Electric Kettles are one of the commonest appliances found in every home. They help you boil water. Which is essential in cooking food and also in multiple activities.
There are three types of electrical kettles:
- Plastic electrical Kettle.
- Glass electric Kettle.
- Stainless steel electric Kettle.
A Stainless Steel electric kettle is the best option. It is durable. The glass electric kettle is elegant and stylish. The plastic electric kettles are commonly used but they are not healthy.
You can find more details in the table below. To check the Pros and Cons of each material, read till the end. 🙂
Now let us compare and see which one you will like to have.
Quick Comparison
Here is a quick comparison to help you out.
| Parameters | Plastic | Glass | Stainless Steel |
| Durability | High | Ok Durable | High |
| Heaviness | Light | Heavy | Moderate |
| Looks | Normal | Good | Elegant |
| Options | Many | Many | Less |
| Safety | Questionable | OK | OK |
| Price Range | 500 – 1K | 1k-2K | 600-1.5K |
| Major Concern | BPA | Can break accidentally | Medium heavy |
| Check Price in Amazon | Cello | Inalsa . | Prestige |
Now let us read and know in details about eash material.
Plastic Electric Kettle
These are the commonest types of kettles. The price is the lowest. Tough it ranges from rupees 500 to 1K. It looks ok. It looks like an electric kettle.
Some companies do add some creative features like an external water level indicator. Most of them have a removable filter near the spout. All of these are very good.
It is lightweight so you can literally carry it anywhere. If an accidental fall or a blow happens, it will not break. This is also great news.
But the most important thing is that it is made up of plastic. These plastics will not melt when you boil water or other stuff in them. But some amounts of a harmful chemical will mix with the liquid. This harmful chemical compound is BPA.
You must have heard about BPA plastic. Have you?
BPA is a short form of Bisphenol A.
BPA affects the brain, causes behavioral problems, causes cancer, alters hormone levels causing diabetes, obesity, it is associated with heart problems and whatnot.
To know more about BPA you can read this article on WebMD.
Plastic equipment manufacturers started manufacturing plastic since the 1960s. BPA was a major component of plastic. But it was only in 2008, people started to know about these harmful effects.
Till then every one consumed BPA in little amounts through our food. After that, the companies became aware and under public awareness in the west, and under government pressure, the started to manufacture BPA free appliances.
So, whenever you buy any plastic material, which has something to with consuming food. Read the labels carefully. It should be written BPA free.
I personally will not buy any electric kettle which does not mention a thing about BPA.
I am pretty sure we are still consuming little amounts of BPA every day.
Yes, there is research that shows that consuming very little amount is not harmful. But I don’t want to wait for another 20 -40 years only to know that what I was doing was actually harmful.
So If you ask me I will avoid it. But the choice is yours.
Also, I heard somewhere that the plastic will change the taste of the boiled water or tea.
Honestly, I have drank boiled water from a plastic electric kettle before (sometimes you cannot avoid). But I did not feel any difference. It might be that my taste buds are not that sensitive.
But in any case, let us see the PROS and CONS without any bias.
Pros
- These kettles are not expensive
- Multiple options with different brands are there in the market.
- Durable.
- Lightweight.
- Portable
- Available in different volumes (capacity)
- Most of the models got detachable filters.
Cons
- It is plastic.
- Make sure it is BPA free.
- Plastic is prone to scratches.
- The minerals will stick easily.
- Cleaning might be a bit difficult
As I told you I will avoid plastic electric Kettle. But the fact that the first electric Kettle I bought was a plastic one. I knew what is BPA back then also. Guess what it was not that cheap also. The reason was, there were no other options in that shop.
But I have not used it for a long time. I have now completely shifted to a different one.
So, let us take a look at the next type of electric kettle.
***Also Read: Best Electric Kettle under Rs 1000.00 ***
Glass Electric Kettle
Glass kettles are great. They look stylish. Some of them have Led Lights. Since it is a glass kettle the body is transparent. The base is made of stainless steel or plastic. The glass body in most of the glass electric kettle is made out of borosilicate glass.
The main constituents of Borosilicate glass are silica and boron trioxide. One of the major characteristics of borosilicate glass is that it has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion. Which means it can handle more heat or thermal stress.
