kettle’s build quality and design, and whether these reflect its price. Finally, think about noise. The difference between our quietest and loudest kettles, which measured in at 52 and 63 decibels, is considerable, although everyone’s tolerance to noise is different. Kettles aren’t the most high-tech of kitchen items, but it’s worth looking out for safety features such as an auto shut-off function – should you accidentally put too little water in the kettle, this will stop it boiling dry.

While we liked the Russell Hobbs Attentiv best overall, the Bosch Styline is no slouch, providing a great alternative for anyone not quite won over by the Attentiv. Differentiating it from the Russell Hobbs model are its dual-walled insulation, keeping it at a cool exterior temperature of 31.9°C in use, as well as its chic plastic and stainless steel body, which won’t get as visibly grubby as a glass kettle.Finding the ‘best’ kettle is harder than you may think, given its primary purpose is just to boil water. But a kettle is not just a kettle. Given Brits drink 100 million cups of tea daily (according to the UK Tea and Infusions Association), the look, feel and performance of your kettle is more important than you might first assume. Many now boast fancy features such as temperature variability for different hot drinks or even (largely pointless) smart technology that can be controlled from your phone. One of the more expensive kettles on our list, the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro justifies its lofty price tag with an ultra-modern design, commendable suite of features and solid performance. This sleek, space age kettle placed highly in both our exterior temperature and heat retention tests. Its peerless dual-wall insulation helped it maintain an outside temperature of just 29.4°C in use, while keeping the water inside at 94.6°C five minutes after boiling. In terms of functionality, the Enfinigy Pro boasts variable temperature settings ranging from 40°C to 100°C and a 30-minute keep warm function, all programmable via the touch buttons on its base. Most kettles tend to be bright white, chrome, silver or otherwise have some degree of colourful “pop”. For anyone looking to engender a calming atmosphere in their kitchen, the Kenwood Dusk provides a great, visually soothing alternative to these more attention grabbing kettles.The Dusk has a rotund, matte body lined with glossy stripes and is available in three aesthetically pleasing, muted colours: Slate Grey, Olive Green and Twilight Purple. To add one caveat, it should be noted that the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro has an 1,850W heating coil, unlike many of the other kettles on our list, which tend to have 3,000W elements. This means it is naturally slower to boil than its rivals. If you tend to get impatient for your morning cup of tea or coffee, the 3 mins 45 secs it takes the Enfinigy Pro to boil a litre of water may prove a tad too long for your liking.

Stovetop kettle: This is the most basic kind of kettle, which you simply put on the stove and heat up. When the water is boiling, it will whistle to let you know. They can be (although are not always) the cheapest kind of kettle, as well as having an aesthetic, retro appeal. They are less susceptible to damage caused by mineral deposits than electric kettles and require neither a mains plug nor space on your work surface. Are rapid boiling kettles actually faster than normal ones? KitchenAid’s Artisan kettle comes in as the most expensive model on our list, but we found it to be worth every penny of its premium price tag. Its sleek, matte finish and general design are beautiful and the range of colours available make it easy to tailor its look to suit your kitchen.Other design elements of the Styline we like include its four temperature settings (70°C, 80°C, 90° and boiling), half hour keep warm function, soft-open lid, large viewing window with clear measurement markings and smooth-pouring spout. Finally, when it comes to boil speed, the Styline’s 3,000W heating element means it’s as swift as any of the other similarly powered kettles on our list.