I learnt at school that the thermostat in a kettle was a bimetallic strip, made from two metals with different thermal expansion coefficients. When the bimetallic strip reached 100 Celsius, the two sides of the strip would lengthen at different rates, causing it to bend. The strip was also part of the electric circuit, so the strip bending would open the circuit and switch the kettle off. This has been the standard design of kettles since 1955.
Why is anyone bothering to ruin such a great design?
