Kettle Deals & Offers
17 active deals33,025 commentsAll Kettle discounts and offers overview - May 2024
Kettles: An Essential for Tea Lovers Everywhere
A kettle is probably one of the most important kitchen appliances, especially for the tea-loving Brits. With dozens of brands, designs, colours and prices to choose from as well as a range of other functions to consider, finding the perfect kettle can be a little bewildering. There's actually more to finding a great kettle than just its ability to boil some water.
A good kettle should boil quickly without being too noisy, should be easy to fill, should be light enough to hold comfortably and, most importantly, should pour without splashing. If it looks good and matches your kitchen decor, even better. Kettles like toasters are very visible appliances so if you are planning a colour-coordinated look, then why not buy a kettle and toaster set
This buyer's guide will take you through everything you need to know about buying a kettle, what to look for, and where to find the best kettle deals. Read on to find out more.
Features to Consider When Buying a Kettle
Kettles are quite simple appliances. You plug them in and their heating element heats water to boiling point, ready to use for drinks, making gravy or sauces, etc. There are a few common features to check out and compare while some top-of-the-range models come with a few extra perks.
- Capacity
Standard kettles hold approximately 1.7 litres of water, enough for around six or seven cups. If you live alone, some brands have smaller and more cost-efficient models.
- Water Gauge
Many designs feature a water gauge in the body either showing the amount of water in the kettle in millilitres or in average cups. This is a useful tool for making sure you have put in enough water to cover the element as well as for checking that you're not boiling more water than you need to.
- Boiling Time
Kettles seem to get faster at boiling water every time a new model is issued with some boiling one or two cups in less than thirty seconds. If you have a busy schedule, this could be an important factor in your choice. For fast boiling, look for kettles with power elements of at least 3Kw.
- Noise
There are two issues here. All kettles are noisy when they boil (see our explanation below) but modern models are getting quieter and quieter. Some kettles also bleep when turned on or when they turn themselves off.
- 360-Degree Base
Most modern kettles sit on a free-standing pirouette connector base meaning you can leave the kettle plugged in when filling and pouring. When it is boiling, it can face in the direction most convenient for you. Excess cord is also stored in the base.
- Temperature Control
This feature is only available on the most expensive kettles such as the Smeg KLF04. If you're fussy about your tea or coffee then this might be a useful feature. Coffee is better if brewed at a slightly lower temperature of 91 °C to 96 °C rather than the boiling point of 100 °C while some delicate teas require even cooler water. Temperature control is usually in the form of a button that lets you select the desired heat.
- Appearance
Kettles come in a seemingly endless choice of shapes, patterns and colours so if your kettle is always on show, choose one that's easy on your eye and fits in with your kitchen decor. But, bear in mind that kettles are hard-working tool and function should be more important than aesthetics.
Eight Great Kettle Brands
Here are some kettle brands to check out if you are looking at buying a new kettle:
Smeg: This appliance brand has remained family-owned since it was launched in Italy in 1948. Smeg enjoys an enviable reputation both for the quality of its products and the aesthetics of their retro designs. A Smeg kettle has all the features you could want and comes in a choice of colours that range from bold gold and cherry-red through to subtle pastels.
Delonghi: Also an Italian label with an excellent reputation, Delonghi was founded in the early 20th century and has gone on to win many prizes including the prestigious Red Dot Design Award for its small appliances such as kettles and coffeemakers. The Delonghi kettle is not cheap but ticks all the boxes for its features.
Dualit: The British label Dualit has been creating kettles and toasters since the 1940s. There are five distinct styles of Dualit kettles. Each of these is available in a choice of finishes and all are designed with function, appearance and safety in mind.
Morphy Richards: Founded in the 1930s, this is another well-established British name in the domestic appliance market and for many years it was a market leader in volume and quality. Morphy Richards kettles come in a variety of designs from sleek modern shapes to retro outlines.
Breville: Breville is an Australian brand that matches other labels with its decades of domestic appliance design experience and product quality. It is particularly well known for its sandwich toasters and kettles. Breville kettles are functional models with styles and colours to suit both classic and contemporary kitchen decor.
Kenwood: The British brand Kenwood, launched in 1947 and now owned by the Delonghi Group, is a good choice if you want to make a bold statement with your kitchen appliances while knowing you have a reliable and long-lasting kettle. Particularly attractive but top of the range price-wise are Kenwood kettles with textured finishes.
Russell Hobbs:In the mid-20th century, Russell Hobbs was the leading manufacturer of kitchen appliances in the UK. Always innovative, the label was the first to use cordless kettles, 360-degree rotation plates, rapid water boil and the automatic switch off. The Russell Hobbs kettle comes with sleek copper bodies, logo embellished or sporting a pretty polka dot print.
Kitchenaid: The most instantly recognisable product of this American label is probably the stand food mixer but Kitchenaid also produces other reliable and attractive small appliances including kettles and toasters. The latest Kitchenaid kettles feature speedy boiling and precise temperature control.
