To avoid burning chili. A young friend called me this morning to ask if I had a "Flame Tamer" she could borrow to make sure 'this' batch of chili would not burn. (I was told a sad story about a batch on Superbowl Sunday that ended up tasting like singed cat) Well, duh! I don't own a Flame Tamer, though it is an excellent idea, that is, to keep the bottom of the chili pot from being in direct contact with a flame or heat source when one is doing the long, slow simmering that makes the best chili. ( In my humble opinion) What I do have and use if I have to cook in a pot that is less than ideal (and which I recommended to my friend) is a cast iron skillet that is big enough for the chili pot to sit in. All a Flame Tamer is, is a disc of metal that distributes the heat over a wider area so there is no "hot spot" . Well, a cast iron skillet is also a disk of metal that just happens to have sides. Cast iron skillets can be found in thrift shops, swapmeets, tag sales, garage sales, estates sales, etc. If you come across one with Griswold on the bottom, those are collectibles. There are other collectibles, however Wagner and Lodge are more modern. Any will do. -- Andie Paysinger & the PENDRAGON Basenjis,Teafer,Cheesy,Singer & Player asenji@earthlink.net So. Calif. USA "In the face of adversity, be patient, in the face of a basenji, be prudent, be canny, be on your guard!" http://home.earthlink.net/~asenji/