The best kettles for speed, quiet - and good looks

The best kettles for speed, quiet - and good looks

Katrina Burroughs, Interiors Editor | The Sunday Times

If noise, limescale and a long wait are making your morning cuppa a chore, consider these upgrades for your kitchen counter

I hate my kettle. There is nothing instant about my coffee. I can do a whites wash while waiting for steam to rise. I complain, of course I do, but nobody can hear over the F-15 screech emanating from the unlovely jug.

It was a supermarket stopgap buy that cost a tenner and is maybe a decade old now. Its suboptimal performance is perfectly natural, considering its vintage and my neglect (grey shards of limescale occasionally emerge from the spout). And the bar has risen since I bought it, with more homes installing an on-demand boiling water tap, so that anything short of instantaneous now feels glacial. It’s not all my kettle’s fault, but the fact remains, it does not please me. So I’m shopping for a new model that will boost my mood, instead of killing my chill every morning.

Here’s what I don’t need: a musical kettle that plays Tea for Two, another app on my phone, a kettle that needs wi-fi to work. I would like: a quick boil, a pretty shape and peace and quiet.

For sound advice I have Quiet Mark’s latest research. It tests appliances in acoustic labs, designed to represent a real home environment, with the reflective surfaces found in a modern kitchen, and has published its 2025 list of the quietest kettles.

I’d like one that boils in less than 50 seconds. The indicator of a rapid boil is the kW power of the kettle: 3kW indicates alacrity. The deal breaker, for me, though, is good looks. As I don’t have capacious cupboards, my kettle will be out on the counter and it’s imperative that it isn’t an eyesore. Here are my hot prospects:

Aarke kettle

Above: Aarke Steel Kettle

Capacity 1.2l
Clever features Nondrip spout, double-wall design to keep the noise down and the heat in. Five temperature settings, ranging from 40C to 100C, and a memory function.
Yes, but is it pretty? It’s a sexy Swedish design as hot as Alexander Skarsgard.
Quick and quiet? Yes and yes. Boiling time for a cup is 45sec. Engineered for silence, it is on Quiet Mark’s list of best quiet kettles.
What it says about you You chose the kettle for the design-savvy spendthrift. You are probably a pleasure to wake up to.

Breville Edge low steam kettle

Above: Breville Edge low steam kettle

Capacity 1.7l (about three pints, or six cups, or a standard teapot)
Clever features Easy-fill wide spout, anti-limescale filter. Low steam, which means reduced condensation — recommended for small spaces. Breville’s big brag: Kathryn Farrell, the kitchenware buyer at Lakeland, has this kettle at home.
Yes, but is it pretty? Not beautiful; not an actual eyesore.
Quick and quiet? It’s on Quiet Mark’s list and the 3kW element means it’s no slouch, speedwise. Farrell says: “It boils really quickly. [The low-steam feature means that] it shuts off quite quickly rather than boiling for ages.”
What it says about you Congrats, you picked the kettle nerd’s kettle. (You’d love a chat about fine mesh filters, but we’re busy rn.)

Dualit Pour Over kettle

Above: Dualit Pour Over Kettle

Capacity 0.8l
Clever features The temperature control can be altered one degree at a time from 38C to 100C and the slender spout is designed for a precise pour. Ideal to use with a drip-through coffee maker. A temperature-hold function maintains the selected temperature for five minutes.
Yes, but is it pretty? With its slender gooseneck and its Japanese-inspired form, finished in matt black, it’s as pretty as Maria in West Side Story. But its appeal — given its size — is as niche as a mid-century musical theatre reference.
Quick and quiet? Another one on Quiet Mark’s list of best quiet kettles, it’s stealthy but makes no claims to be fast. The emphasis is on flavour, not speed. It takes 1min 43sec to boil a cupful (235ml).
What it says about you Your kettle is slow as a sloth with sciatica — but you’re a coffee connoisseur, and that’s actually a beanhead brag.

KitchenAid Artisan kettle

Above & Header image: KitchenAid Artisan Kettle

Capacity 1.5l
Clever features Dual-wall construction, variable temperature function from 50-100C.
Yes, but is it pretty? Adorable. If you love the retro look, you’ll admire the KitchenAid’s curves.
Quick and quiet? Its 3kW of power puts it in the quick-boil club — a cup takes just less than 50sec — and the dual wall makes for a quiet boil.
What it says about you You’re a retro realist. You may admire a stove top but you prefer the convenience of a plug-and-play design.

Russell Hobbs Calm kettle

Above: Russell Hobbs Calm Kettle

Capacity 1.7l
Clever features The Calm comes with a colour-change light display, visible through frosted glass, as well as an optional soundscape of “five different spa-like tunes”. There’s also variable temperature control and a keep-warm function.
Yes, but is it pretty? If you love a lava lamp, this is the one for you.
Quick and quiet? Excellent all-round performance. The 3kw power means a cup of water boils at about 50sec. It’s on Quiet Mark’s list.
What it says about you You think a disco kettle will make you relax? You are five cups short of a teapot.

Dualit Classic kettle

Above: Dualit Classic Kettle

Capacity 1.7l
Clever features A replaceable element that lengthens the kettle’s lifespan. The measuring window with cup levels means you only boil the amount of water required.
Yes, but is it pretty? Oh yes, and if you are inclined you can buy a matching toaster.
Quick and quiet? Yes and yes. A 3kW element boils a cup in 48sec. Patented Whisper Boil technology and insulation dampen sound. It’s on Quiet Mark’s list.
What it says about you It’s sustainable, swift and soft spoken but it will be the caffeine in your cuppa not the design raising your heart rate. Enjoy the Classic FM of kettles.

Read the full unabridged article in The Times | The Sunday Times