The Best Stovetop Kettles of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Oct 15, 2024

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These top-performing models are stylish enough to leave out on display.

In This Article

Food & Wine / Jennifer Causey

A well-made stovetop kettle can do more than boil water — it offers predictable performance and a gorgeous design so you can enjoy brewing and drinking all types of tea. While electric kettles can do the trick, there's something satisfying about the steam expelled when a stovetop kettle is ready for pouring. Stovetop kettles also make a great gift for tea lovers.

We tested the best stovetop kettles that look great and perform well; a few even whistle while they work. We considered qualities like design, durability, heating time, pour performance, and ease of cleaning. Our picks for the best stovetop kettles will make all the difference from your morning French press to your afternoon tea.

This all-time classic has display-worthy design and is very easy to clean.

It's pretty pricey, heavy when full, and may not fit easily in a cabinet.

Le Creuset is known for its unique style and high-quality French cookware brand name, and this teapot comes in a range of beautiful signature colors. The enamel finish is resistant to chipping, and the inner chamber is non-reactive and resists staining.

This pot has a large base that covers the whole burner to absorb heat efficiently and keep flames from damaging the finish. It can heat to a full boil in under five minutes. But the size makes it heavy, and it might not fit in a cabinet. On the other hand, it looks so good that you'll probably want to keep it on the stove or countertop. inish. While the exterior gets quite hot, the handle and spout stay cool, making it easy to pour, and we found no metallic taste in the heated water. We found its whistle volume on the softer side, tempered and steady.

When it’s time to clean, the opening is large enough to fit a hand and sponge into the chamber easily. The black interior hides any watermarks or staining, and the smooth enamel finish is easy to clean and maintain. Because the water lines are challenging to read due to its dark inner chamber, the kettle can easily be overfilled. It should work on any stovetop, including induction and electric, ceramic, and halogen.

Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 6 inches | Capacity: 1.7 quarts | Weight: 48.25 ounces (empty); 102 ounces (full) | Material: Enamel on carbon steel | Dishwasher-Safe: No

This reasonably priced, large-capacity kettle is easy to clean and has a striking look.

It’s a bit bulky, making it difficult to store.

This stovetop kettle from Susteas would look perfect sitting on display in a modern farmhouse kitchen. The empty kettle is very lightweight; however, it’s heavy when filled, so this kettle may not be ideal if you have weak wrists and arms. Large in size, the kettle covers the entire burner. Storing this one in a cabinet would require a good amount of space due to its large size and shape.

During our tests, we found the kettle exterior gets hot when heated. The manufacturer suggests only low heat to prevent the rubber handle and kettle from overheating, which could cause injury or damage to the finish. It has a handle lever that makes it easy to open the spout covering, allowing for a seamless pour. In addition, the “whistle when ready alert” is not loud compared to other brands with this feature.

The kettle took about five minutes and thirty-nine seconds to boil. We found the heat retention quite good; the top of the kettle retained heat for at least ten minutes after heating, so take caution when handling. As an added safety feature, a silicone oven mitt comes with your purchase.

The top is easy to remove but is prone to fingerprint marks, while the finish on the kettle's body is fingerprint-resistant. That said, it’s relatively easy to clean even though the opening is tight for somebody with larger hands. The exterior finish has a beading effect on water, making clean-up and drying easy. This kettle provides fantastic performance and style and is a great choice for everyday tea.

Capacity: 3.2 quarts | Weight: 32.5 ounces (empty); 144 ounces (full) | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher-Safe: No

The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

This stylish kettle gives you pinpoint control for pour-over coffee or anywhere else you need accurate pouring.

It's fairly small and can't handle super-high heat.

This unique, stylish, small kettle from Hario features a gooseneck spout for easy, precise pouring. It’s the perfect size for individual tea service or pour-over coffee and comes in stainless steel, black, and matte finish.

Its smaller size has a few disadvantages as it doesn't take up the whole burner. On high-heat gas stovetops, flames may shoot out from the sides of the kettle, and if positioned over a direct flame, the handle could melt. The manufacturer suggests using medium or low heat. It also doesn't have a whistle to indicate boiling. Still, we appreciated its small size for easy storage.

There are no maximum water fill lines, so overfilling can be an issue. In addition, the small vent holes on the top should not be positioned near the handle when heating, as steam could cause burns when grabbing the handle. During testing, the water reached a full boil after six minutes and 19 seconds, slightly longer than the other top two brands. Still, we found that it held a higher, more consistent temperature 10 minutes after removing it from the burner than all of the other models tested. After heating, we observed a very slight but noticeable metallic taste in the water, which may dissipate over time.

Dimensions: 5.67 x 10.79 x 5.79 inches | Capacity: 1.3 quarts | Weight: 14.5 ounces (empty), 54.25 ounces (full) | Materials: Copper, enamel, plastic | Dishwasher-Safe: No

This compact kettle heated up more quickly than any other we tested.

When full of water, it’s fairly heavy to lift and pour.

The OXO Brew Classic Tea Kettle is an excellent choice for those looking for an efficient yet affordable option. This model was the winner of the boiling test, bringing water to 212°F in just a little over four minutes. Plus, after 10 minutes of sitting off the stove, it showed impressive heat retention, with water at 192°F.

