While most brands recommend the use of a heat diffuser, with others a diffuser is not required when cooking on gas cook tops.
Most times food can cook at about 50 degrees or so less than the temperature setting called for on the recipe.
Using baking soda is recommended for cleaning: wet the pot and lid thoroughly with water, sprinkle 1/2 tsp of baking soda, scrub and rinse off. Dry the pot with a cotton towel/rag and put it away to dry.