While you can laugh at a warped sense of humour, nobody enjoys cooking in a warped pan, especially if you’re trying to make crepes for breakfast. Overheating metal, or cooling hot metal too quickly—whether in cast iron, copper, aluminum, or stainless steel pans—can cause expansion, contraction, and then deformation. Never dunk a hot pan into a sink of cold water; instead, let it cool slowly on a trivet.
Not all warped cookware can be straightened out, but it’s worth a shot. You’ll need to apply heat and force. To apply the force, a stout chunk of wood and a hammer or mallet will do the trick, but you want the wood to be wide enough that it spreads the force broadly. Try a chunk of 2×4 that is as long as the inside diameter of the pan. Heat the pan on the stove to a moderate heat, and safely remove it to a flat, sturdy, and heatproof surface that can take a beating—a beefy wood cutting board on your workbench, for example.
Emergency baking substitutions 101
Depending on whether your pan has developed an innie or an outie, place it either flat on its bottom, or upside down, so you can apply force to the convex side of the warp. Lay the wood across the bump, and hit it with the hammer. Start with lighter blows, and up the persuasion as necessary. Check your work as you go and stop when it’s flat again. Allow to cool gradually.
3 tips for success from the pots and pans industry
1) Think carefully before bashing cast iron; it’s brittle and can shatter when struck.
2) A dead-blow mallet is engineered to deliver a very controlled blow without bouncing.
3) A pan with thick walls is less warp-prone than one with thin walls, but it’s also more difficult to correct if warping occurs.
This article was originally published in the June/July 2025 issue.
Related Story This is why you need an anvil in your cottage workshop
Related Story 6 cottage-country restaurants named in Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants of 2025
Related Story Recipe: Andrea Buckett’s sheet pan western omelettes