Only after burning countless servings of pudding, rice and oatmeal did I revert to a very old fashioned method of cooking. The double-boiler seems to have been forgotten in this new age of miracle cookware. Nothing else provides me with this watchful service. In the microwave, hot cereals cook poorly, and puddings and sauces are always subject to burning. While speed is not a feature of the double-boiler, you do save time by not scrubbing burnt pots.