Best Whistling Tea Kettles [Testing 14 Top Kettles]

Watch as we boil water in stovetop tea kettles! Are you not entertained? Hey, they all can’t be barnburners. In this Test Kitchen we round up 14 whistling tea kettles ranging from the $15 Mr. Coffee to the $100 All-Clad. Over three days of testing and lots of tea-making, we reveal our thoughts on quality, comfort, and performance. We name our best and worst values for a range of budgets. See the full write-up on this testing — and, should you care to — watch and listen to each of these kettles as they come to a boil: https://www.cookwarejunkies.com/best-....

The Lineup:
All-Clad: https://amzn.to/30vz0hY
Chef’s Secret: https://amzn.to/3cTMidc
Circulon: https://amzn.to/2SChnsF
Cuisinart: https://amzn.to/30vym42
KitchenAid: https://amzn.to/33sz7Nf
Le Creuset: https://amzn.to/3it2C5U
Müeller: https://amzn.to/3n9Z5wR
Mr. Coffee: https://amzn.to/3n9faTk
OXO: https://amzn.to/2F1DJR2
Poliviar: https://amzn.to/3isHRXO
Pykal: https://amzn.to/30wfC4B
RockUrWok: https://amzn.to/2GwGv19
Secura: https://amzn.to/3cXePyo
Willow & Everett: https://amzn.to/3cXeFqM

Timeline:
0:00 - Intro
0:46 - Pouring & Handles ($100 vs $15)
9:06 - Electric Stove Boil Time
9:53 - Gas Stove Boil Time
10:27 - Whistle Volumes
11:01 - Filling ‘Em Up
13:54 - Summary Panel

To get a feel for how each kettle performed, we tested them on gas and electric stovetops. We also took a look at how boiling characteristics changed with different amounts of water. The electric test used the full capacity (often far, far less than the manufacturers claim!); while the gas stove tested the kettles at 1 liter of water.

We measured the volume (or lack of volume) of each kettle’s whistle with a decibel meter when testing on the gas stove. Visit our website via the link above for the readings.

Our measurements set the context for our ratings, but the core comes from our experience using the kettles. We looked especially hard at the design of the handle and how easy and comfortable it was to pour from each kettle. After all, it doesn’t matter how fast the kettle boils if it tries to burn you every morning. We like handles that let you adjust your grip freely for an easy pour, and downrate kettles that need you to hold your hand in one specific position (usually a bad one). Our testing wasn’t as illuminating as we hoped on measuring which handles stayed cool. The electric stove left all the handles cool enough to grab, but the gas stove left the all hot enough that we needed a towel.

There are a lot of moderately good kettles in our test, but there were some real standouts on the good and bad end of the spectrum. Our final rankings combine design, comfort, and value. You’ll be surprised at which kettles finished at the top of our lists and which ones didn’t.