Reddit reviews Norpro Heat Diffuser
We found 10 Reddit comments about Norpro Heat Diffuser. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Prevents scorching, burning and boil overs.Can be used on electric or gas stovetops. This flat, metal stovetop tool distributes heat evenly and automatically lowers the flame setting. This comes in handy particularly when cooking heat-sensitive items like rice, oatmeal, milk, gravy and braises. Also ideal when melting caramel and chocolate!The perforations work to distribute the intensity of the heat directly hitting the bottom of the pan, so the chance of burning is virtually eliminated.Protects glass and porcelain from overheating and cracking.Features a wooden handle so you can move it without the risk of burning yourself, and equipped with a leather hang band so it can be hung alongside your stove for easy access.
You can get a heat diffuser, but I just use a cast iron pan under my sauce pan.
It's for cooking over an electric stove, it distributes the heat so that you don't get the coil burned into the bottom of your pan.
similar to this
edit:link format failed
Some of them say they can be used with electric
Ah, it's called a diffuser or a tamper. Apparently my brain mixed the two of them up into the word damper.
And yeah, a large enough microwave would be an issue. You could do a smaller batch obviously.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000X6ESO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687762&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00004W4UJ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=09SD0Z7EBYCSBZ614SJX
Also try one of these, they are kind of essential for low simmer on a gas stove.
Edit: formatting
You should buy a heat diffuser/flame tamer: https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Innovations-SimmerMat-Heat-Diffuser/dp/B000W24RW8 or https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-144-Heat-Diffuser/dp/B0000X6ESO; there are a lot of them out there.
As for the oven, I too have a shitty, inaccurate apartment stove. I keep two oven thermometers (of different brands) inside the oven in different locatoins it at all times and go by those instead of by the dial (they're like $5 ech). For more even oven heat, having something large and metal inside the oven makes the temperature more consistent though it can mess up airflow.
That's for an electric stove. Same idea, they have THESE for gas stoves. Or one like this for a heck of a lot more money. (Almost looks like the one you posted, but has cutouts for air to get to the fire.)
If you're having a hard time controlling the heat due to the heating element/flame, the pan, or both, a diffuser can help a lot.
Also, it's not strictly a sauteé, but for some things (most commonly for me, onions and brussels sprouts) I've had good luck lightly braising them first. Splash in a little liquid (flavored or water) and put a lid on the pan until things get close to the texture you want, then take the lid off, crank up the heat, burn off the water, and get things golden brown and delicious.
There are these things called ‘heat diffusers’ I think that they sell at the dollar store for using on burners that run too hot. I think they run under $5. A big disc with all these preferations on the surface.
https://www.amazon.ca/Norpro-144-Heat-Diffuser/dp/B0000X6ESO
For food... salads, pasta, potato homefries, eggs, thick soups.
But my advise which I am sure everyone will disagree with is when you get the money buy a used microwave from Goodwill. For that matter I see small microwaves set out on the curb for “take4free” on garbage day about once a month where I live because people are buying bigger ones I guess. Then google microwave recipes... they tend to be simple. I use a little StoneWave “As seen on TV” microwave cook pot that I really like... those are often at the GoodWill for $1. I actually have two, one for dinner and one for desert. There are recipes for it online. Likewise there are microwave “Mug Meal” recipes on the internet and in a lot of videos on YouTube. I cook spaghetti, rice, potatoes, even bread and cake in a FastaPasta microwave pasta cooker. There might be cheaper knock-offs of that.
You forgot the link part, but I'm guessing you meant something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-144-Heat-Diffuser/dp/B0000X6ESO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417647101&sr=8-1&keywords=stove+heat+diffuser
I prefer the overturned flower pot method myself.