KENWOOD 0W21011137 ZJM811PU Mesmerine Stainless Steel Rich Plum Jug Kettle, 1.6L Capacity, Pink/Purple

Product Information

Charley has an MA in Journalism & Media Studies and undertook an internship at a travel magazine in Iceland. She still writes occasional travel and lifestyle stories when the inspiration strikes now, with work published in Cosmopolitan, Stylist, ELLE and Women’s Health, among others.

First we put our kettle on to see how long it took to make a cuppa – and because we just think more clearly with a mug of tea in our hands. Far clearer is the kettle’s removable limescale filter – inside the spout it’s actually labelled ‘filter’, so you don’t forget to give it a regular wash. Breville kettles also come highly recommended and, while none of them made our final cut, we also heard lots of good things about De’Longhi during our research process. This isn’t the cheapest kettle you can buy, but for the price, you’re getting one that’s pretty close in spec to more expensive models. Boil-dry protection: Many kettles now come with safety features such as boil-dry protection, which means the kettle won't turn on if there’s not enough water in it.

Best kettles at a glance

It may look like an old-fashioned stove-top kettle but it’s got all the mod cons. The multiple temperature settings let you heat water from anywhere from 50 degrees up to 100 in 10-degree increments, and it also has a temperature gauge so you can see how hot the water is at any time, even when not on its base. The kettle has a wider than usual spout but still pours smoothly. There’s also a clearly marked water window, showing the max and min fill, as well as cups from four to seven (not litres). Its water window lights up blue when it’s on, while a button on the lid flips it up for filling – good for those who sometimes mix up levers. It’s speedy, too: a litre of cold water took just two minutes and 12 seconds to boil. What could prove to be a problem is the kettle’s minimum fill – around 900ml – meaning that if you only want to make one or two small cups, you will always be boiling more than you need. Integrated cord storage keeps everything tidy and safe, and it’s very easy to use. Not only is it lightweight (ideal if you have weak wrists), it also sits on a 360-degree base, which is handy if you’re left-handed or live with a leftie as you can swivel it to wherever you want it to sit. The cord is a good length at 71cm and there’s storage in the base if you don’t need it all. Despite its compact size, it is quite a heavy kettle, weighing 1,167g when empty and 2,746g when full — this is heavier than the average kettle in spite of its smaller capacity. There are two main types of kettle: jug and dome. Jug kettles are taller, tend to have handles located on the side and will generally hold a larger volume of water.

There are finer details to think about too, which can make a real difference when you’re using your kettle day in, day out:

We think the best kettle is the Bosch Styline TWK8633GB Cordless Kettle for its brilliant safety features and added extras that make it a real pleasure to use. Variable temperature kettles can heat the water to different temperatures to provide the best results when brewing different types of tea and coffee. It’s a handy feature if you like to drink more delicate herbal and green teas, which should be brewed below boiling, at around 80C.

The external casing of some kettles can get extremely hot. Often, those with a brushed stainless steel exterior reach hotter temperatures than other materials – not ideal if you have young children in the kitchen. Kettles with an auto shut-off feature will automatically stop when water begins to boil or if the kettle is lifted from its base. The limescale filter is top-quality so it’s a good choice if you live in a hard water area, and it’s capable of boiling one cup to 1.5 litres of water. There’s a kettle for every kitchen style and budget, from traditional stove-top pots that whistle pleasingly when it’s time for tea, to smart kettles that switch themselves on before you’ve even decided you want a brew.

Why you can trust us

With five years’ experience as a homes writer, Charley now writes for Good Housekeeping, Country Living and House Beautiful but has also previously worked in print for an architecture magazine. This is a single-temperature kettle which doesn’t make an audible noise, but a light illuminates on the base to show when it’s boiling. The base feels a little lightweight and flimsy compared to the kettle, but it’s adequate. Kenwood Mesmerine Jug Kettle review: Performance And while there are plenty of kettles that can boil water effectively, it can be worth investing in extra features to make your tea breaks as pleasant as possible. If you live in a hard water area, built-in filters can help to soften water to improve your brews and lessen the impact of limescale. Quiet kettles are great for small spaces, especially if you're brewing up near a napping baby. And energy-efficient kettles can help you save money on your monthly bills. A power element of 3kW is generally considered best for fast boiling and all of our top-scoring kettles have this wattage.

Whatever your cup of tea (or coffee), we’ve done the hard work for you, scouring the Mumsnet forums and beyond to find the best kettle. In testing, the Mesmerine’s powerful 3kW element boiled a litre of water from cold in just 2mins 6secs, while the maximum of 1.6 litres took 3mins 3secs. That makes the Mesmerine as fast a kettle as you can expect.

How we chose our recommendations

For kettles, we time how long it takes to boil a full kettle of cold water from the tap, as well as 1l for comparative purposes. Each litre of water was measured using the same jug, as it’s not uncommon for litre markings on a kettle to be incorrect or unavailable.