The electric kettle has played a vital part of kitchen life for more than 50 years, but its future is under threat thanks to a tap that produces instant boiling water. Kitchen retailers say sales of the Quooker boiling water tap have been taking off with as many as one in three designer kitchens now featuring the gadget. The Quooker supplies instant boiling water through a tap connected to a small tank hidden below a work surface or a sink. The insulated 3-litre tank is linked to the water supply and heated electrically to keep it at 100 degrees C. There is a safety catch to stop children accessing the tank and burning themselves. Richard Anderson, from contemporary kitchen designer Poggenpohl, said I think they are great and I think that they will in modern kitchens kill the kettle. Quookers, manufactured by a Dutch-based company, started selling in Britain three years ago. Despite their price tag of almost 800, sales of Quookers escalated greatly last year, going up by 300 per cent with almost 10,000 being installed. Stephen Johnson, managing director of Quooker in the UK, said People always overfill a kettle to boil it, and so the running cost of a kettle is more. Quooker is an on-demand system and there is a huge labour saving in terms of time. Boiling-water taps are also more environmental friendly than kettles which, on average costs 1.4 pence every time it is boiled, according to the Energy Saving Trust.Caroline Rams, of the Energy Saving Trust, said If everyone boiled only the water they needed every time they used the kettle, we could save enough electricity in a year to power the UKs street lights for nearly seven months. Richard Moss from Mark Wilkinson Furniture said boiling-water taps were fast becoming the top kitchen appliance among retailers. He said Like the electric kettle took over the hob-top kettle, I think it will become part of our lives. More and more people will have them in the future. If you would like to see the Quooker in action why not make an appointment in our showroom - 01384 220032