I took a 10 inch round metal flat "plate" which is about 1/4 inch thick on my recent trip. First time to do so. Worked well to defuse heat to all areas of the cast iron skillet. Pancakes cooked even every time with a one burner stove. If at all windy, I use metal shields to protect the stove from the wind. It only takes a short warm up period before cooking. I had to adjust the heat down after getting the temp up to speed. It will go again.

Used a 5 1/4 inch aluminum plate for a long time, same results.
Made a very good hotplate to keep a pot cooking while using the burner for a side course. I does remove the light weight pan/pot advantage. I managed to melt it (sagged into a waffle-plate shape), doing an experiment with baking bread on a modified Whisperlite stove, have not replaced it.

butthead

bwcadan: "...
Worked well to defuse heat to all areas of the cast iron skillet. ...
"

I wouldn't have thought you would need it with cast iron. Though, I have been looking for the right heat diffuser to use with my thinner bottomed pans.

Thanks

What size skillet do you bring on your trip BWCADAN?

Another question about the plate. Is it Aluminum steel or Titanium. I like the Idea of a difuser. Curious if you tried any different thicknesses.

I use a heat diffuser similar to this one. Heat diffuser plate

I would think that a diffuser would be helpful with such stoves as a pocket rocket which is excellent for boiling water and not a whole lot else.

I use a Kova spyder stove with a nice wide flame and excellent temp / simmer control. No diffuser needed.

I use a diffuser when I make biscuits. I took one of those "campfire toasters" that they sell at Walmart and removed the wire supports that the bread leans against, and just use the bottom plate. Inexpensive, lightweight, and works just fine for what I need it for.

mastertangler: "I would think that a diffuser would be helpful with such stoves as a pocket rocket which is excellent for boiling water and not a whole lot else.


I use a Kova spyder stove with a nice wide flame and excellent temp / simmer control. No diffuser needed. "

I used to have a Pocket Rocket and had no difficulty with simmering on it. Having the right size of pot on it helps too. As with a small headed burner to it you need to use a tal and narrow bottom pot on it as opposed to a wide based pot or a fry pan. Otherwise you get a hot spot. With a wide headed stove they are better for short and wide pots and fry pans.

I've got one of these: Stove Tamer

I use something very similar even on my stove at home.

If anyone needs one made I can help you out. I can usually incorporate something of that size into the drop when I program something keeping the costs down. I haven't machined a billet aluminum skillet yet but one day......

10 inch skillet. Not positive as to what as to what metal it is, but thought it was steel. Wife uses it for defusing heat to all areas of her cooking pans and cast iron items. She picked it up somewhere, probably Bed/Bath/ and beyond. Definitely not aluminum.

The thinner your cooking pan, the better it should work, I think. For the cast iron, it seems to give me better control of heat outside of the actual fire contact point on the skillet.

No other thickness has been tested by me.

The plate I used was an attempt to enable simmering with the SnowPeak titanium pot and frypan lids. Aluminum is a very good heat transmitter (it's used in most heatsinks, along with copper), reaching temp fast and even distribution. I worked very well and I cooked on the ti pans at a low even simmer. But it weighed as much as the 1400 ti pot. I quit using it and carried my MSR Alpine Gourmet frypan instead (it uses a SS clad aluminum disk bottom), as a more useful item.

I mentioned slagging the al plate but not how. I was using a Whisperlite with a bored jet and extra preheat on the fuel loop, that thing is HOT but uses a lot of fuel. I was on my 3rd muffin sized bread ball with a pot in a pot over the plate as the oven at about 450 degrees internal temp for a crisp crust. Each bread ball took 15 minutes to bake, I was trying different types of inner pots cups. 45 minutes of baking took the pots off and, oops the plate butterflied. The melting point for al is above 1200 degrees, I had softened it to the point of annealing probably 1000 degrees.

Thought you folks might get a laugh out of my experimenting.

butthead

marsonite: "I've got one of these:

Thanks for the link Marsonite. I assume you like it and it works well, hope so cause I ordered one!
I've been wanting a diffuser, but didn't want one with handle sticking out. Mine will be here Tuesday,

Blue Skies!

cc

The outback oven defusor works well for me.