I’ll add details about the pot in a min the brand is on the bottom and it’s currently full of spaghetti sauce
In: Physics
Metals can be made from different types and combinations of elements and minerals. This is for many reasons, but one reason that matters here is that some metal compositions conduct heat well and some not so well. Possibly, the handles aren’t the same metal as the pan.
Is it attached by a narrow, thin piece of metal? I’d guess that it probably is – in which case, the amount of heat that can flow from the pot to the handle is relatively low, and the handle’s surface area is great enough to dissipate that heat into the room before it gets too hot.