Ilsa Diffuser Italy Simmering 7 inches Reviews Summary

Stability and Fit

Pros:

• "This is a quality solid cast iron heat diffuser. Its heavy and doesn't slide around."
• "This unit has teeth on the bottom side that find their way to lock into the existing stove grate making it very stable."
• "The little claws on the bottom keep it from moving around on the burner, too."
• "Fits gas range grates perfectly & looks lovely."
• "Fits the Blue Star gas ring perfectly. Bought to easily use the Bialetti coffee maker."
• "This gas ring reducer perfectly solves the problem by allowing me to offset my Moka Express so it's over the flame while keeping it stable."
• "Perfect fit for my old Wedgwood gas stove. Now the espresso pot sets securely on the burner and the flames don't come up the sides and melt the handle."

Cons:

• "The item arrived intact, but I did notice the enamel coating developed a single crack several inches long after the first use."
• "It does take longer for your pans to heat up when using this guy, and the little flanges make pots and pans just the SLIGHTEST bit unbalanced."
• "The biggest drawback for me was that I found out that the pot does not sit directly on the plate but on its prominences."
• "Pot or pan slides too easily and it has a slightly raised belly so the pan wants to rock a bit."
• "I wish this item didn’t slide around so much."
• "The ring could be a little larger, it is somewhat hard to place it well on my stove which has large openings in the grid."
• "It lowers the simmer a bit but does not keep it low enough to just take the pot to warm and below simmer."

Quality and Design

Pros:

• "They look like they will last forever."
• "Sturdy, well-crafted product to make gas burners with too-large openings usable when cooking with small pots."
• "This solved an ongoing problem between me and my trophy wife. She had always cooked on an electric stove and I insisted on buying a gas stove. My life has been miserable ever since until this baby came along."
• "It is also a mini trivet for tabletop, too."
• "This utensil spreads the flame evenly under the wok or skillet and reduces some of the residue grime buildup that would otherwise occur on the cast iron cookware."
• "The little detachable handle makes moving it out of the way much safer."
• "It’s great quality. Sits perfectly on my range and I think it would fit pretty much any range."

Cons:

• "This didn’t do what I had hoped, which is to reduce the flame on my large burners."
• "The finish of the product is not as smooth as the image advertised or on the product box."
• "Unfortunately the one we received (Lot 1806 on package) was not enamel coated."
• "After using them a couple of times, the shiny coating began cracking and peeling off."
• "Like all other negative reviews, it seems like this product would have been better if left uncoated. The quality of the coating is very poor if it does that after 1 use."
• "The product description specifically says “Made in Italy” but on the actual product it says “Made in China.” I don’t mind either way, but misleading description is not acceptable."
• "It was advertised as cast iron which it is not. It is a cheap imitation and looks nothing like the picture represented. Highly dissatisfied"

Functionality and Use

Pros:

• "This solved a problem that's been annoying me for years. The tabs on the bottom allow a more customizable way to lock the reducer into place."
• "I also use it when making things like rice and beans by allowing the water to come to a boil then putting the heat diffuser on to have a slower evenly heated simmer."
• "This ring really solved my issue with small broth, milk and espresso pots."
• "When I use my smallest saucepans they are 'tippy' and this little wonder provides a perfect perch for them so I don't have to hold the handle to prevent a spill."
• "It added stability needed to brew my coffee over gas range and raising a bit over the fire didn't increase brew time by much."
• "This works brilliantly! We have a gas stovetop and cook a lot of chilis and soups that benefit from simmering on the stove for extended periods of time."
• "This is perfect for the stovetop espresso maker, as well as for smaller saucepans for spice blooming, etc."

Cons:

• "Have to put pot offset on flame as trivet does not seem to concentrate heat."
• "I wish there was a larger option."
• "The biggest drawback for me was that I found out that the pot does not sit directly on the plate but on its prominences."
• "Actually, it takes longer to make coffee with my Portable Stove with this ring with lowest flame setting."
• "It’s was smaller than I expected. However as soon as I can I am going to purchase a larger one."
• "I should have guessed that it will take longer to cook most stovetop items if you don't turn the temp up 20% or more for items like bacon and eggs when using the same cookware as before."
• "It takes a long time to get hot, and then it's hotter than I would like even at the lowest flame setting."