A rocket scientest named Thomas Povey applied fins and grooves along the exterior of his new Flare Pans in order to direct the flame to cover more of the pot’s surface area, saving heat energy. The idea of using fins isn’t new — the casing on air-cooled motorcycle engines are coated with grooves to get the surrounding airflow to hit more surface area. Dr. Povey used his knowledge of working on jet engines to apply the same principles to the pots.
For his Lakeland Flare Pans (from $112), Oxford University professor Dr. Thomas Povey used his turbomechanics acumen to make a pot that boils water 30 percent more quickly than regular stovetop ware. The fins and grooves along the exterior of the guide the flames over more of the pot’s surface area, using the heat more efficiently.
