My bedroom gets genuinely cold in winter, and I am someone who would rather layer up than turn the heat up and watch my bill climb. So over the last couple winters I have bought and returned four electric blankets trying to find one that did not either fry me or do nothing.

Here is what four blankets taught me.

The too hot problem

The first blanket I bought had three settings, and the jump between them was ridiculous. Setting one was barely noticeable, and setting two was like sleeping on a grill. I woke up sweating every night, kicked it off, and froze the rest of the night. That one went back.

The issue was poor heat control. A good blanket should have enough settings, or a smooth dial, that you can find a level between barely there and surface of the sun.

What to look for

• Enough heat levels. More settings means a level you can actually sleep on.
• A timer or auto shutoff. You do not want it running all night at full blast.
• Washable. Check the care tag, because some can not be washed and that is a dealbreaker for a blanket.
• Even heating. The cheap ones have hot spots where the wires bunch up.

The one I finally kept has a smooth dial instead of a couple of buttons, and that made all the difference. I can set it to just take the chill off without cooking myself.

The other thing I learned is that an electric blanket is not a replacement for a good duvet. It is for preheating the bed and taking the edge off. The best setup for me ended up being the blanket on low plus a normal warm comforter, which lets me keep the thermostat way down all winter.