You Can Use the Mixing Bowl As a Pan Lid.
There are many attractive, durable, quality frying pans available at affordable prices these days. An avid home cook probably has two or three specialty skillets in his or her arsenal because a simple skillet can be used to cook in a variety of ways: frying, sautéing, steaming, or braising. Unfortunately, many pans do not have lids. Instead of searching online for the right mixture, just use an upside down bowl.
Why You Need a Pan Cover from Time to Time
Exactly zero of my pans came with a lid. I don’t think much about it when I buy a frying pan, but I often have to improvise a lid. I usually try to heat up a grilled cheese or panini style sandwich. The pans are designed to release steam and encourage air flow, so the only heating point is the bottom. This works great for toasting and toasting the outer bread of my Cubano, but the cheese in the center will never warm up until the bread is charred. This is where the lid comes to the rescue.
Placing a lid on the pan, or in this case an upside down bowl, will trap the steam and allow heat to build up around the food in the pan so you can melt the cheese in the center. The same method is used to quickly steam frozen gyoza to heat the filling in the center. After a few minutes, you remove the lid, release the steam, and brown the bottom.
Why does it work
By now, you may have two or three frying pans that you use regularly, all of them different sizes. The reason mixing bowls function well as lids, especially a cutting set, is because most round objects in your kitchen (bowls, pans, pans, muffin tins) mirror each other in diameter. Typically whole numbers in inches: the most common are six, eight, 10, 11 and 12. If you have a set of four or six mixing bowls, there’s a good chance you have a bowl that matches your skillet.
Using a metal mixing bowl as a lid is easy. Take a bowl, turn it upside down and carefully place it on top of the pan so that the edge of the bowl rests against the top edge of the pan. The shape of the bowl avoids contact with the angled pan handle, unlike a plate that is too large and can cut into it. If the lid slides to the side, you may need to use a smaller size. If the lid falls into the pan, then you need a larger size. If you don’t have the right match, you can technically use a too-small bowl as a “tight-fitting” lid, or a too-large bowl as a loose lid (steam will escape through the open edge).
Be careful
Make sure you use a metal bowl and not a glass one. Besides the fact that regular glass bowls and even heat-resistant glasses are much lighter, they can break due to thermal shock and it’s a harrowing experience (I don’t wish that on anyone).
Be careful when removing the metal bowl from the pan. Not only is the bowl in direct contact with the hot edge of the pan at 300+°F, but the dome of the bowl will be filled with 212°F steam. Use oven mitts to protect your fingers and remove the hot bowl with both hands.
There are people who will go crazy and buy a set of lids, but why dig deeper into your budget and take up extra space in your kitchen cupboard? Personally, I think the versatility alone is worth it. I ask: can you mix cookie dough or marinate steaks in a regular flat pan lid? I think so.