Universal Pan Lid

by Nicole Perry 0

What is it with pan and pot lids? Despite having a well-stocked and seemingly organized kitchen, time and time again I find myself searching high and low to find the matching topper for the pans in my cupboard. Even worse, many (I'm looking at you, sauté pans) don't come with a lid in the first place. So what's a girl to do?

When a lid goes missing, here are two useful options:

• Use a cookie sheet: flipped so that the lip is facedown, a cookie sheet (provided it isn't warped) makes a tight seal on top of most pans, though some larger ones might max out the surface area. Even better, if you flip it right side up when it's time to pop the lid off of the pot or pan, the cookie sheet's lip will contain any condensation.
• Use heavy-duty tinfoil: for larger pans (or if you don't have a clean cookie sheet to spare) heavy-duty tinfoil —preferably from the oversize roll so that you only need one piece —is a solid and clean up free option (well aside from tossing it in the recycling bin) when crimped tightly around the pan.