Kettle vs. Pot — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 6, 2023
A kettle is a vessel designed for boiling liquids, characterized by its lid, spout, and handle, while a pot is a round, deep cooking container with handles and often a lid.
Difference Between Kettle and Pot
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A kettle is typically a container with a spout, handle, and lid, designed for boiling water. It's commonly made of metal and used for making beverages such as tea or coffee. Pots, however, are more versatile kitchen utensils, round or oval, without a spout and used for cooking a variety of foods. They are usually made from metals, ceramics, or glass and can come in various sizes.
Kettles are specifically designed to heat water and often have a mechanism to whistle when boiling is achieved. This feature is not present in pots, which can be used to prepare soups, stews, and boil other liquids or foods. Pots are a staple in cooking various dishes, while kettles are primarily for boiling water.
While electric kettles are common for heating water quickly and without a stovetop, electric pots are less common. Stovetop kettles have been largely replaced by their electric counterparts in many households. In contrast, pots remain essential cookware, used on stovetops for everyday meal preparation.
The shape of a kettle is generally tall and narrow to efficiently boil water, while a pot is wider and deeper to accommodate cooking and mixing of ingredients. This difference in shape influences the specific uses of each utensil in the kitchen. Kettles often have a single material construction, whereas pots can be made with a combination of materials, like copper-bottomed pots for even heat distribution.
Maintenance and care for kettles include descaling to remove mineral buildup from boiling water, whereas pots require regular cleaning after cooking and may need seasoning if made from materials like cast iron. Both are indispensable in a kitchen but serve distinct purposes. Kettles boil water, while pots are for a myriad of cooking tasks.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Boiling water
Cooking a variety of foods
Spout
Yes, for pouring
No
Whistling Mechanism
Often included
Not applicable
Material
Metal, commonly stainless steel
Metal, ceramic, glass
Shape
Tall and narrow
Wider and deeper
Heat Source
Stovetop or electric
Stovetop, oven
Common Variants
Electric, stovetop
Saucepan, stockpot, Dutch oven
Compare with Definitions
Kettle
A vessel for boiling water, usually with a lid and spout.
She filled the kettle with water to make a pot of tea.
Pot
A deep, round container used for cooking.
She stirred the soup simmering in the large pot.
Kettle
Primarily used for making hot beverages.
He placed the kettle on the stove for his morning coffee ritual.
Pot
Essential cookware for boiling, stewing, and sautéing.
The chef used a heavy pot to sauté vegetables.
Kettle
Often made of stainless steel or other metals.
The stainless steel kettle matched her modern kitchen appliances.
Pot
Often has handles and a lid.
He lifted the lid off the pot to check on the rice.
Kettle
A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, with a lid, spout, and handle, or a small kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained manner. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own internal electric heating element in the appliance versions.
Pot
A round, fairly deep cooking vessel with a handle and often a lid.
Kettle
A container or device in which water is boiled, having a lid, spout, and handle.
Pot
A short round container for storing or serving food
A jam pot.
A mustard pot.
Kettle
A small area in which demonstrators or protesters are confined by police seeking to maintain order during a demonstration
Activists in the kettle were protesting at being held and resisting arrest
Pot
A coffeepot.
Kettle
(of the police) confine (a group of demonstrators or protesters) to a small area, as a method of crowd control during a demonstration
The plan was to get as close to the protest as possible without getting kettled
Pot
A teapot.
Kettle
A metal pot, usually with a lid, for boiling or stewing.
Pot
Such a container and its contents
A pot of stew.
Brewed a pot of coffee.
Kettle
A teakettle.
Pot
A potful.
Kettle
(Music) A kettledrum.
Pot
A large drinking cup; a tankard.
Kettle
(Geology) A depression left in a mass of glacial drift, formed by the melting of an isolated block of glacial ice.
Pot
A drink of liquor contained in such a cup.
Kettle
A pothole.
Pot
An artistic or decorative ceramic vessel of any shape.
Kettle
A group of flying raptors, especially when ascending in a rising current of warm air.
Pot
A flowerpot.
Kettle
To fly on a rising current of warm air. Used of birds
Hawks kettling in the distance.
Pot
Something, such as a chimney pot or chamber pot, that resembles a round cooking vessel in appearance or function.
Kettle
Chiefly British To confine or corral (a group of people) to an enclosed area as a means of crowd control
Police kettled the protestors in a parking lot.
Pot
A trap for eels, other fish, or crustaceans, typically consisting of a wicker or wire basket or cage.
Kettle
A vessel for boiling a liquid or cooking food, usually metal and equipped with a lid.
To cook pasta, you first need to put the kettle on.