In addition to its speedy heating and insulation, the kettle is easy to use, store, and clean. When the water is at boiling point, the kettle makes a loud whistling noise to let you know it’s ready. The stainless steel design fits with most kitchen styles, is built to last, and features a heat-resistant handle and a one-touch spout cap to keep your hands safe while lifting and pouring. The only thing to keep in mind is that it weighs about 5 pounds at capacity, so it can be quite heavy to maneuver with one hand. Overall, it has a straightforward design, functions properly, and the handle folds down for fuss-free storage.

Dimensions: 8 x 9.75 x 9.75 inches | Capacity: 1.7 quarts | Weight: 31 ounces (empty), 83.7 ounces (full) | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher-Safe: No

COURTESY OF FOOD & WINE / Fred Hardy

Our best overall pick is the Le Creuset Classic Whistling Kettle because it offers superior function and elegant design from a trusted brand name. We love the array of color options, the easy fold-down handle, and how easy it is to clean. It’s an investment that adds some style to your routine.

Food & Wine / Jennifer Causey

Over the years, we've tested more than 30 gooseneck, electric, and stovetop kettles. For this roundup, we tested seven popular and top-rated stovetop kettles, putting each one through an identical series of tests. The ultimate goal was to evaluate the ease of use, design, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value to determine which models we would buy ourselves and recommend to friends and family.

Everyone has a sweet spot for kettle capacity. When choosing a kettle, your first consideration should be capacity. Stovetop kettles are a little different from the average tea kettle. They range from a petite 1-quart to well over a gallon, so buying the kettle that will be the best fit for your use is key. Larger kettles take longer to boil and often have a minimum fill level, so they are not ideal for smaller needs. If you only need a cup or two of tea in the morning, a smaller kettle is the best way to go, but if you have a large family or love to entertain with tea, scale up as needed.

Kettle material matters and stainless steel is ideal. Most stovetop kettles are made of stainless steel, but there are also ones constructed of solid copper and cast iron. We prefer stainless steel stovetop kettles because they are durable (crack- and rust-resistant), ideal for heating water quickly, easy to care for, and look great in most kitchens. Plus, stainless steel kettles usually have a silicone handle for safe transport.

A kettle's weight should be manageable in one hand. The kettle's material can contribute significantly to the weight of the kettle. And while you always want a kettle with a heavy bottom for even heat distribution, you also want to be sure it is easy to handle and pour when full of boiling water for safety's sake. If the kettle feels heavy to you when it is empty, it's probably going to be too much to handle when it's full of boiling water.

Cleanup always makes a difference. Since most stovetop kettles require hand-washing, it’s important to find one that isn’t a hassle to clean after each use. We recommend looking for one with a larger opening and a higher handle, so you can easily see the inside and reach in there to remove any mineral residue. If the one you’re interested in has a smaller opening, it’s not a dealbreaker because you can use a small brush instead of a sponge if needed.

The short answer is not necessarily. In our testing, electric kettles out-rated stovetop versions across the board. But for some, stovetop kettles are just their personal preference. Jessica Easto, the author of Craft Coffee: A Manual, agrees with our findings: “A stovetop kettle is not necessarily better than an electric one. It depends on what features you are looking for. Electric kettles often come with additional features, such as the ability to be set to and hold specific temperatures, which can come in handy for tea-making and coffee-making (in which you don't want to scorch your product)," she says."You can also walk away from the kettle and not worry about it boiling dry or going cold. But those additional features also tend to mean a higher price tag.”

“You should be able to use a stovetop kettle on either a gas or standard electric stove, but always check the manufacturer's instructions,” says Easto. “If you have an induction stovetop, you'll need to make sure your kettle is suitable for induction (i.e., made of a ferrous metal).” Cast iron and steel are almost always compatible with induction, while aluminum might not be.

Putting anything but water in your kettle gets a hard pass from Easto. “I would not recommend heating milk in a stovetop kettle, and most manufacturers warn against this, too. Just warm your milk in a saucepan!”

In most cases, a quick scrub with a soapy sponge followed by a thorough rinse is all you need. But if you have hard water and get mineral buildup inside the kettle, you'll need to give it a more thorough descaling once in a while. To do this, fill the kettle with equal parts water and vinegar, bring it to a boil, turn off the heat, and let stand for at least 20 minutes. After that, pour out the solution, and rinse with water, gently scrubbing any residual mineral buildup. For the exterior, the cleaning rules vary depending on the material, but a wipe with dish soap or plain water will generally work fine.

Mr. Coffee Flintshire Stainless Steel Whistling Tea Kettle ($20 at Amazon)

We liked the spill-resistant lever spout of Mr. Coffee's kettle, as well as its budget price. But the single-layer steel body got very hot in testing and isn't very good at holding or transmitting heat: It was among the slowest to boil and the fastest to cool down.

Chantal Anniversary Enamel on Steel Whistling Tea Kettle ($50 at Amazon)

Chantal's enameled kettle looks somewhat like the Le Creuset above, at a much lower cost. But it's not quite as well-insulated, doesn't come in quite as many colors, and is a bit more awkward to handle. If you like the enameled style, we say to splurge on a kettle that'll last a lifetime.

Cuisinart Aura 2-Quart Tea Kettle ($25 at Amazon)

There's not much wrong with Cuisinart's kettle, but there's not much that stands out about it, either. It gave us middle-of-the-road results. Our main complaint is that the handle sits directly above the lid and interferes with filling.