My Hunt for a Great Stovetop Kettle
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
Counterspace is a hot commodity. This is true no matter where you live, but especially so in a small kitchen, like the one in my Brooklyn apartment. There are certain nonnegotiables when it comes to what I’ll keep within arm’s reach: I need mycooking utensils, salt, andolive oilfront and center. Thecoffee maker, which I use every morning, gets a prime spot. Thedish rack, of course, must be next to the sink.
Other than that, most of my small appliances live in cabinets or on top of my fridge. It’s annoying to pull them out, but not as annoying as it would be if they were taking up precious real estate, making my counters feel overcrowded and work less efficiently.
Recently, I decided that one of these was putting me over the edge. My Stagg EKGelectric kettlefrom Fellow, which I’ve had for years, is admittedly fantastic. (This is something nearly every coffee and tea professional agrees with, too.) And Idouse it regularly, especially in the colder months when I make tea almost every afternoon and evening. But it’s also one of the only plug-in appliances that has an alternative option: a stovetop model. So I went on a hunt to find one that would satisfy my needs.
First, I had to reckon with what I knew would be the obvious differences. The nature of the Stagg EKG (and many other electric kettles on the market) is that it allows you to precisely control and hold the temperature. Even those models that take water straight to a boil heat incredibly quickly — faster, I was pretty sure, than any stovetop version would (at least on a gas range, which is what I have). But life is about compromises, and I wanted to see if I could swap mine out for one that worked well enough for said compromises not to bother me too much.
I decided to test four different models: two gooseneck styles (to mimic the Stagg EKG) and two larger-capacity, bigger-spouted ones. My criteria in picking these initially had a lot to do with look since the winner would stay sitting out on my burner. I wanted the eventual winner to be sleekly built, with minimal accents or visible branding, and to be neutral in color (stainless steel, white, or black). This ruled out a couple of well-known brands like Le Creuset and Staub. I also ended up eliminating a long-time admiration of mine:the Michael Graves for Alessi 9093 Kettle. Everywhere I looked, the reviews were mid — not something I was willing to gamble with for the price, unfortunately.
Once I had my contenders, I started with a time test, boiling exactly three cups of cold tap water from the sink in each, on the same burner, and timing how long it took. (Spoiler: They were all within the range of one minute from each other, with the quickest taking 11 minutes and one second, and the longest taking 11 minutes and 54 seconds — so pretty inconsequential.) Then I kept each one out on my stove for at least a few weeks at a time, using it every day.
The ones that didn’t work for me
New! You can now save this product for later.
All-Clad’s kettle is strong and sturdy thanks to its entirely stainless-steel body. But that also comes with a couple of negative traits: It feels a bit bulky to lift up and pour from (more so than the Caraway below, which has the same two-quart capacity and even weighs a tiny bit more). Perhaps this is because it has a more dramatically domed shape, with the bottom significantly wider than the top. Also, the finish of the metal is especially shiny: I don’t love how it reflects whatever is facing it in a distinctly fun-house-mirror type of way. It has a tendency to get dirty-looking, too, showing streaks and splatter from nearby cooking more readily than some of the others (though I will say, it’s easy to wipe down quickly). The hinge on the edge of the spout clicks open and closed in a satisfying way — as you would expect from All-Clad — and water pours cleanly out of it. But the handle, like most larger-size stovetop kettles, goes all the way over the top — as opposed to being counterbalanced on one side — which I find less comfortable to pour from. It forces you to lift your arm and tilt the kettle at a higher angle. The handle heats up, too, so you need adish cloth, pot holder, oroven mittto grip it. The top lid is easy to lift and fill. Though the kettle has a strong whistle to indicate when the water is ready, I could hear the beginnings of a boil before the whistle actually went off.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Caraway’s kettle is more compact than All-Clad’s despite it holding the same amount of water. It tapers slightly, but is more balanced from top to bottom and slimmer overall. The finish on it is the brand’s signature ceramic nonstick coating. This is kind of funny, given that the material doesn’t actually contribute to performance (unlike with itsskilletorsheet tray) — but it does look nice. (It comes in nine colors, a mix of neutrals and tastefully muted hues, with either silver or gold handles.) The interior and bottom are stainless steel. Here, the top lid has a tendency to get suctioned in especially hard, and it can require a fair amount of force to pry it open, which is a fairly big negative, I think. Like the All-Clad, it whistles loudly when the water has reached a boil. The handle goes up and around on this one, too (though it’s slightly closer to the top and therefore allows for slightly more control when you pour). But again, it gets hot, so you need protection when picking it up.
The runner-up
New! You can now save this product for later.
I really love the Hario Buono. To start, it’s my favorite-looking of all the kettles I tried. It’s smaller than the two above by virtue of being a gooseneck kettle, with a capacity of 1.2 liters (or about 1.2 quarts). Like the All-Clad, its body is made from stainless steel — but it’s significantly thinner and therefore lighter. This one reached a boil the fastest, though not by much. The top lid is incredibly easy to remove. Its handle is made of phenol resin, which is a type of plastic — but even in my journey tode-plasticize my kitchen, this particular use doesn’t bother me, since it doesn’t come into contact with anything I’m putting in my body. That material is heat resistant, so I can lift the kettle post-boil with my bare hand without a problem. The handle has a squiggly shape that is surprisingly comfortable to hold. And like all goosenecks, the kettle pours an incredibly controlled stream of water. There’s a quiet whistle when it comes to a full boil, but it has three small holes at the top that emit steam before that, when it’s plenty hot for most teas. I ended up going by this indication to turn off the heat since I was usually puttering around the kitchen anyway and likely to notice it.
The winner
New! You can now save this product for later.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that Fellow’s stovetop kettle reigns supreme — but it’s not something the brand is especially known for. It’s built exactly the same as the electric version, made from the same material (a painted stainless-steel body) and with a one-liter capacity. It comes with the same easy-to-remove lid, precise pour spout, and ergonomic handle (plastic and heat-resistant, like the Hario’s, and fine to grip unprotected).
Of course, there’s no base. What this means is that it comes without all the high-tech capabilities of its electric counterpart: exact temperature control and hold, plus a myriad of other specific settings like high altitude and scheduled start time. To be honest, I don’t miss any of them. I’d also venture to guess that most people — with the exception of true coffee nerds — wouldn’t either. (Not only that, but despite its attractive aesthetic, I always found the cord of the Stagg EKG to be a bit bulky and hard to conceal behind the appliance.) Because the stovetop model doesn’t have all these extras, it’s $100 cheaper than the electric version — no small deal.
What puts the stovetop model over the edge, as compared to the Hario, is that it has a built-in thermometer attached to the inside of the lid, which then shows the temperature on a display face on the very top. I know, I know — I said I didn’t care about such precision. But this is one feature that is, in fact, nice to have. And, in fact, it is notsoprecise. It lists degrees in Fahrenheit and Celsius in five-degree marks from 70 up to 230 (as opposed to the one-degree increments on the electric version). I like to steep my herbal and green teas in 160- to 180-degree water and my black teas in 190- to 212-degree water. It’s just enough information, and just enough control, while still maintaining the low-tech feel and space-saving qualities I was after in a stovetop kettle.
More From The Strategist
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- The Strategist Summer 100
- I Replaced My Tretinoin With This $30 Retinal Cream
- My Hunt for Fisherman Sandals That Won’t Tear Up My Feet
The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
