Simmer pad

Until I got one of these, my attempts at paella with good socarrat were always foiled. I couldn't get our gas stove to go low enough to stop it burning rice in the thin paella dish. I could give up on the authentic paella pan, or keep trying. We could have got the gas flow adjusted to the stove, but that would have created other problems. 

I went into Chef's Essential in Geelong looking for something I could use to lift the pot above the flame, a wok frame or something. When I explained what I was trying to do, the helpful women said, "I think you need one of these!". As well as the one we have in the van, we now have three at home for when we are doing paella for a crowd, and Maria uses them regularly for reheating etc. We even stack a couple on top of each other if we want an even slower burn.