Uplift Tea Kettle

The best kitchen tools are often the ones you don't notice right away—the ones that function flawlessly in your hand without ever having to give them a second thought. This tea kettle available from OXO is just such an object. Designed by TODA, The Office of Design and Architecture, it gets daily use in my kitchen. The water heats up quickly, the whistle is loud enough to be heard wherever I am in the apartment, and there are no buttons to press—to pour, you simply tilt the kettle towards your cup and the lid on the spout lifts. The Anniversary edition of the design adds naturally heat-resistant cork on the handles to protect hands when pouring, and the brushed stainless steel finish looks great sitting on my stovetop.