ELECTRIC KETTLES MAY bring
to mind tea and scones in a
faraway English cottage, but
sales right here in the U.S.
have been heating up: An
estimated 3.9 million electric
kettles were sold last year,
which is about 1.7 million
more than in 2010. And you
can fi nd them for as little as
$15 or $20. Even so—should
you make room for yet
another small appliance on
your kitchen countertop?
What it really boils down
to is convenience, says Cindy
Fisher, the lead tester for this
project. An electric kettle can
be handy if you make a lot of
tea—and want it quickly. The
fastest kettles in our tests are
able to boil a liter of water
(slightly more than 4 cups) in
about 4 minutes. That’s faster
than boiling water in a 1,200-
watt microwave (which takes6 minutes and 45 seconds)
but only a bit faster than
boiling that same amount of
water in a pot on a gas range
(which takes between 4½
and roughly 5 minutes).
Still, consumers may like
that an electric kettle will
shut off automatically once
it reaches a boil—and then
keep the water heated.
The models we tested kept
boiled water warm for at
least 35 minutes after shutting
off ; the Secura, shown at
right, kept its contents toasty
for 75 minutes, the longest
in our ratings.
These kettles are also useful
for more than a daily cup of
tea—you can use its hot water
to make anything from hot
cocoa to ramen. The one small
hassle? Many models have a
scale fi lter, which needs to be
cleaned periodically.TOP KETTLE
0 !Secura
The Original
Stainless Steel
Electric Kettle
SWK-1701DB
$PRESET TEMPS
BY TEA TYPE &
LONG WARRANTY
0 !Cuisinart
PerfecTemp
Cordless
Electric Kettle
CPK-17 $EASIEST
TO CLEAN
Oxo Cordless
Glass Electric
Kettle $NO-FRILLS
BARGAIN
Ovente
Electric Kettle
KP72 $0 !Briggs
& Riley
Carry-Ons1991 Air travel “has truly become
public transportation,” CR announces.
U.S. airlines now carry more than
423 million domestic passengers—a
67 percent increase from 1978.2016 Rampant
mergers leave four
airlines controlling
80 percent of the
market, CR reports,
down from 11 in 1983.2020 In our latest
reader survey of
luggage brands
(turn to page 42),
Briggs & Riley is tops
for both carry-on and
checked bags.0
READER
SCORE92
1988 Delta has the
largest market share
of any national airline,
at 13.5 percent, we
report, followed
closely by United, at
13.2 percent.1971 Southwest
Airlines starts one
of the nation’s first
low-fare airlines,
with discount
fares as low as
$10 one-way.0
OVERALL(^80) SCORE
0
OVERALL
(^81) SCORE
0
OVERALL
(^71) SCORE
0
OVERALL
(^89) SCORE
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
WHAT’S SO HOT
ABOUT ELECTRIC
KETTLES?
UNITED DELTA AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
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FEBRUARY 2020 CR.ORG 15