Thermal control with sub-boil selection mechanism

A thermal control for a liquid heating appliance includes a subassembly that provides selection of a sub-boil mode. A bistable trip lever is selectively coupled to a sub-boil actuator by the subassembly and cooperating cam pins and slots. The subassembly further applies a bias to the trip lever when coupled which reduces the force required by the sub-boil actuator. This allows the sub-boil actuator to be constructed from a bimetal with a lower differential. Also disclosed are a lift-off switch-off mechanism, a selector for variation of the sub-boil temperature, a multistable mode selector, a pivot arrangement to reduce the travel of the control lever, and a thick film heating element.