Norpro Heat Diffuser, One Size, Silver

It does what it says it does. I have now used this several times with a tagine on a glass - top stove and it worked! No tagine were exploded to date, thanks to my handy dandy diffuser!Note: you will want to wash and dry this bad boy first, as the instructions indicate. Being a man, I of course did not read the instructions prior to using and as a result turned my tiny apartment kitchen into John Carpenter's The Fog set....except it wasn't fog.....and it stank.....and lot. I bought 2, and followed the instructions on dash 2 Nad have not had the same problemNote 2: they do discolor quite a bit....wondering what the lifetime is going to be. Will update if one goes south on me structurally within the next 6 months

I bought this heat diffuser because it was suggested to use one with the tajine (Moroccan clay stew pot) I ordered the same day, on the electric stove (spiral coil).It works really well for that purpose, and my tajine did not crack.A few reviewers complained about the handle getting too hot to touch / smoking / making a bad smell.In my experience, I had no problem whatsoever, and none of this happened: the diffuser did not stink, smoke, nor got too hot to the touch (the wooden part, that is, as the metal part does get hot).Of course, I used the diffuser on medium low temperature. It is not intended to be used on high temperature (at least with a tajine), so I suspect that the users who had the problems above did use the diffuser with too high a heat setting.I am delighted I bought this Norpro heat diffuser, as it protects my tajine, helps the cooking to be even, and does the job nicely.So I would buy another one if I get another tajine, or need a replacement down the line.It is not expensive, and protects your cooking equipment, so I suggest that you buy one too!

I bought this diffuser to use under a glass tea kettle atop a gas range. A person reviewing the kettle said the handle of the kettle would melt without one of these. Well, that wasn't quite true. This diffuser does exactly what it is supposed to do. It diffuses the heat. It also happens to be larger in diameter than the glass kettle, so it directs a good deal of heat up the sides of the kettle and to the handle. The only time I ever burned my hand on the handle of the kettle was when I used this diffuser with it.That said, this is actually a great, simple device.If you are cooking something on very low heat (like a pot of rice that is simmering to absorb water), this diffuser will keep the rice from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot. Likewise, when cooking something like spaghetti sauce or chili. Unless stirred constantly, those foods can burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. Well, not if you use this device! It spreads the heat around nicely. It is the same thing with a frying pan. Sometimes you want a larger heat source than your range can provide, or a gentler one. This is all you need to accomplish that.You can use this on an induction, gas, or electric cook top. Hand washing is recommended. It will discolor from the heat of a burner, but that won't affect its usefulness.So...I bought this based on a review for a totally different reason. It didn't work for that purpose. But I discovered a whole lot of things this diffuser makes cooking easier. I bought it by mistake, and I am really glad I did.

I bought it expensive with compare other kind of that but quality is very bad , the handle after one week was melted downso please don’t buy this

I had one of these but I used it so much that it rusted & was breaking. (I guess I wasn't suppose to put it in the dishwasher) Anyway I'm very happy with this diffuser. It came quickly & was brand new with the user tag on it.I have an electric flattop stove that I absolutly love, so easy to clean!! but the pans sit right on top of the heat & sometimes the food burns to the bottom of the pan & that effects the taste. Especially with long cooking foods like stews, spaghetti sauce & rice. That's where the diffuser comes in handy, it seperates the direct heat from the pan. I also used it on my old stove which was not a smooth top. It's great anytime you don't want direct flames touching your pots.This is great to use instead of a double burner instead of 2 pots & dealing with the hot water in the bottom pot. I use it to melt chocolate because if you get only one drop of water in the choclate it ruins it.So if you have burned some foods you should give this deffuser a try. They're sold in some stores too like Bed Bath & Beyond to save on s & h.

The idea of this product is very useful, but the construction is just cheap. It says it is made of tin. I didn’t think this would be a problem, and overall it has good reviews, but the first time I used it for my vintage Pyrex glass percolator (on my electric stove), and it started to burn, smoke, and smell. I didn’t even have the heat past the “7” mark. Well, I finished making my coffee, and when I wanted to put the diffuser away, it was all discolored and the coating was flaking off. There were some parts that looked as if it melted into the burner, too, but they did come off easily. I don’t think I will try to use it again. I think cast iron or stainless steel construction would be study.

Our new place has a cheap gas stove with a very high simmer, a problem for many cheap gas stoves. With this nifty thingy, we have a real simmer again, and can stop burning our sauces. Some people said the handle burns; I guess we'll see, but the point of this thing is only to use it on simmer; I can't see why you'd turn up the heat under it enough to make the handle burn. Anyway, we're happy.[Edit to add: After having this for a while, I must say that anybody who burned the handle on theirs was just using it wrong. This thing's great, should last forever when used over a low flame as intended. Cheers!]

Several months ago I acquired a gorgeous Italian glazed terra cotta pot, the kind that you can cook in on top of the stove - if you have a flame tamer. Well, I hunted up every flame tamer on Amazon, read every word of every review and finally decided on this Norpro 144 Heat Diffuser as what looked to me to be the best value for the money. I've had it for a couple of months now and use it almost daily. It fits both the large and the small burners on my stove (no, the handle does not get in the way) and lets me melt chocolate, simmer chili and use my terra cotta pot (along with some lovely Chinese ones I came across at the Asian store) to my heart's content. I just took a pot of chili off the stove that I had been reheating (unattended) for an early dinner and I won't even need a scrubby to clean the pot.Great return on a small investment!Highly Recommended