SHOP $225, amazon.com
Welcome to the Esquire Endorsement. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.
I’m anti-kitchen-gadget. I toast my bread in a pan on the stovetop. I cook my frozen chicken nuggets in the oven. I use my microwave to store bananas, and if that microwave wasn’t built into my tiny kitchen, I wouldn’t even have one. I believe that if you need some sort of high-powered, overhyped device to cook anything in particular, you probably shouldn’t be eating that.
In reality you can make everything you need with a stovetop, an oven, and some pots and pans. And look, I know the toaster is a stretch; if I had the storage space, I’d go for that first. But I will sacrifice countertop space for my beverages. Having an espresso machine is a must for my husband, who can survive the day only with a few shots at home. For me, though, I have one deal-breaker. I cannot live my life without the Fellow Corvo EKG Electric Kettle. It makes my life easy mostly because I’m a tea drinker, but there’s a number of reasons why it’s irreplaceable in my book.
SHOP $225, amazon.com
Speed Is Key
If you can’t tell already, I’m a minimalist. In fact, I have in the past tried to get rid of this electric kettle. I first bought a Fellow in 2020, and I went through a phase of trying to replace it with other electric kettles and even stovetop versions. I failed. No matter how many times I’ve tried a stovetop kettle just to save counter space, I’ve found myself furiously waiting minutes more than I was used to for my hot water. Then I have to hear an annoying whistle. Fellow ruined my expectations in the time department. As for other electric kettles on the market, I’ve found none of them to be as fast.
Timing can vary depending on the amount of water in the kettle and the temperature you set it at. It can heat water anywhere from 104 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually set mine to 180 degrees for the perfect cup of tea, which is a little on the high side, but I like the experience of letting it cool down before my first sip. I timed it, and on average it takes less than 90 seconds to get to 180 degrees. A stovetop kettle can’t even compete. An added feature I love is that you can set the kettle to hold your water (because it can hold between two and three mugs’ worth) temperature for anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. Since I often go back for a second cup, this saves me even more time.
SHOP $225, amazon.com
Looks Are Important
There’s no doubt this is the best-looking electric kettle on the market. Find a nicer one, I dare you. In fact, I originally purchased this based on looks, only to realize later that it actually functions great too. I do have one piece of advice, though, related to the look and use of these kettles. You probably recognize this Stagg EKG model as the one you see everywhere. And yes, the long pour spout is cool looking and great if you are serious about pour-over coffee. But if you just want hot water, don’t get that one. It takes so fucking long to pour a cup. Clearly I have zero patience.
When I finally updated to the Corvo verison with a larger spout—that still has great pour control, I might add—I wondered why it had taken me so long to get there. Whether I’m pouring water for my tea or pre-boiled water into a pot for cooking, it’s just so much easier to use.
SHOP $225, amazon.com
A Little Surprise
There’s one last thing I need to tell you about Fellow’s electric kettles or I wouldn’t be doing you a service at all. The digital screen on which you control the temperature has a little unknown hack where you can play the brand’s game Wormy (think Snake) when you’re bored. To start, simply remove the kettle from its base, toggle the F/C switch back and forth, and when the wormy appears, use the joystick to start playing. The goal to win is to eat 40 Fellow bow ties as fast as you can. You can even submit your score to the brand for a chance to be ranked in the official Wormy World Championships.
Okay, enough about Wormy. Let me address the price: $225 is a lot of money for something to help boil water, I know. The quality, simplicity, and habitual nature of it is truly irreplaceable, and I’ve tried to replace it. In fact, I would spend this money again if I had to. Clearly this kettle is more important to me than my microwave.
SHOP $225, amazon.com
Photographs by Florence Sullivan
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