The Care and Keeping of Glass Pot and Pan Lids:What Can I Expect?

17 years ago

I am in the process of acquiring Calphalon Tri Ply cookware, replacing 18 year old Farberware. Glass lids are new to me. I need advice on cleaning, storing, and the general treatment of glass lids both while they are being used and in the cabinet. I have a two year old glass cooktop and an electric oven.

Does the care of these lids vary depending on the temperature of the pot or pan it is covering? And what about dropping these lids? According to Calphalon, they are tempered glass, and I've heard that they are resistant to breakage. Have you ever broken a lid? How did it happen and was the breakage dangerous? Will sudden/extreme temperature shifts crack the lids?

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Featured Answer

mfa_2006

10 years ago

My wife bought a Calphalon set few years ago. She loves them. A few days ago, I fumbled the lid and it dropped to the tile floor. The glass survived, but it separated from the stainless steel rim. If you look at it, you'll see that the rim encircles and encloses the glass portion, so that the glass cannot pop out of the steel rim -- unless you drop it on a tile floor, apparently. It was also apparent that no amount of forcing was going to squeeze the glass back into the rim.

But if you know the secret, it's an easy fix, with no forcing required:
1) Put the glass in the freezer for a few hours.
2) Heat the rim. I just waved it over a gas stovetop burner for about 30 seconds.
3) Now, quickly, lay the rim on a hard surface, and drop the frigid glass into it.

With the rim expanded, and the glass contracted, they fit together easily. The cold glass will cool the rim almost instantaneously, and they're wedded together once again.

Apparently this is not a common problem -- I found no references to it via a Google search -- and replacement lids are available, but this is a good trick to know. I suspect this will work for all such lids, but have only tested it on our Calphalon.

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Comments (8)

canvir
17 years ago
I have a chicken fryer and a sauce pan with glass lids and treat them just like my stainless ones. Put them in the dishwasher, store them all together etc.

I have not had a problem.
cupofkindness
Original Author
17 years ago
Canvir, thanks for your reply! I used my Calphalon tri ply pans for the first time last night and noticed that the lids retain a minute amount of water under the handle where the handle attaches to the glass, and also around the stainless rim, between the glass and the rim. Will this be a problem?
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cupofkindness
Original Author
17 years ago
Well, I'm happy to report after my second meal using tri ply that I can definitely see what is happening in the pot/pan, even though there is a lot of moisture on the interior of the lid. Watching your food cook through the lid is almost like having color TV for the first time. It's wonderful.
nwesterner
17 years ago
If you do not want any added moisture in what you are cooking, but still want/need to use a lid, just offset it somewhat while cooking---either for the full time or just temporarily. That allows some of the moisture to evaporate although some does drop back onto the food. The moisture is the only negative at times for me using glass lids or non-venting metal lids, but there are dishes that it actually helps.

I cooked with cast iron for many, many years and used glass lids with them. I broke some, but normally because I was the one at fault, not the lid. I have Calphalon tri-ply plus some other glass lids and use them or metal lids as needed. Sometimes the pans allow me to interchange lids, but not always.

As for storing, for many years I either used my oven drawer or stored them upside down on the pan they fit. I now have a drawer dedicated to lids and they are fine in there with the metal ones.
lindac
17 years ago
Glass lids do NOT add moisture to a dish....they simply do not allow it to boil off.
Even a lid with a vent hole allows a lot of condensation to drip back into the pan.
Linda C
gardenlad
17 years ago
Linda, you really believe that moisture condenses on glass more than metal?

I tend to doubt it. The only difference is you can see what's happening with the glass.

Nwesterner: One of the main reasons for putting a cover on a pot in the first place is to retain moisture. Indeed, that's probably why a cover is used more than 90% of the time. As Linda notes, covers to not add moisture, they merely keep it from escaping.
slbrooks
13 years ago
I have glass lids for Guardian ware that I recently purchased,, two of the lids have a opaque film on the inside of the lids I have tried CLR thinking it might be a hard water build up to no avail. I have used the dishwasher no change

The Care and Keeping of Glass Pot and Pan Lids:What Can I Expect?

mfa_2006

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canvir

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The Care and Keeping of Glass Pot and Pan Lids:What Can I Expect?

mfa_2006

Comments (8)

canvir

cupofkindnessOriginal Author

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