Hamilton Beach Electric Kettle
It's been a long time (I shouldn'ta left you without a dope beat to step to). Yes, I took an extended vacation after posting my annual gift guide. My mom came to visit, and then it was my birthday, and then I contracted the plague, AKA a cough that STILL won't quit. But the bitch is back, as they (gays, grandmas) say, and I'm here with more amazing discoveries to share with you, my bestest friends. Let's start with the thing that's gotten me through these sickly winter months. The one small appliance in my house that gets used multiple times a day (I didn't even own a microwave until a week ago), my Hamilton Beach electric kettle.
I was introduced to electric kettles when I worked for a British family. We don't really use electric kettles that much here in the states, but across the pond those things are as ubiquitous as, I don't know, bangers and mash. In this house of Brits they used their electric kettle for everything from heating up water for tea to boiling water for pasta. Basically, if they needed boiled water, it was a job for the electric kettle. After using it again and again, I decided it was time I had a kettle of my own. I shopped around, and found that the majority of electric kettles are so. freaking. ugly.
In my opinion, if I'm going to have something sitting out on my counter all the time, I need it to be aesthetically pleasing. Those fuggo kettles are cheaper (and all you need your kettle to do is boil water after all) but to me looks matter, so it was worth a few extra bucks to get a cute kettle. This Hamilton Beach model fit all my requirements: Held a fair amount of water (7.5 cups), automatically shut off when the water was boiled, and it looked good (I love the candy apple red color).
I wanted my kettle ASAP, so I was only shopping based on what my local Target had in stock. Amazon has a great selection of kettles, many of them just as adorable as my beloved Hamilton Beach model. I think when I bought this kettle three or four years ago it was $40, but now it's about $10 less on Amazon. If you're just interested in quickly boiling some water, there are plainer models in the $10-$20 range. But, if you're like me and are obsessed with outward appearances (I kid. Kind of.) then there are lots of gorgeous models that will make you a nice cup of tea while still looking good on your countertop.