Comment by Turing_Machine

As I understand it, electric kettles never became as popular in the United States (though of course they do exist) because the electrical standards here mean that it's infeasible to make one that works really well -- a British electric kettle might be rated at 3,000 W (about 13 A at 230 V), but a standard U.S. convenience outlet can only provide about 1,800 W (15 A, 120 V). Even the higher-rated 20 amp outlets are only going to get you 2,400 watts. To get 3,000 watts, you'd either need a special circuit (like the ones for RV hookups), or plug it into a dryer or electric range outlet.