Boiling water?<p>3kW isn&#x27;t a magic number for the kettle, it&#x27;s just the amount of power you can get away with drawing when you&#x27;ve got a 240V supply rated at 13A.  The more power, the faster the water boils.<p>As I understand it, freestanding kettles are much less popular in North America, presumably because a hob can draw more power?