Can anyone recommend a heat diffuser for a stainless steel sauce pan?

[foodnoobie]

I'm trying to cook rice on my 7 inch / 18 cm stainless steel pan. However i read that if you put a pan on a stove burner that is too small, it can cause hot spots and cause warping.
The smallest gas stove burner i have, is smaller than 7 inches. So i haven't used it out of precaution since i don't want to damage my expensive pan.
However, rice always sticks at the bottom of my pan. It doesn't matter how much water or how little water i use. Whether i stir or don't stir. Once the water is evaporated, which happens after 7 minutes or so, the remaining 8-10 minutes of cooking time will make it stick.

So i read about a heat diffuser. It makes it less hot and should allow for a slow simmer.
1. Can anyone recommend me a brand?
2. Should the heat diffuser be the same size as my pan?
3. Should i get one with holes or without holes? What is the difference between the two?
4. What material should i go for? Stainless steel? Cast iron?
5. Is a heat diffuser safe to use for a SS pan? I assume so since the heat will be less intense, but just making sure.

I've seen many cheap heat diffusers online and many have bad reviews. Either stainless steel that was merely painted silver and would flake right off. To them getting brown and unable to clean.
Since many are so cheap, i assume it's very low quality straight from china. I'm kind of lost at what to buy here.
Thank you!

 

[Dan-]

You aren’t going to warp your Demeyer sauce pan using a small burner. Going the other way, I have burnt the **** out of my littlest one with no consequences beyond discoloration. Use the little burner. It sounds like your cooking method is a little off.

 

[nopomo]

You’re going to be much happier with a cast aluminum caldero. If you live in the US you can find an Imusa for like $5-10.

 

[daveb]

I keep a few high tech heat diffusers at work to avoid scorching sauces - esp tomato sauces.

Source: The tops of #10 cans.

 

[stringer]

You don't need a heat diffuser, you won't warp your pan. Here is my rice cooking video I made for @ian. not much happens the first six minutes of you want to skip ahead to the exciting stuff.



But here is the gist. Small sauce pot. I'm using basmati, but this should hold true for most medium to long grain white rice varieties. Rinse the rice. Fill water up to about 3/4" above the rice (one finger knuckle for you metric people). Cook the rice covered. I'm using an electric burner on the highest setting. Gas is easier. Just turn the gas flame as high as you can until it starts licking the sides of the pan, then turn it down just a bit so all of the flame is under the pot. Once it starts boiling over turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for a few more minutes until when you peak under the lid and the water is mostly absorbed. Turn off the heat. Cover, let rest for ten minutes.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

last time, Rissoto: i made a donut out of aluminum foil as a heat diffuser. worked way better than i expected. waste of foil tho.

 

[ian]

What I usually do to prevent sticking is to wash the rice a few times, drain it, then add around 1.25 times as much water by volume, then let the rice sit in the water for at least 20 min before cooking, then turn the burner on medium or med high, then wait until it starts simmering and steam starts coming out, then turn the burner on the very lowest setting for 8 min, then turn off the burner and leave it alone for 10 min. No sticking. This with white short grained rice.

 

[cutmyself]

best flame tamer is a cast iron skillet; just use a skillet that's larger than the pot you want to use

 

[foodnoobie]

You don't need a heat diffuser, you won't warp your pan. Here is my rice cooking video I made for @ian. not much happens the first six minutes of you want to skip ahead to the exciting stuff.



But here is the gist. Small sauce pot. I'm using basmati, but this should hold true for most medium to long grain white rice varieties. Rinse the rice. Fill water up to about 3/4" above the rice (one finger knuckle for you metric people). Cook the rice covered. I'm using an electric burner on the highest setting. Gas is easier. Just turn the gas flame as high as you can until it starts licking the sides of the pan, then turn it down just a bit so all of the flame is under the pot. Once it starts boiling over turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for a few more minutes until when you peak under the lid and the water is mostly absorbed. Turn off the heat. Cover, let rest for ten minutes.

Awesome video! I will give it more tries.

What I usually do to prevent sticking is to wash the rice a few times, drain it, then add around 1.25 times as much water by volume, then let the rice sit in the water for at least 20 min before cooking, then turn the burner on medium or med high, then wait until it starts simmering and steam starts coming out, then turn the burner on the very lowest setting for 8 min, then turn off the burner and leave it alone for 10 min. No sticking. This with white short grained rice.

Does the rice soaking in water for 20 minutes do anything? I never heard about it before. I have done all the other steps you did, but albeit still with sticking.

 

[rickbern]

I keep a heat diffuser on my stove all the time. I cook a lot in clay pots and tagines, I find them essential. I’m into the cheapest ones I can find in a store. Always use it for rice

It does double duty for toasting pita bread

 

[ian]

Awesome video! I will give it more tries.

Does the rice soaking in water for 20 minutes do anything? I never heard about it before. I have done all the other steps you did, but albeit still with sticking.

The soaking makes it cook faster, and gives a better texture imo. The timing in what I wrote might be off if you don’t soak before, and turning down/off the burner at the right time is the point if you want to prevent sticking/scorching.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

 

[rickbern]

A lot of thé confusion in cooking methods has to do with different types of rice. There’s very different methods for basmati vs jasmine, which are both long grains and Arborio vs Japanese, which are both short. Find a rice, find a method and make it your own. In my house I have basmati and carnoroli and that’s what I stick to.

 

[rickbern]

Humble, I watched the next video about basmati technique. Way different. I’d rather have her rice, but I’d hate to eat it with chopsticks

 

[Jovidah]

Not having to worry as much about matching the right pan to the right burner is like... the whole point of better pans. Burner being too small is really not going to ruin your pan... at most it can lead to uneven heating / browning of whatever is in the pan.

 

[Taurahe]

i suck at rice, i use a rice cooker lol