It is used in multiple fields, like health and science equipment, optical equipment, semiconductor industry, and of course as cookwares.
Some of the common brand names which you have hard using the borosilicate is the Borosil.
Earlier the cook wares were made out of Soda-lime glasses. The major difference between them was the heat withstanding power. That is thermal stress.
This table will show you the difference between borosilicate and soda-lime glass.
| Type of glass | Thermal stress till. |
| Borosilicate Glass | 165 °C (329 °F) |
| Soda-lime glass | 37 °C (99 °F) |
When the water boils the lights lit up. Together they make a great show. It really feels futuristic. It is a real beauty and you will really like to keep it.
It is good that you can see the level of water from outside. This can save time and also water. Cleaning is also easy because you will be able to see if it is dirty inside.
But, it is heavy. Also, glass does not feel safe for me. Even while handling borosil appliances like microwave oven glass pots, I am extra careful.
I would definitely not like it if a glass electric kettle accidentally falls and break. Also do not try to boil egg, milk. Or make tea or coffee. Or make Maggie inside the glass kettle.
I have seen multiple kettles that say DO NOT do these things in there manual. Of course everyone does not say that. But most of them are made out of the same material.
So why some say do and some do not. I really do not know.
But I will not try and do that.
Now let us see the Pros and Cons of a glass electric Kettle.
Pros
- Stylish looking.
- It will not feel hot to touch due to the very low coefficient of thermal expansion.
- Durable.
- You can see the water level from outside.
- Glass is safe to use.
- Easy to find out dirty patches or mineral build-ups.
- Minerals will not easily stick to your glass kettle easily.
Cons
- It is heavy.
- You need to be more careful.
- Rigorous and careful cleaning is required to preserve the looks.
- It is a bit more expensive than other types of electric Kettles.
- Cannot use for multiple activities.
I do like a glass electric kettle. It is great. But, I will not like it, if it falls and breaks. Also, I would not like regularly cleaning it minutely to preserve its beauty.
If you have no problems with these three things, then it is the perfect type of electric Kettle for you.
The price in the market is somewhere near 1K rupees.
Now take a look at a stainless steel Kettle
***Also Read: Best Multipurpose Electric Kettle. ***
Stainless Steel Electric Kettle
These are also common. And my favorite. The stainless steel used is food-grade stainless steel. It looks well according to me. But not as stylish or elegant as a glass electric kettle.
The body is made of Stainless Steel. The Steel does get a little hot while boiling the water. But it will not burn you or something like that. That means it is safe to touch even while it is working.
The lid, handle and the base is made of plastic.
There are multiple brands available with different volumes (in capacity). Also in some cases, the base will be attached to the body. They are mainly of lower volume (in capacity) less than a liter.
Overall it is pretty safe. Yes, you can do experiments with it. Cook rice, boil milk, cook Maggie, do whatever you want. Only thing is that it will get difficult to remove the stains.
Minerals do get stuck to the body. But a quick rinse will be fine. But if you leave them then they will start building up and cleaning will be a problem.
They are durable.
But I did have one bad experience. I had one small stainless steel electric Kettle. The base was attached. Once accidentally it felt down. Yea, I am the one to blame.
The plastic base which was attached to the body broke. It exposed the copper coil inside. I still used that electric Kettle.
But soon it started to make weird sounds. So I discarded it. It was made by a local company. I bought it to carry in travel and it only cost 300 rupees.
But it did serve well.
So, I will recommend you take stainless steel electric kettle with a detachable base. The detachable base will help the electrical kettle to have a good hold on the surface you are keeping it over.
And place it over a flat surface.
The stainless steel kettles are price within 600 to 1 K rupees.
Now let us see the Pros and Cons of a Stainless Steel Electric Kettle.
Pros
- Highly Durable.
- Affordable price range.
- Multiple options are available in multiple brands and different capacities.
- Medium weight.
- Portable.
- The exterior is completely safe to touch.
- Can do experiments.
Cons
- Difficult to see water levels.
- Difficult to clean, if not rinse after use.
Conclusion
Here are three types of electric Kettle. Like all appliance, they have their positives and negatives. If you take care of the negatives, you can use the one whichever you like.
I hope that the small table with a quick comparison will help.
You must have an electric Kettle. And drinking warm water is good for health.