Does anyone know what these are and where they can be purchased?
Try KitchenWare. You'll practically find anything there for your kitchen needs.
Okay its like it has 2 pans, one has water boiling in it the other one is on top of it. Its used to alot things like melting chocolate, butter, making different kinds of sauces, basically the heat comes from the steam so the ingredients don't get burnt at the bottom........Did that make sense?
so couldn't you make a makeshift one..by having water boiling at the bottom while you have a steel bowl on top?
Double boilers are really useful in the kitchen, and of course, as Hinna has suggested you can make do with a bowl on top of a pan. But it can be awkward and you can burn yourself or spill food if it doeasn't have a handle. You can buy double boilers in many kitchen ware shops and sometimes you can buy a pan that fits one you already have.
But there is a modern innovation that is really excellent - steam jacketed pans - I don't know if you can find them where you are but I have seen them in Italy (used to make sauces and heat milk) and in India (where they are known as milk boilers). I have a couple and they are fantastic - I use them for many things besides heating milk - to make kheer, bechamel sauce, custard, chocolate pudding, reheating food etc. and it's great because I don't burn anything any more.
Thanks everyone...I'm sort of on a realllllly tight budget..because I've gotta see if I'm able to make homemade candles for my bro's and sis's reception..(you can check out the image gallery for the potential centrepieces)...so I think I'm gonna try doing the pot and steel bowl thing for now...I'll make sure I'll wear gloves when I'm melting the beeswax. :)