Kuhn Rikon Flame Protector

I bought this "Flame Protector" for only one reason: to evenly distribute heat in my cast iron pan. This item does exactly that. I used to have a hot spot in the center of my pan and now the bottom of the cast iron pan has even heat across its bottom surface. If this is why you want this item it works great. Now, it is also sold as a "Flame Protector" and an "energy saver. " I don't know what a flame protector is; my flames don't need protecting. Maybe some people don't want flames on their cookware because it might discolor them? As far as an energy saver, it seems to me that that is a completely specious argument. If you have to heat an additional piece of metal along with your pan or pot it's going to use more energy not less; my cast iron pan takes twice as long to heat up. Anyway I am a total fan of this item for my usage of even heating of my cast iron pan.