I am using a polycarbonate gastro container for sous vide cooking. The water is relatively hot and I prolonged heat can damage the counter on which it is sitting.
What would be a good and cheap pad to put underneath my sous vide container to protect the counter? I am looking for something cheap and easily obtained, ideally also non-slippery.
A trivet is what you want. Any store with cookery goods will probably have some. They run from about five to well over thirty dollars depending on quality, effectiveness, fanciness, and decorative appeal.
I prefer the solid ones with feet for really hot pots or continuous heating.
I often successfully use one or more folded tea or bath towels or even a wooden plank (6" x 6", e.g.).
There are some people that use an old newspaper for that, cheap and easy!
I find that towels are the best especially when folded. They provide insulation for the water bath as well. If you use a large bath/beach towel, you can fold it once or twice and actually use it to cover the walls and even the top of the container to cut heat loss as well as water evaporation (assuming your container has no cover). You can always put a trivet under the towel to prevent sliding).
I use a large ceramic (stoneware) plate under my rice cooker or slow cooker. So far, so good.
