>I guess you need a beefier cable/pins in the US, as you're drawing more current at a lower voltage.
No, we just accept slow-as-piss kettles.[1] (Our plugs aren't great, either, it's pretty common for a spark to jump the gap of the leads while you're plugging it in.)
High wattage appliances here have an effective max of like 1.8kW on a single-phase 120V outlet, it makes for pretty useless space heaters and kettles. You could probably beat our kettles with an induction cooktop just by virtue of the stove being able to use two phases.
Truly it's a tragedy for those of us addicted to our hot beverages.