platform to put your cake pan on so it does not sit in the boiling water. shape the snakes into s or c and place into the bottom of the pan and put your cake pan on top. adjust the height of the snakes so that the lid still fits over without touching the cake pan. try your best to make them level otherwise you will find that your cake may come out thicker on side versus the other. once you know everything fits, spray your pan and place it on your snakes. start up your kettle full of water, you will use this water to fill up the pan 