Kettles and Toasters

The simplest way to ensure your kettle and toaster match is to buy a 'breakfast pack'. Brands like Smeg, DeLonghi, Sunbeam, and Breville offer these coordinated sets in various styles and colours, from retro pastels to modern stainless steel, so you can easily find a pair that suits your kitchen decor.

Look for a kettle with a 'rapid boil' feature and a high power wattage, typically 2200W or more. These models boil water significantly faster than standard kettles, saving you precious time when you're in a rush. Most kettles from leading brands like Breville, Sunbeam, and DeLonghi are designed for speed.

You'll need a toaster with 'extra-wide' or 'long' slots. Toasters from brands like Smeg are specifically designed with wider slots (around 36mm) to fit thick-cut bread, bagels, and artisan loaves. A long-slot toaster, like the Morphy Richards Equip, is another great option for non-standard bread shapes like sourdough.

A 1.7-litre kettle is the most common size and is ideal for most families or larger households. This capacity is enough to boil water for about 6 to 7 standard cups of tea or coffee at once, making it efficient for serving multiple people.

Choose a toaster that has both wide slots and a dedicated 'Bagel' or 'Crumpet' setting. This function typically adjusts the heating elements to toast the cut side of the bagel or the top of the crumpet more intensely while gently warming the other side. Many Smeg and DeLonghi toasters offer this feature.

Yes, look for toasters with 'self-centring racks'. This feature gently grips any thickness of bread and holds it perfectly in the middle of the toasting slot, ensuring that both sides are evenly exposed to the heating elements for a consistent, golden-brown finish every time.

An urn is more practical for situations where you need to serve a large number of people continuously, such as in an office, at a community event, or for a large party. For everyday home use, even in a larger household, a standard 1.7-litre kettle is more than sufficient and much more energy-efficient.

No, the keep-warm function is a premium feature not found on all kettles. It's most common on variable temperature models, like the Smeg Temperature Control Kettles, which can hold the water at a set temperature for a period of time (usually around 20 minutes) after it has boiled.

Modern glass kettles are quite durable as they are typically made from toughened, thermal shock-resistant glass, like the German SCHOTT glass used in the Breville the Compact Kettle Clear. While they offer a great visual of the water boiling, they are still more susceptible to cracking from impacts than a stainless steel model and require a bit more care.

Yes, 4-slice toasters are very common and perfect for larger families or busy households. Brands like Smeg, Sunbeam, and DeLonghi all offer 4-slice models. Some even feature independent controls for each pair of slots, so you can toast two slices light and two dark at the same time.