Originally Posted by
charbucks
I'm guessing it's not a matter of enhancing conduction, but of reducing hot spots. Sure, a thin aluminium pot on top of a Whisperlite will do an admirable job of transferring the heat from the stove to the contents of the pot: in fact, it'll happen so fast that the contents of the pot directly on top of the flame will scorch before the high-heat-capacity-food has a chance to transfer its energy to the surrounding food. By "wasting" energy to heat up the metal of a thicker pot or diffuser, you get the same amount of energy distributed over a larger area, resulting in more even cooking.
I'm not saying you can't cook rice in a thin pot on a Whisperlite, I'm just saying that it's very very tricky.
I understand the principle but doubt the practice. Putting a plate between the pot and the fire isn't the same as a cladding that is bound to the bottom of the pan. With only a loose connection between the two metal surfaces, the heat distribution to the pan is going to be minimal. If it weren't, we wouldn't use cladded pans at home but just a big distribution plate on our stoves. All a distribution plate on a camp stove is going to do is provide a way for the heat to be directed away from the pan (and food) to be radiated uselessly into the world. A 'distribution plate' made of fiberglass is going to be even more useless.
I agree...and have been arguing...that cooking with thin cookware is tricky. But that just means that the cook has to be more flexible in how they cook.