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Electric kettles are much less powerful on a 120v circuit (US household) than a 240v circuit (ie uk). A quick look at an online retail shop confirms british kettles are rated at 3000W, while american ones are 1500W.

I actually have a bit of a hack when I'm in a major rush - I'll put half the water I need in the electric kettle, and half on the stovetop.

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Yeah, the maximum rated output for a standard US electrical outlet is 1500W. Alec Watson of the YouTube channel Technology Connections[1] did an interesting video a while back about the fact that basically all plug-in electric heaters sold in the US output 1500W.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-jmSjy2ArM

My 120v kettle is definitely faster than itself plus some stove-top boiled water, strangely enough.

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