How to choose an electric kettle?

It is difficult to imagine everyday life without such an important household item as an electric kettle. And surely every housewife, without a doubt, will answer that she knows how to choose an electric kettle. But is it so easy to sort out this issue when a huge selection of teapots of domestic and foreign manufacturers is presented on the shelves of shops and supermarkets? How to choose the right model that will become a reliable assistant in any kitchen?

When buying a device, experts recommend a more careful consideration of the basic parameters of the choice, such as:

1. Material;
2. Power Consumption;
3. Types of heating element;
4. Additional functionality.

Enclosure material

For the manufacture of the external enclosure of the electric kettle various materials are used - plastic, glass, ceramic, stainless steel. But which one is better is up to you.

Electric kettle made of plastic

Plastic devices are considered the most affordable, and, accordingly, low-cost ones. They have a lot of advantages - light weight, durability, low cost, resistance to overheating, wide color gamut. However, over time, plastic cases become more fragile, an unpleasant chemical odor appears, and the former brilliance and brightness of paints is lost. In addition, at high heating temperatures, plastic releases a formaldehyde substance that is extremely dangerous for human health. In quality plastic devices, all edges and seams are perfectly flat, the main elements are securely fastened, and on the back side of the base there is a quality mark in the form of a trefoil placed in a circle.

Stainless Steel Electric Kettle

Stainless steel models have long won the confidence of most ordinary people. Without a doubt, they are more expensive and more qualitative than their plastic counterparts, more durable and practical, but, unfortunately, are not without flaws. On such a surface, fingerprints, minor scratches, stains from water and all sorts of stains will most often be visible. In general, this is a good option for everyday use, the only advice is not to leave boiled water in the kettle in order to avoid unpleasant odor and sediment.

Glass Electric Kettle

This is the most environmentally friendly material, and, therefore, such devices are the safest to use. It should be noted that only the case of the device is made of glass, all other parts are made of plastic or metal, so when choosing a teapot, again, it is necessary to take into account a set of criteria.

Electric kettle made of ceramics

Ceramic models are not as popular and in demand as their competitors, but despite this, continue to win the sympathy of consumers. Such devices are practical, durable and easy in daily care.

See also - What is a thermowat and how to choose it

Power consumption

The next choice parameter is power. The rate of water heating depends on this characteristic - the higher the power, the faster the water will boil.

Depending on the model and type of heating element, the power of the kettle can be from 900 W to 3 kW.

Compact devices with a volume per liter consume 1 kW, the capacity of kettles 1.2–1.5 liters does not exceed 2 kW, and overall devices with a volume of 1.7–2 liters operate at a power up to 3 kW.

Types of heating element

To choose an electric kettle correctly, consider the main types of heating elements, and there are only two of them:

• Open spiral element;
• Heater disk type.

Heating coil

This type of heater resembles a reboiler familiar to everyone attached to the base of the housing. Models of kettles with open heating elements( tubular heating element) are distinguished by low cost and this is their only advantage. The spiral element is difficult to clean from scale, and you have to constantly make sure that it is in the water.

Heating disc

In such models, the helix is ​​placed under the disk bottom, which protects it from rapid wear and scaling. In teapots with a disk heater, you can heat up the minimum amount of water( 1 cup), they are not susceptible to corrosion, it is easier to care for them, and the speed of boiling water is much higher.

If we talk about which device is better, then definitely, with a closed heater.

See also - How to choose a coffee grinder for your home in 2018

Additional functionality

After reviewing the basic parameters, you have already understood how to choose an electric kettle, but we also recommend not forgetting about the additional functionality of such a device.

Current models of teapots can have the following options:

• Timer is a delay of water heating for a specified time;
• Long-term boiling( 3-4 minutes) to remove chlorine from water;
• Function of maintaining the set temperature of boiled water. In this case, the kettle is used as a thermos;
• Sound signal of the end of the heated water;
• Protection function to turn on the device without water;
• Option to automatically turn off the device after boiling;
• Lid lock function until boiling;
• Temperature controller for setting the desired temperature of water heating( from 60 to 100 degrees), depending on the needs.

Now you can safely say that you know everything about how to choose an electric kettle. But before you go for the long-awaited purchase, decide on the parameters that are key to you. Having defined your desires, you can easily select the desired model.