The Philips HD9303 is the 3000 Series kettle: 1.2 litres, 1800 watts, and a stainless steel interior. It is built around the two things that actually matter in a kettle used several times a day — how quickly it boils, and what the water touches on the way to the cup.

At 1800 W it heats fast enough that filling it is the slow part. All the metal in contact with the water is food-grade SUS304 stainless steel, so there is no plastic sitting in boiling water and no taste carried over from yesterday. The wide opening matters more than it sounds: it is what lets you reach inside to descale, which is the difference between a kettle that lasts and one that furs up and gets replaced.

The 360° cordless base lets you set the kettle down and pick it up from any direction, which suits a shared kitchen where nobody agrees on which side the handle should face. The Strix controller underneath handles the safety side — power cuts when the water boils and again if the kettle is lifted off mid-cycle, so it will not boil dry if it is set going and forgotten.

Small practical touches finish it: a one-touch lid you can open without both hands, and a cord winder in the base so the slack lives underneath rather than across the worktop. In stock in Malé.