[Sage]

I had no idea there was such a thing as an electric (tea) kettle. All the kettles I've seen here just sit on top of the stove like any other pot, and use the stove's heat to warm the water inside.
Then again, very few people in the US (or in Alabama, at least) have a (tea) kettle of any variety. The only one I've seen in actual operation belonged to a roommate of mine who had been stationed in the UK for several years while he was in the Air Force.
Coffee pots are another matter. There are the old-style percolaters that sit on the stove, electric percolaters that plug into an outlet, and modern "Mr. Coffee"-style coffee makers which also plug into an outlet.