3 days ago
Cosori Electric Glass Kettle review
The Cosori Electric Glass Kettle is affordable and incredibly easy to use. There are no bells and whistles, but that makes it perfect for your everyday boiling needs .
This kettle won't break the bank, so while it's not as impressive as the best electric kettles, it is a totally worry free option. It boils water in 4 minutes, and with the glass walls of the body you can watch your water boil, with the blue lights making quite the light show for you to enjoy.
However, you need to be careful when pouring the water out as the lid has a tendency to leak, and water is able to easily bypass the stainless steel filter, potentially letting impurities into your drink.
You can find out more in my full Cosori Electric Glass Kettle review.
Price
$27/£29
Capacity
1.5QT (U.S.)/1.3QT (U.K.)
Rated power
1500W (U.S.)/3000W (U.K.)
Colors
Black, Ivory White, Ruby Red, Subtle Green
Dimensions
9 x 6.3 x 10 inches
Weight
2.5lbs
Features
Stainless steel filter, Automatic shut-off, No plastic spout
The Cosori Electric Glass Kettle is available for $27 at Amazon U.S., and £29 at Amazon U.K. I tested the black colorway but it is also available in Ivory White, Ruby Red, and Subtle Green. If you want a color other than black though, the price climbs a little to $29, although they all seem to be discounted regularly on the Amazon U.S. site.
The U.S. and U.K. have slightly different models. While the dimensions are the same, the U.S. model has a capacity of 1.5QT and the U.K. version has a capacity of 1.3QT. The two models also operate from two different wattages and voltages due to the difference in domestic mains voltage between the two countries, so while the testing on this kettle was done in the U.K., results in the U.S. may be slightly different (i.e. a little slower).
The Cosori Electric Glass Kettle is pretty bulky, but its capacity makes up for that. It measures 9 x 6.3 x 10 inches so takes up a little more room on the counter top than the Smeg Electric Kettle which has a diameter of 8.9 inches and a 1.5QT capacity.
The body of the kettle is glass, which makes it pretty fun to watch, especially with the blue lights at the base which create a light show when the water is boiling. However, if you live in an area with hard water, you will see any limescale start to build as there's no hiding anything.
The spout of the kettle is a continuation of the glass body, and while it is funneled, the design slows the water enough to result in water pouring out from the lid. This caused spills and is a serious burn hazard.
The filter on the spout is stainless steel. I much prefer filters with a mesh basket as I feel like they catch more of the water's impurities — the steel filter on the Cosori has pretty large holes.
Despite being pretty wide, a lot of water was bypassing the edges of the steel filter when I was pouring the water. This makes it totally redundant and will not catch any impurities in the water.
The kettle has automatic shut-off when the water is boiling, to prevent any overheating, and has boil-dry protection to switch off the heating element when the kettle is empty.
I was very impressed by the performance of the Cosori Electric Glass Kettle. I wasn't able to test how long the kettle took to boil when filled to 1.5QT since I was testing the 1.3QT U.K. version. But I tested boil times for a variety of fill levels.
To put the boiling performance to the test, I filled the kettle to each capacity labelled on the side of the glass and timed how long it took for the kettle to initiate automatic shut-off, indicating it had reached boiling temperature.
Capacity
Boiling time
1.31QT/6 cups
4 minutes, 4 seconds
1.09QT/5 cups
3 minutes, 10 seconds
0.87QT/4 cups
2 minutes, 15 seconds
0.65QT/3 cups
1 minute, 51 seconds
0.43QT/2 cups
1 minute, 16 seconds
0.21QT/1 cup
55 seconds
I must also note that the U.K. and U.S. models operate using different wattages, and therefore the boiling times may vary in the U.S.. The U.K. version is 3000W while the U.S. version is 1500W, so you can expect the U.S. model to boil water more slowly.
Between two and four minutes is the typical time for a kettle to reach boiling point. When I took the temperature of the water it was 209.66°F, so not quite the 212°F needed for boiling water but pretty close.
The glass body of the kettle becomes hot to the touch after it is boiled, so you should make sure you only grab the plastic handle. That being said, the glass walls did a good job of keeping the water inside warm. After 20 minutes the water temperature was still 176.72°F. I tested again at 45 minutes and for a reading of 154.4°F, and after an hour the temperature had dropped to 130.6°F.
If you want a kettle that can hold specific temperatures for long periods of time, I would recommend a temperature controlled kettle like the Fellow Corvo EKG Kettle or Fellow Stagg EKG Kettle.
The Cosori was louder than other kettles we have tested. When rapidly boiling, I got a reading of 66-70dB on the Decibel X app. The Fellow Stagg EKG Kettle was only 51dB and the Ninja Precision Temperature Kettle was 50dB.
The Cosori Electric Glass Kettle is, as the name suggests, glass, so will require a little upkeep to ensure it stays sparkling. After only boiling six times there was visible limescale on the walls of the kettle, although I did my testing in Bath, England, which is a very hard water area.
Cosori advises regular cleaning by waiting for the kettle to cool and then wiping the outside with a damp cloth. It also says you should descale the kettle once a week. This can be done by adding the juice of half a lemon with two cups of water and boiling. You can then wipe the inside with a cloth to remove any stubborn mineral deposits.
Alternatively, you can use descaling tablets, which we would recommend keeping a supply of if you own one of the best espresso machines.
The Cosori Electric Glass Kettle is a very basic product. There are no bells and whistles like temperature control or temperature holding, but it boils quickly and you get a light show out of it as a bonus. It's incredibly easy to use and holds temperature very well.
Since the walls of the kettle are glass, any mineral build up will be very obvious, and in hard water areas it takes regular cleaning to stay looking good on your counter top. The kettle is also a lot louder than others on the market, so if you'd find that a sensory nightmare, then you may want to look in another direction.
But overall, it does a good job at boiling water efficiently. And at $27, you can't ask for more.
