Follow-up on cover for fry-pan.

[micky]

I need to make a cover for a fry-pan, with a glass window. I have a

>"universal" cover, but it doesn't work well. In fact I've been using >a double layer of tin foil that works just as well.

Chastened by the most of my replies, I went out to buy a used lid for my 7.5 inch frypan. A tour of 2 Goodwills and 2 Salvation Armys found me one at the 3rd stop. It fit pretty well, wobbled a bit, but otoh, my pan doesn't have vertical sides. The side are rounded and taper inwards, so figuring this may be the best I can find, I bought it with its original little teflon-covered pot, for $5. At the 4th store, another Goodwill, I found the exact same lid, except with a different handle, on an all metal Farberware pot.

I will be near two more Goodwill stores over the weekend and I'll keep looking. (There are two other Goodwills I pass by every month or so. Knowing me, I'll look there too.)

Questions: I tested the lid tonight. The first egg's yolk broke. :( Normally I would scramble them after that, but I bravely pressed on. The second egg didn't break. The lid worked well. The white on top didn't sit around uncooked long after the bottom was cooked; and the top of the egg seemed as hot as the bottom when it was time to eat. Hurray.

But I could barely see anything because the inside of the lid steamed up.

1) How to prevent steam-fogged lid? 2) Assuming a lid with a pot or pan it was meant for, how come some lids have a vent hole in them and others don't.

Thanks.

BTW, it was indeed much better to buy at a thrift store than on the web, because I could tell how well it fit. And less than half the price, and with a free little pot.

[hrhofmann]

The lid was probably cool compared to the cooking temperature and steam condensed out. Try preheating the cover with hot water and see if that helps.

[micky]

Ah. Sounds like a very good idea. I'll do that. (I was thinking in terms of those liquids one wipes on the bathroom mirror, even though it never worked for me. So I thought someone would suggest vegetable oil or who knows, but your suggestion makes more sense. )

[micky]

Did I say thanks. Thanks.

[Jon Danniken]

Anti-fog products are generally a surfactant, or a soap. As the food you are cooking releases moisture, it condenses on the lid then drips back down into the food.

As you probably don't want soap in your food, I would steer clear of any such product on any item used in food preparation.

Jon

[micky]

Good point!