KitchenCraftInduction Bain Marie/Double Boiler Porringer, Stainless Steel Bain Marie in Gift Box, 16 cm (6.3''), Silver

I've been looking for a reasonably-sized, non-stick double boiler for quite a time as the non-stick lining of my old one, bought years ago, is wearing out. I make real porridge at least once a week: pin-head oatmeal poured into hot milk, stirred with a spurtle and gently heated in a double boiler for about 15 mins in the evening, salt added and then left overnight to soak and swell off the heat. In the morning it has thickened and just needs to be re-heated in a double-boiler. Take it from me without a non-stick lining a lot of soaking and scrubbing is needed as oatmeal, especially cooked in milk, sticks like anything! This Clearview Porringer is even better than my old one in that the inner pan has a round base which makes it easier to stir the porridge and also to clean as there isn't a right-angle between the base and sides of the inner pan. A fault in some double-boilers is that the gap between the inner and outer pans has too tight a fit and when the water in the outer pan boils it creates a pressure build-up and hot water spurts out carried on steam. This porringer doesn't do this. The build quality is good and nicely heavy. The glass lid also fits into the outer pan which makes it a useful little sauce-pan for use at other times.I can see that this double boiler will also be excellent for making egg-based custards, keeping delicate sauces warm or melting chocolate.Update October 2010: The porringer's non-stick surface is still in perfect condition after being used at least once a week and my porridge stirred with a wooden spurtle. It's washed in a dishwasher which has' not affected the surface. if, like me, you sometimes put too much water in the lower pan you can stop the water bubbling up by putting a cork between the two handles held in place by an elastic band. Too much water is better than too little. I've occasionally left the porringer on too high a flame and the water has boiled dry so I routinely use the cork ensemble to be on the safe side.I'd advise against using a wooden spurtle that can scratch the surface. A silicon spoon is safer.Update August 2015: For the last two years I've been making porridge overnight every night of the week so my porringer has been getting heavy use. I sometimes hurry up the re-heating in the morning by putting the inner saucepan directly on the heat and occasionally over-heating the contents and having nearly burnt porridge on the pan which I've had to use a scourer to remove so I've slightly damaged the non-stick lining, but am amazed that this relatively cheap pan has lasted so well despite my bad treatment.Update January 2019I've just bought another one of these and was reminded this morning when I used it for the first time that one has to wash the non-stick pan several times in hot soapy water before using for the first time. I only washed it once and had to throw away my porridge as it had an unpleasant chemical taste. I then remembered that the same had happened with the previous identical pan. So I washed the new pan several times in hot soapy water and then heated up some plain milk in it and left the liquid in the pan for several hours before tasting the milk. It was fine. Milk and butter are very good at picking up other smells and tastes. So be warned wash well before first use!

This is a nice sturdy double boiler. I hesitated about buying it as it seemed quite small however it is more roomy than it first looks. I am using this primarily for making herbal salves which it is ideal for and I also used it yesterday to make some basil infused boil. Easy to clean and sturdy so hopefully it will last well. Ideal for purpose.

The double saucepan does what I bought it for. It's slightly too small for my ceramic hob and scrambled egg cooks nicely but always sticks. Still tastes better than microwave eggs and easier to get the right consistency.

If you like real porridge this a brilliant product at the right price. We prepare it at night allowing the oats to soak in the water over night and just turn it on in the morning. Depending on the oaks used you may need to cook the oats for 40mins to 1 hour. It is also good to melt chocolate. In fact anything that must not be heated above hot water temperature. Works well for us and quality is better than expected.

These are first rate BUT when put together the fit is not perfect - steam will escape from the lower pan because the top pan droops a little towards the lower pan handle. This is cured by wedging a wine bottle cork between the two handles close to where they join the saucepans. This tip was given by another purchaser whose review is on this page, so after reading that and before buying the bain marie I made sure that I had a proper wine bottle cork available! And I now enjoy delicious pinhead oatmeal porridge - yummy stuff! AND, may I suggest that you make sure you buy the non-stick bain marie! Makes cleaning so much easier.

Ideal in making your porridge as it does not stick or burn the pan.

Bought to melt chocolate for hot chocolate drinks. Works well, melts the chocolate smoothly. I will also use this for porridge and sauce making.Seems very good quality. The base pan is stainless but the top 'melter' is not stick, so I had to get a silicon whisk so I didn't scratch it! The product is fairly compact, so I have a nice small stainless steel lidded pan (the bottom pan) to add to my collection.All in all, very pleased with it.

On product description this says 5litre capacity but the pan for sauce only holds 1.5 litre and the bottom pan can't hold more than 2" water to use properly