Duane has a trick to solve the problem of my gas cooktop cooking too hot!

You may remember, couple of months ago we replaced our old, trusty, worn-out gas cooktop. While I like the neatness of the new one with sealed burners, the lowest setting is still much too hot to "simmer" anything. My old, 17 yr old cooktop let me adjust the burner down to just a tiny, tiny flame. But now, no matter how careful I am, rice and pasta over-boil.

I've read about this problem online - apparently several years ago, manufacturers decided that it is a safety feature to NOT ALLOW tiny flames - because a breeze might blow out the tiny flame and leave you with gas flowing in your kitchen. While that's all well and good, I can manage my own appliances, thank you! Here is a burner on the lowest setting...

The trick is simple - if you don't have a gas cooktop, this might not make too much sense:

Turn the knob to the light position and light the burner.

Now turn the knob "back towards you - towards the OFF position" very, very slowly.  The igniter will eventually stop sparking and the flame will be very small!  Viola!  Perfect for simmering!  (I guess Duane understands how the thing works because he immediately knew what to do....smartypants).