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cover stuck in frying pan

Sent to General Experts September 10 2006 at 8:30 AM
   

I put a smaller glass cover on a frying pan and it went down inside and created a vacuum. Now I can not get the cover out of the frying pan and there is still food in it. How can I release that pressure so the cover will come out?

 

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $8
Answer
September 10 2006 at 8:48 AM (18 minutes and 34 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
If the frying pan won't be damaged by metal, try inserting a thin knife blade between the glass and the pan. Twist the blade sideways to create a small gap where air can get in.

A fork may also work. Try and wedge the tines between the side of the pan and the glass lid. If you can get the tines under the lip of the lid you may be able to press the fork backwards and release the vacuum.

If the frying pan would be damaged by metal, see if you have something wooden that is very thin, but strong, perhaps a wooden skewer. Try breaking the vacuum with wedging the skewer between the glass and the frying pan.

You could also try using a plastic spatula or other plastic utensil that could be wedged between the lid and the pan.

If none of these work, you may have to pour water into the pan. If water can leak under the lid, it will help to break the vacuum seal. Try twisting the lid left and right in order to allow the water to get in.

If this too fails, then try pouring dishsoap around the rim of the glass lid and twisting the lid back and forth.

Let me know if you need further help with your question.


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Dear Candace -- Internet Researcher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 27 General Accepts
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September 10 2006 at 9:02 AM (13 minutes and 55 seconds later)
         
Reply to Dear Candace's Post: I have tried all of your suggestions and none of them work. I can not turned the cover from side to side. I tried prying with everything and that didn't work. I tried the dish soap and that didn't work> I have poured water on it and it is so tight that nothing penetrates. What do I do now?
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
September 10 2006 at 9:44 AM (41 minutes and 41 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Another expert suggested cooking oil or WD-40. Have you tried either of those yet?

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Dear Candace -- Internet Researcher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 27 General Accepts
9 years of experience.
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September 10 2006 at 9:56 AM (12 minutes and 14 seconds later)
         
Reply to Dear Candace's Post: i have just tried the cooking oil and that didn't work
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
September 10 2006 at 10:06 AM (10 minutes and 14 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Okay, let's try jarring the lid loose. If you have a carpeted area, cover it with some plastic tarp or other piece of protective material. Don't do this on a bare floor, we don't want to damage any wood! If your carpeting is not thick, place a bath towel underneath the protective material so you have more cushioning. Then try holding the pan upside down and whack it against the floor. Start out gently, then increase the force you are using little by little. Please be careful and don't get carried away. We are just trying to dislodge the lid, not wreck your home.

If you have a rubber mallet, you could also pound the back of the pan, hitting the pan on the edge, not in the middle. Make sure the pan is facing downward and you are working on floor level, so if the lid comes out it doesn't go flying.

Which is more important to you? The lid or the pan?


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Dear Candace -- Internet Researcher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 27 General Accepts
9 years of experience.
Answer
September 10 2006 at 10:23 AM (16 minutes and 52 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
We have another expert offering advice....the icy/hot method. The instructions from the other expert are to fill the pan with ice so that the lid will contract, while heating the pan on the stove so that the pan will expand. Between the contracting lid and the expanding pan, it should hopefully break the vacuum that has been created, and allow you to lift the lid off.

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Dear Candace -- Internet Researcher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 27 General Accepts
9 years of experience.
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September 10 2006 at 10:55 AM (32 minutes and 7 seconds later)
         
Reply to Dear Candace's Post: the lid
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Reply
September 10 2006 at 10:58 AM (2 minutes and 7 seconds later)
         
Reply to Dear Candace's Post: where do you suggest i put the ice the lid is on the frying pan like a cover, no place to put ice inside
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
September 10 2006 at 11:02 AM (4 minutes and 11 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
Take a wet towel, put the ice on the towel and lay it over the top of the frying pan. The ice will freeze and stick to the wet towel, enabling you to keep that part cold, while heating the pan from the bottom. Take care not to let the towel come in contact with the heating elements of the stove.


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Dear Candace -- Internet Researcher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 27 General Accepts
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