The Safest Plastic-Free Electric Kettles
As consumers become aware of the dangers of chemicals that can leach from plastic that is exposed to hot liquid, more and more people are looking for plastic-free kettles. There aren’t a lot of electric designs that are 100% without plastic, as some have plastic on the upper parts of the body that don’t directly touch the boiling water, but there are a few new options that have come on the market in recent years. We have created a list of some of the best kettles, including those that are entirely plastic-free and a few that have BPA-free plastic that doesn’t come into contact with the boiling water.
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Secura The Original Stainless Steel Double Wall Electric Water Kettle
Probably your best option, if you are looking for a reliable all-around option that doesn’t have any plastic that comes in contact with the boiling water, is Secura’s The Original Stainless Steel Double Wall Electric. All of the inner parts of this design are 100% Stainless Steel including the lid, spout, and filter. This model has a double-wall, so the outer walls include a BPA-free cool-touch plastic that makes it easy to hold the body with two hands, and it is safe around small children. Another benefit of a double wall is that the water will boil more quickly, and it will stay warm longer. The capacity is 1.7 liter or 1.8 quarts.
BELLA 1.2L Electric Ceramic Tea Kettle
Another ceramic style worth considering if you are concerned about plastic is the Bella 1.2 L Ceramic Electric. It has a 1200 watt heating element with boil-dry protection, and auto-shutoff. It also has a blue LED light that appears when you switch it on. It is a gooseneck style, so it is useful if you have trouble with spills when you pour or if you like to use the slow pour-over method when making coffee and tea to extract the most flavor. Ceramic styles can be a little heavy, especially when they are full of water, so if you find it difficult to lift a full teapot ceramic probably isn’t for you.
Willow & Everett Electric Gooseneck Kettle
Another gooseneck style that is extremely popular, especially if you are a coffee aficionado, is Willow & Everett Electric Gooseneck Kettle for Pour Over Coffee. This design is excellent for doing the pour-over method with your coffee and tea, and it is also plastic-free. This gooseneck will boil quickly with its 1000 watt, 120-volt electric base and will shut down when finished because of the auto shut-off feature. Willow & Everett use 100% food-grade stainless steel with no Teflon or chemical linings. They have also made the handle and a plastic knob at the top of the lid out of BPA-free plastic so no plastic touches the water.
COSORI Electric Kettle
A lovely design that is getting very popular is the COSORI Electric Kettle. It is another budget option for a decent quality model that can boil quickly, has a good-sized capacity, and is made with borosilicate glass which holds up well to use. There are no plastic parts that touch the boiling water. It is an excellent choice if you are looking for a safe, inexpensive, well-designed option that has great reviews.
Elite Gourmet Double Wall Kettle
An option that you may want to consider is the Elite Gourmet Double Wall Kettle. It costs less than $40 and has a thin stainless steel interior. Everything on the interior that touches the water is 100% food grade 304 stainless steel. The best thing about this design is that it heats the water quickly, and it has extra insulation to keep the water warm for longer. As a moderately priced option, it avoids some of the problems that you can run into with inexpensive brands like dripping spout or designs that are difficult to clean.
HadinEEon Electric Kettle
The HadinEEon Electric Kettle is one of the newer options that is made from glass and stainless steel and is free of plastic on the interior. It is a relatively inexpensive option that a lot of reviewers seem to like. The design is the modern, stylish glass design with the blue light around the rim so it is easy to see if you have turned it on or not. It heats up quickly and has the automatic shut off.
Design With Small Amounts of BPA-free plastic
It is relatively difficult to find an entirely plastic-free design that looks and performs exactly as you want. There are quite a few options that have a minimal amount of plastic that comes in contact with the water. Usually, there are only a few small parts that have plastic that is above the waterline. We found a couple of kettles that are nice and better options than those that contain a lot of plastic.
Kitchenaid 1.25-Liter Electric Kettle In Stainless Steel
A beautiful, retro-style design is the Kitchenaid 1.25-Liter Electric Kettle In Stainless Steel. It does have a little bit of BPA-free plastic on the inside of the body, including rivets for the handle and the lid that do not come in contact with the boiling water. It does have a water filter that has BPA-free plastic around the wire mesh that you can take out easily. There is also a piece of plastic that holds the screen in place that you cannot remove, and that comes in contact with the water when it is being poured. Otherwise, the interior is all stainless steel.