There's a hot kettle of soup on the stove.
Pot
The total amount staked by all the players in one hand in cards.
Kettle
The quantity held by a kettle.
Pot
The area on a card table where stakes are placed.
Kettle
A vessel or appliance used to boil water for the preparation of hot beverages and other foodstuffs.
Stick the kettle on and we'll have a nice cup of tea.
Pot
A shot in billiards or related games intended to send a ball into a pocket.
Kettle
(geology) A kettle hole, sometimes any pothole.
Pot
(Informal) A common fund to which members of a group contribute.
Kettle
A group of raptors riding a thermal, especially when migrating.
A kettle of hawks
Pot
Often pots Informal A large amount
Lost a pot of cash in the stock market crash.
Made pots of money on their investment.
Kettle
A steam locomotive
Pot
(Informal) A potshot.
Kettle
(musical instruments) A kettledrum.
Pot
(Informal) A potbelly.
Kettle
An instance of kettling; a group of protesters or rioters confined in a limited area.
Pot
(Informal) A potty or toilet.
Kettle
To contain demonstrators in a confined area.
Pot
Marijuana.
Kettle
(intransitive) Of a boiler: to make a whistling sound like the boiling of a kettle, indicative of various types of fault.
Pot
See potentiometer.
Kettle
A metallic vessel, with a wide mouth, often without a cover, used for heating and boiling water or other liguids.
Pot
To place or plant in a pot
Pot a geranium.
Kettle
A metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid
Pot
To preserve (food) in a pot.
Kettle
The quantity a kettle will hold
Pot
To cook in a pot.
Kettle
(geology) a hollow (typically filled by a lake) that results from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial deposits
Pot
To shoot (game) for food rather than for sport.
Kettle
A large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it
Pot
(Informal) To shoot with a potshot.
Kettle
Can be electric or designed for stovetop use.
I prefer an electric kettle because it boils water faster.
Pot
(Informal) To win or capture; bag.
Kettle
May whistle when the water reaches a boiling point.
I knew the water was ready when I heard the kettle whistle.
Pot
(Games) To hit (a ball) into a pocket.
Pot
(Informal) To take a potshot.
Pot
To make or shape objects from clay, as on a potter's wheel.
Pot
A flat-bottomed vessel (usually metal) used for cooking food.
Pot
Various similar open-topped vessels, particularly
Pot
A vessel (usually earthenware) used with a seal for storing food, such as a honeypot.
Pot
A vessel used for brewing or serving drinks: a coffeepot or teapot.
Pot
A vessel used to hold soil for growing plants, particularly flowers: a flowerpot.
Pot
A vessel used for urination and defecation: a chamber pot; a toilet; the lavatory.
Shit or get off the pot.
Pot
A crucible: a melting pot.
Pot
A pot-shaped trap used for catching lobsters or other seafood: a lobster pot.
Pot
A pot-shaped metal or earthenware extension of a flue above the top of a chimney: a chimney pot.
Pot
A perforated cask for draining sugar.
Pot
(obsolete) An earthen or pewter cup or mug used for drinking liquor.
Pot
A glass of beer in Australia whose size varies regionally but is typically around 10 fl oz (285 mL).
Pot
Pothole, sinkhole, vertical cave.
Pot
A shallow hole used in certain games played with marbles. The marbles placed in it are called potsies.
Pot
Ruin or deterioration.
After his arrest, his prospects went to pot.
Pot
(historical) Any of various traditional units of volume notionally based on the capacity of a pot.
Pot
(historical) An iron hat with a broad brim worn as a helmet.
Pot
(rail transport) A pot-shaped non-conducting (usually ceramic) stand that supports an electrified rail while insulating it from the ground.
Pot
The money available to be won in a hand of poker or a round of other games of chance; (figuratively) any sum of money being used as an enticement.
No one's interested. You need to sweeten the pot.
Pot
A favorite: a heavily-backed horse.
Pot
(slang) potbelly: a pot-shaped belly, a paunch.
Pot
(slang) potshot: a haphazard shot; an easy or cheap shot.
Pot
A plaster cast.
Pot
(historical) nodot=a: a former size of paper, 12.5 × 15 inches.
Pot
Marijuana.
Pot
A simple electromechanical device used to control resistance or voltage (often to adjust sound volume) in an electronic device by rotating or sliding when manipulated by a human thumb, screwdriver, etc.
Pot
(RPG) potion
Pot
To put (something) into a pot.
To pot a plant
Pot
To preserve by bottling or canning.
Potted meat
Pot
To cause a ball to fall into a pocket.
Pot
To be capable of being potted.
The black ball doesn't pot; the red is in the way.
