Why are coils of electric toasters and electric irons made of an alloy rather than a pure metal ?

Explanation

Coils of electric toasters and electric irons are made of nichoreme which is an alloy `(Ni : 60%, Cr : 12% Mn : 2%, Fe : 26 %)`. This is due to the following two reasons : (i) resistivity of an alloy (nichrome in this case) is generally higher than that of its constituent metals (i.e., Ni, Cr, Mn and Fe)
(ii) it has a high melting point.
(iii) it does not oxidise (i.e., burn) when it is red hot `(at 800^@ C)`.