Electric Kettle from Miroco
This Electric Kettle from Miroco is almost plastic-free on the interior, but there is a small rim of BPA-free plastic around a mesh stainless steel filter that comes in contact with the boiling water. Other than that, this is a great design for the price. It has a capacity of 1.5 liters, a double-wall design, and a very wide opening.
Plastic in Kettles
If you find a model of kettle that you like and it looks like it doesn’t have any plastic, just make sure there isn’t a plastic fill indicator, a spout filter, or any plastic on the inside of the lid as those areas tend to be places that you will commonly find plastic on glass or stainless steel designs. Having plastic parts above the water level isn’t as bad as having them where the water is boiling, but there is still a chance of chemicals leaching into the water from steam condensation.
If you do choose a model that has minimal plastic parts, it is important to ensure that the plastic is BPA-free, since sometimes a little bit of plastic is unavoidable in an electric design if other features are also important to you. Or if you want the models with the best reviews or best performance. You may have to contact the company directly for confirmation as to whether the plastic used is BPA-free products or not.
Another thing to be aware of is that some models are sealed with silicone to avoid leaks. Silicone is considered more of rubber than plastic and is generally believed to be safe when heated or cooled, as it won’t leach any chemicals and contaminant the water.
What else to look for:
When buying any kettle, the following are features and issues to look for:
Cool Touch-Cool touch is a nice to have feature if you have kids or you have difficulty lifting the kettle with just one hand. Cool touch allows you to put your hand on the body that would usually be hot when it has boiled to help you pour. It is also great if you have to carry it around to another room.
Handle-You may be surprised how a good handle can make a huge difference toward how you ultimately feel about the kettle. You want a handle that is going to be comfortable to hold while you are pouring boiling water. You should also look for a style that is non-slip and has a good grip. It also needs to create a good balance while you are pouring.
Auto Shut-off– Auto shut-off comes as a standard feature for pretty much all-electric models. If you find one without an auto shut-off, it is probably best avoided since it is easy to forget about boiling water and let your kettle boil dry.
The time it takes to boil the water– An essential feature for many consumers is how fast the water comes to a boil. Most kettles average about 4 1/2 minutes to heat thoroughly. Most brands claim to heat water more quickly than stovetop options or by using microwaves.
Material-Electric kettles usually contain steel, iron, silver, aluminum, glass, plastic, ceramic, or a combination of plastic and metal.
Durability– Modern electric kettles aren’t typically known for their longevity. The most common problems you will encounter are leakage or a complete failure to turn on. It is difficult to determine how long a particular model will last; they do seem to be an appliance with a reasonably high failure rate. It is best to read other reviews to get a general idea of what a typical lifespan of a particular brand may be.
Cords – Almost all of the most popular designs are cordless. It means that the wire doesn’t plug into the body, but instead, it plugs into a base that you put the body onto and turn on. When the water has boiled, you lift the body off the bottom, and it is easy to pour with no cord getting in the way.
Water Filter- If you choose a style with a water filter on the interior near the spout, there is a higher chance that the kettle will contain plastic as the filter attachment is often plastic.
Size/ Capacity – Obviously if you get a large kettle with a high capacity, you will be able to boil more water at once. If you are making one or two cups, you may want to consider a smaller size as it will be easier to store, take up less room on your counter, and boil quicker. Although if you have a large family or entertain often, a larger capacity is probably the better choice.
Base– Many of the best models have a 360 swivel base. It means that you don’t have to position the kettle at a certain point to turn it on to boil. It comes off the bottom quickly. A 360 base is particularly popular with left-handed users; it just makes it much easier to use.
Bell – Some budget models switch off with no bell to alert you that the water has boiled. I would assume that most people would prefer some kind of signal or indication that the water has come to a boil and the switch has gone off, so a bell may be a feature that you will want to consider.
Lid– A good safety feature on a lot of the newer models a slow opening lid. The purpose is to avoid the steam from the boiling water rushing out quickly and burning your hands or possibly your face.
Safety– As far as safety goes, make sure you only buy designs that have auto-shutoff and boil dry protection. You also want to ensure that there are no other parts that touch the water that could contaminate the water (i.e., glass that leaches chemicals or glazes on ceramic designs that may contain lead).
If you find that you are having difficulty finding the right style for your needs that doesn’t have any plastic, you can also try stovetop kettles as they tend to be easier to get designs that don’t have any plastic in them.
She is from the Midwest, where she lives with her family and 4 pets including 2 dogs and 2 cats who spend much of their time trying to ignore the dogs.
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