How to Clean a Kettle
Kettles are an integral part of our life and most are used multiple times a day. All it takes to keep the outside clean and shining is a regular wipe with a damp cloth or duster. Over time limescale from the water will build up inside the kettle making it less efficient as well as depositing white particles into the water. Harmless but unpleasant to look at. Make regular descaling part of your cleaning routine and your kettle will give you many years of good service. Use a proprietary descaler from hardware stores or supermarkets, following the instructions carefully. Alternatively, you can descale your kettle using common household products: vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda. Check out these simple instructions:
Empty the kettle.
If you are using vinegar, fill the kettle with equal parts of water and white vinegar. If you are using lemon juice, mix 30mls of lemon juice with 500mls of water and add to the kettle. For baking soda, put a teaspoon of baking powder and some water into the kettle. Do not use all three at the same time.
Leave for an hour.
Boil the kettle with the mixture inside.
Leave the kettle to cool for 30mins with the mixture inside.
Empty and rinse.
Fill the kettle with water and boil again.
Empty and you are finished!
Kettle Accessories
Kettles are stand-alone domestic appliances that don't require any accessories other than the occasional spare part. These are available from the manufacturer's website or from online stores such as Amazon. You might need:
Most kettles have a filter that slots into the pouring spout to collect larger pieces of limescale, preventing them from falling into your drinks. Kettles come with filters but as they are made of plastic and mesh they sometimes break or become too clogged with limescale and need replacing. Make sure to get one that fits your kettle brand and model.
All-purpose proprietary kettle descalers come in powder and liquid form or mini metal scourers that you leave in your kettle. The latter physically remove the scale as the boiling water agitates them. If you want to descale your kettle using natural products, see our section on 'how to clean your kettle'.
Should one of these parts break, they can generally be replaced by visiting the website of your kettle manufacturer. You can sometimes find these parts on sites such as Amazon as well. If your kettle is a top of the range model it may be worth purchasing these spare parts but check first whether it is cost-effective to do so. It might be cheaper to buy a new kettle.
If your kettle isn't in use all the time and you want to keep it clean of dust and fingerprints, then pop on a kettle cover. Choosing matching kettle and toaster covers is a good way of coordinating your kitchen if your appliances are different models from different brands.
Kettle FAQs
The average kettle holds 1.5 litres of water when full and uses about 0.1kWh of electricity if it takes three minutes to boil. That amounts to a couple of pence every time you boil a full kettle. Modern kettles are more efficient than older models and keeping your kettle scale-free also helps keep your electricity bills down. Be water and energy-efficient by only filling the kettle with the actual amount of water you need.
As electricity moves through an element of high resistance it generates heat which can be transferred to the water. When the water inside the kettle reaches boiling point, the steam created warms a strip made from two different metals. The different metals expand at different rates causing the strip to curve and break the heating connection, shutting off the kettle. This gives electric kettles an important safety advantage over stove-top kettles as they keep boiling and 'whistling' until someone turns off the heat under them.
The first electric kettle was developed by the Carpenter Electrical Company in Chicago in 1891. This kettle was slow to boil as the heating elements and water were in separate containers. It wasn't until the 1920s that the Swan Company developed a fast-boiling kettle. They did this by safely sealing the element in a metal tube and placing it at the bottom of the water chamber. This made boiling the water faster and more energy-efficient. Electric kettles with an automatic switch-off didn't appear on the scene until Russell Hobbs designed one in 1956, creating the kettle as we know it today.
While kettles get quieter every year and brands make a point of this when advertising, it is almost impossible to totally eliminate the noise made by a kettle as it boils. A bubble of hot water is created around the element which then floats upwards. As it rises, it loses its heat to the surrounding cooler water, causing it to collapse in on itself. This is called 'cavitation' and creates a knocking noise. As more hot water bubbles are created the noise increases. Once all the water is hot and the bubbles have all risen, they stop cavitating and the noise decreases and then stops - a good indicator that the kettle is about to turn itself off.
Almost all electrical items with a plug, including kettles, can be recycled in the UK. According to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive of 2007, every borough council has to provide recycling facilities for these. This is usually at a household recycling centre which every home has free access to. WEEE also says that retailers have a duty to take back and recycle appliances from a customer when they sell them a new one. This is, of course, trickier to do when buying online rather than from a high street store.
How and Where to Find the Best Kettle Deals
Kettles can be found wherever small appliances are sold, either on the high street or online. Stores such as Sainsbury's, Tesco, Robert Dyas, John Lewis, Currys PC World, and Amazon all stock a range of kettles to suit every home and budget. They can also be bought online from the websites of home appliance brands. Throughout the year, every retailer will have a kettle sale when good bargains can be found but for the best kettle deal, save your shopping for Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November.
Steaming Hot Kettle Deals from hotukdeals
When it's time to upgrade your kitchen appliances and you're looking for a cheap kettle or for kettle and toaster set offers, remember that hotukdeals brings all the best bargains together on one page.