Why Americans need to join the electric kettle fan club

Essentials Week spotlights unexpected items that make our daily lives just a little bit better.

Much like its healthcare, the U.S. kitchen is woefully incomplete by international standards. As beautiful as your Caesarstone countertops, ice-making fridges, and windowsill herb gardens may be, American cooking spaces lag significantly behind in functionality. 

This isn’t due to factors such as layout or size. It isn’t because of disorganisation or lack of cleanliness. This failing is solely attributable to the fact that even the most tricked-out American kitchens tend to forgo a vitally important appliance — one many other households wouldn’t tolerate operating without.

I am talking, of course, about the humble electric kettle.

Some people have stainless steel kettles they heat on their stove, the steam causing them to emit a migraine-inducing whistle once the water inside has boiled. I am not referring to these. The kettles I speak of are the modern plug-and-play electric kind, commonly found in Europe, Asia, and my heart.

Electric kettles are to stovetop kettles what cars are to horse-drawn carriages. These convenient gadgets heat water more quickly than stovetop options and automatically turn off when they’re done, preventing them from boiling over and ensuring less water is lost to evaporation. They also have handy volume markers on the side, with fancier ones even letting you warm water to specific temperatures — perfect for delicate teas, pourover coffee, or swiftly making drinks that won’t burn your tongue.

These kettles are indispensable, irreplaceable kitchen friends, and my most frequently used household appliance next to the microwave. My cherry red kettle is almost never empty, and if it is that's only because someone slacked off on refilling it. Cooking spaghetti, blanching broccoli, brewing a cup of tea, or even diluting a soup stock that's gotten a little too concentrated: There is an abundance of situations where boiling or boiled water is required, and this hardworking kitchen helper keeps me in constant supply.

If you don’t have an induction cooktop an electric kettle is the most energy efficient way to boil water, and even then it’s a close second. Speedy, safe, and simple, these kettles are one of the closest things we have to domestic magic.

WATCH: The best electric kettles

Kettles can even reduce the amount of washing up you need to do, because they love you and want to make your busy life easier. I have no desire to clean a whole pot every time I cook a single serving of instant noodles. If you have to use a pot you may as well just cook noodles fresh, since it will take around the same amount of time and effort. The only reason I’m eating instant noodles is because I’ve lost control of my life, in which case overseeing a pot of boiling water is temporarily outside my jurisdiction.

Fortunately, my electric kettle makes instant noodles quick and potless. I simply flick a switch to boil my water, pour it over the noodles and flavouring in a bowl, then microwave the whole thing for a couple of minutes. Crack in an egg, and bone apple teat. 

I'm not the only one who has learned to stop worrying and love the kettle. High demand for electric kettles has made the Asia Pacific region its fastest growing market, while Europe is its largest. In fact, kettles are so popular in the UK that the country experiences surges of electricity use when Britons simultaneously boil water for tea during breaks in popular television programs. This happens often enough that there’s even a term for it: the “TV pickup.”

Yet despite the electric kettle’s many virtues and global popularity, the U.S. has been slow to adopt this delightful kitchen buddy. Some of this may be explained by the fact that many other countries have tea-based societies, while Americans prefer to ingest their caffeine via coffee. Well, I’m here to share some good news, my friends. Kettles can also be used to make your morning brown.

The multipurpose kettle can easily replace the drip-filter coffee maker, which is a phenomenally redundant single-purpose appliance taking up way too much space on your countertop. It’s just as simple to make your daily brew with kettle-boiled water and smaller devices such as a French press, Aeropress, or dripper, and the results are way better.

SEE ALSO: Don't host your next tea party without one of these electric kettles

A kettle can also help you stay healthy, allowing you to quickly and easily sterilise your drinking water. Boiling water kills any bacteria, parasites, or viruses that may be having a little pool party in there, keeping you from ingesting anything that might make you sick — or even kill you. Yes, the U.S. does have treatment facilities that filter and disinfect water before it reaches your home. You can also filter it yourself, which will definitely do some good. But boiling your own drinking water gives you that extra level of protection and reassurance in case something goes wrong along the way, like it did in Lake Jackson, Texas this September.

I consider boiled water to taste better than straight tap water as well, though I’ll concede that those who are accustomed to drinking straight from the faucet might not share my tastes. Some people find boiled water flat, as the boiling process bubbles all the air out of it. However, this is easily fixed by aerating the water, shaking it in a container or transferring it back and forth between receptacles. Flat water also helps make ridiculously clear ice cubes for classing up your evening drink.

There are some barriers to bringing home your own kettle companion in the U.S, as low demand can make sourcing one a bit more difficult. Fortunately the power of the internet makes it far from impossible. 

This appliance may seem strange and unfamiliar if you generally heat your water on the stove (or a microwave, if you’re a masochist). But once you grow accustomed to it, you’ll discover that the electric kettle is a highly useful addition to any household, and a wonderful investment for anyone who has better things to do than watch a pot boil.

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