Re: Why are Handles on a Kettle made out of Plastic rather than Metal?

There are a number of possible reasons to make the handle of a kettle out of 
plastic and not of metal.
1.) Plastic is a cheap material. Thus the profit marigin is larger.
2.) Many plastics conduct heat less well than metal, thus the handle will not get 
that easily hot. Thus this is a safety issue.
3.) Plastic has much lower density than metal, thus the kettle is less heavy. 
Many customers like that, thus this is a consumer satisfaction reason.
4.) Esthetic reasons: in principle a plastic handle can have colors and shapes 
that are very difficult to realize in metal. Thus several items of a product line 
can have one unifying feature but still be distinctive from other product lines.
May be the plastic handle makes an item look beautiful.
5.) Plastic can melt and break much more easily than metal - thus the average 
lifetime of the product is lower. Therefore the company will have the chance to 
sell the same product again earlier. This secures future business. 

Have a nice day
Jurgen Ziesmann