Buying guides

How to choose a kettle or toaster, what the specifications actually mean, and which features are worth paying for.

Image of A toaster with a transparent glass side panel, two slices of bread visible inside mid-toast with the elements glowing orange behind them
Are see-through toasters any good?

A glass-sided toaster lets you watch the bread brown instead of guessing. It also has three practical problems nobody mentions,...

Image of A clear glass electric kettle filled with water beside a brushed stainless steel electric kettle, shown side by side at the same scale
Glass kettle or stainless steel? An honest comparison

Glass kettles look wonderful and show every speck of limescale. Stainless hides both. Which matters more depends almost entirely on...

Image of Overhead view of a single small mug of tea beside a full-size stainless steel kettle, showing the difference in size between one cup and a full kettle
One cup kettles: are they actually worth it?

One cup kettles promise to save energy by boiling only what you need. We did the sums. The saving is...

Image of A matt black electric kettle on a dim kitchen worktop with a small illuminated control display glowing on its base, a phone lying beside it
Smart kettles: what they actually do, and who needs one

Smart kettle covers three very different things, and only one of them is worth paying for in most kitchens. What...

Image of A stainless steel kettle on a pale stone worktop in morning sunlight, beside two stacked white mugs, a cream tea caddy and a folded linen tea towel
The best kettle for a UK kitchen: what actually matters

Most kettle reviews rank brands. This one ranks the features that actually change how a kettle lives on your worktop,...