First-World Problems...

That's a large (14.5 inch) aluminum sauté pan* that is amazingly useful. When I got I thought it was a bit silly, but I use it more often than I expected. It holds heat reasonably well, and because it is so wide I can place it on my biggest burner and the flame doesn't lick around the edges and waste heat and singe my hands! I'll make fried cutlets or big batches of seared meat, and because it is so big it makes the process go much faster.

But over the years the pan has warped slightly in a particularly irritating way. It now slopes in, so the perimeter doesn't get an even layer of cooking oil. And to make things even more irritating in an entitled first-world way, it doesn't sit flush on the burner...tilting one way or the other. That requires constant attention or the food won't cook evenly!

The challenge is to flatten the bottom without creating an edge on the perimeter. If the pan has an edge it makes flipping the food more difficult.

Yes...I lie awake at night, obsessing over these sorts of questions.

*It's grungy because I took the photo after making some kick-ass bone-in Pork Milanese.

posted by CBD at 02:00 PM

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