Why Your Kitchen (and Your Morning Routine) Will Benefit from an Electric Kettle
Courtesy of Fellow
If the prospect of that first pour over gets you out of bed in the morning or a cup of tea gives you the steam you need to power through the day, then maybe it's time to get an electric kettle that can handle all of your hot drink needs. And once you have an electric kettle, you'll understand that it does so much more than that: They also speed up the process of cooking foods like oatmeal and pasta, heating water in the blink of an eye.
Why bother with an electric model when a stovetop kettle or pot of water does the job, you ask? Electric kettles automatically shut off, a safer and more convenient option than a forgotten flame or burner. Some electric kettles also turn off the kettle when the water runs dry, so you're not in danger of an exploding vessel.
Related: Be Your Own Barista, How to Make Coffee Drinks at Home
Form Meets Function
Take the wide-mouth Cosori electric kettle ($39.99, amazon.com) which uses British Strix thermostat technology to auto shut-off within 30 seconds of fully boiling and a boil-dry safety feature. Like many contemporary kettles, it elevates the look of your countertop with its borosilicate glass kettle, blue LED indicator that lets you know the water is boiling, and concealed heating element. Another sleek addition to the kitchen: The cool-touch stainless-steel Zwilling electric kettle ($79.95, amazon.com) with a double-walled body that keeps water hot for longer and cord storage.
Give Me the Gooseneck
More reasons to go the electric kettle route: precision and taste. Enter the gooseneck electric kettle, which is ideal for pour overs. "A pan or a Pyrex measuring cup will not have the ability to pour at a precise rate or at a speed slow enough required for the proper extraction of the ground coffee beans," explains Hannah Miller, senior content manager at Fellow, the company behind the Stagg EKG electric pour-over kettle (from $149.95, williams-sonoma.com). "Brewing coffee is like baking a cake. Sure, you can bake all your batters at 350°F, but you're going to get quite a few burnt bottoms and gooey middles. And sure, you can brew your coffee at "about" boiling, but you're cutting yourself short in producing the "perfect" cup of joe. The bean, roast, grind size and brew method all factor into the temperature."
The Stagg EKG heats water quickly and keeps it hot for an hour. It has a manual temperature control for accuracy, a "brew stop watch" so you can check steeping time, and a gooseneck spout that expertly pours and replenishes water around the coffee grounds. Design-wise, it's also no slouch, with its discreet LCD screen, sleek dial, choice of colors, from matte black to warm pink, and industrial feel. "Aesthetically, Stagg EKG is the first minimalist electric kettle of its kind that doesn't look like a clunky spaceship control center with a million buttons," says Miller.
Gooseneck electric kettles can also tackle tea brilliantly. The Brim Gooseneck Kettle ($185, williams-sonoma.com) has customizable real-time digital control with six preset temperature options that come in handy for different types of tea, plus a gooseneck spout for pouring control and precise extraction, a setting to keep water warm, auto shut-off and boil-dry protection. And with a black matte stainless steel body, it's also easy on the eyes.