Pot
(transitive) To shoot with a firearm.
Pot
To take a pot shot, or haphazard shot, with a firearm.
Pot
To secure; gain; win; bag.
Pot
(British) To send someone to gaol, expeditiously.
Pot
To tipple; to drink.
Pot
(transitive) To drain (e.g. sugar of the molasses) in a perforated cask.
Pot
To seat a person, usually a young child, on a potty or toilet, typically during toilet teaching.
Pot
To apply a plaster cast to a broken limb.
Pot
To catch (a fish, eel, etc) via a pot.
Pot
To score (a drop goal).
Pot
To fade volume in or out by means of a potentiometer.
Pot
A metallic or earthen vessel, appropriated to any of a great variety of uses, as for boiling meat or vegetables, for holding liquids, for plants, etc.; as, a quart pot; a flower pot; a bean pot.
Pot
An earthen or pewter cup for liquors; a mug.
Pot
The quantity contained in a pot; a potful; as, a pot of ale.
Pot
A metal or earthenware extension of a flue above the top of a chimney; a chimney pot.
Pot
A crucible; as, a graphite pot; a melting pot.
Pot
A wicker vessel for catching fish, eels, etc.
Pot
A perforated cask for draining sugar.
Pot
A size of paper. See Pott.
Pot
Marijuana.
Pot
The total of the bets at stake at one time, as in racing or card playing; the pool;
Pot
A plain defensive headpiece; later, and perhaps in a jocose sense, any helmet; - called also pot helmet.
Pot
The total of the bets at one time; the pool.
Pot
To place or inclose in pots
Pot
To shoot for the pot, i.e., cooking; to secure or hit by a pot shot; to shoot when no special skill is needed.
When hunted, it [the jaguar] takes refuge in trees, and this habit is well known to hunters, who pursue it with dogs and pot it when treed.
Pot
To secure; gain; win; bag.
Pot
To tipple; to drink.
It is less labor to plow than to pot it.
Pot
To take a pot shot or shots, as at game or an enemy.
Pot
Metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
Pot
A plumbing fixture for defecation and urination
Pot
The quantity contained in a pot
Pot
A container in which plants are cultivated
Pot
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent;
A batch of letters
A deal of trouble
A lot of money
He made a mint on the stock market
It must have cost plenty
Pot
The cumulative amount involved in a game (such as poker)
Pot
Slang terms for a paunch
Pot
A resistor with three terminals, the third being an adjustable center terminal; used to adjust voltages in radios and TV sets
Pot
Street names for marijuana
Pot
Plant in a pot;
He potted the palm
Pot
Comes in various sizes and materials like cast iron or stainless steel.
For camping, he brought a cast iron pot to cook over the fire.
Pot
Can be specialized, such as a stockpot or a saucepot.
The stockpot was large enough to make broth for the week.
Common Curiosities
What is a pot?
A pot is a round or oval cooking vessel with handles and often a lid, used for preparing a variety of foods.
Can a kettle be used for cooking?
Kettles are not typically used for cooking food; they're designed for boiling water.
What is a kettle?
A kettle is a container designed to heat water, often equipped with a lid, spout, and handle, and can be electric or stovetop.
Do electric kettles heat water faster than pots?
Electric kettles typically heat water faster than pots on a stovetop due to their design and heating element.
Are all pots suitable for the oven?
Not all pots are oven-safe; it depends on the material and design. Always check the manufacturer's instructions.
Are there electric pots?
Yes, there are electric pots, like slow cookers and multi-cookers, but they are different from regular stovetop pots.
Can you put a cold kettle on a hot stove?
Yes, but it's better to gradually heat the kettle to prevent thermal shock, especially if it's made of glass.
Do kettles have a whistle?
Many stovetop kettles have a whistle that sounds when the water boils, but electric kettles usually do not.
How do you clean a kettle?
Clean a kettle by washing with soap and water and descaling periodically with vinegar or a descaling solution.
Can you make tea in a pot?
Yes, you can make tea in a pot, but a kettle is usually preferred for boiling the water used to steep tea.
Is it safe to leave water in a kettle?
It's generally safe, but not recommended to leave water in a kettle for extended periods as it may cause mineral buildup.
Do kettles come with temperature control?
Some electric kettles come with temperature control settings for different types of beverages.
How do you clean a pot?
Clean a pot with soap and water after use. Some pots, like cast iron, may require special care like seasoning.
Can pots have non-stick coatings?
Yes, some pots have non-stick coatings to prevent food from sticking and for easy cleaning.
Can you use metal utensils in pots?
It's best to use wooden, silicone, or plastic utensils in pots with non-stick coatings to avoid scratching.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
