Today’s modern ranges are great at cooking on high heat, but they’re a little challenged when it comes to to keeping it low and slow: no matter how low you set the heat, it always seems to cook hotter and harder than you want. And there are so many dishes that really benefit from a long slow simmer, like soups and stews and sauces. The only thing that really seems to control the heat is one of those heat diffusers (and we’ve owned several), but most of them are so heavy that you almost strain your wrist lifting them, so you don’t use them very often.
And do you have an induction burner? We installed one when we remodeled our kitchen and we love it, but it works with only certain cookware (our test is, if a magnet sticks to the bottom of the pot, the pot will work on an induction burner). But we have some cookware that we’d love to use on the induction burner - glass or ceramic, and some older metal pots - but the magnet won’t stick and they don’t work.
Two kitchen problems, and one very cool solution…
The SimmerMat from Cooks Innovations is a true wonder that acts as both a “flame tamer” and a “cookware transformer”. On one side, you put it between your pot and your burner only when you’re ready to go low, and it works like a charm. We’ve used it for a couple of months now, and have marvelled at how well it does its job. It’s lightweight and dishwasher safe, so it’s really easy to use, and tames the heat exactly the way you want it to: eliminating hot spots and preventing scorching or burning.
But not only does it do that; when you turn it over and put it on an induction cooktop, you can use virtually any pot on the burner, and it will work. Just be careful: the SimmerMat does conduct heat, so it will get hot, even on an induction cooktop.
So this small, light very effective, multi-purpose tool really works for both applications, and it is a very Cool Tool!
Facts:
- Dimensions: 7⅞”/20cm diameter octagonal shape
- Constructed of high quality zero carbon enameled steel
- Can be used on all cooking surfaces including electric coil, gas burner, glass cooktops, induction cooktops, halogen, barbeque, camping or marine stoves
- Dishwasher Safe