I tried Aldi's Smart Kettle and boiled water from my sofa

South Wales Guardian

3 days ago

However, I thought the only way to see if some of the smart home gadgets are worth it is to try one for myself.
While saving time and effort is usually the reason people opt for these electronic devices and even robots, some things are so easy to do that I'm not sure I need to change the way I do them.
That being said, I tried out Aldi's Smart Kettle – it's certainly smart but is it worth it?
The Smart Kettle shows you the temperature of the water as it boils (Image: Newsquest)
Whether boiling water for a cuppa or your pasta, this Smart Kettle can be operated from any room in the house using an app on your phone - a real gamechanger!
The instructions for setting the kettle up were easy to understand and it was ready to go in minutes.
The booklet talks you through downloading the Tuya Smart app – an app that allows you to control various electronic smart devices, including Aldi's Smart Kettle.
If you find you're already standing next to the kettle, you can still boil it manually too.
Using the app, you can boil water in the kettle or even purify it. You can also select several options, including black tea, coffee, green tea, honey and dried milk.
This means you can boil the kettle at varying temperatures that suit the purpose. When it's finished, the kettle makes a beeping sound to let you know it's ready.
If you know you'll need boiling water again in a short while, you can keep it warm for up to two hours with a handy tab telling you how much longer it will stay warm for.
Are you a keen tea or coffee drinker at the same time each day? You can set a timer for the kettle to boil itself, ideal for your morning brew with the water able to boil while you convince yourself to get out of bed.
The kettle even knows when there isn't enough or any water in there and the boil dry protection will make sure it switches itself off when this happens.
Overall, Aldi's Smart Kettle is a clever appliance that I'd recommend for those of us who have busy lives and like to prepare early for a brew.
While I'm not usually keen on smart devices and the guilt that being lazy conjures up inside me, I can see this being very helpful and slotting in nicely to some homes – it has in mine.
I appreciate the quirky functions and the technological advances it has compared to my normal kettle, including the digital display which shows the temperature of the kettle rising as it boils.
Plus, as someone who works from home, it's so easy to pop the kettle on without having to move away from my desk which is ideal when I'm busy at my laptop but know I'll be due a cuppa soon.
Everyone's allowed to be lazy sometimes, right?
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The Smart Kettle is available at Aldi for £29.99 and features smart app control over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, a temperature display and an easy-to-use touch screen temperature control from 40 to 100C.
Research from the supermarket ahead of the launch of its Smart Kettle revealed that 48% of Brits say they often have to re-boil their kettle because they get distracted - this is where the kettle's keep warm function could really come in handy.
The study also showed that the kettle is normally on at 7am for the first cup of the day with 40% having a specific mug they always use which they believe helps their tea taste its best. You can schedule the kettle to have your water boiling for your morning brew before you've even made it downstairs.