Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
For yesterday's dinner, I was using a favorite SS pot that has a tight fitting steamer insert. I've been using this combination for years and it has served me well. Anyways, I was steaming whole artichokes and accidentally boiled all of the water out of the pot. Fortunately, smoking hadn't started yet and the artichokes were done and delicious. I removed the artichokes and poured cold water into that very hot pot, through the steamer insert, in an attempt to cool the pan. The water turned to super-heated steam, and expanded the sides of the pot. I heard a thud about half a second after adding the water. The sides of the pot had expanded and the steamer dropped a full inch deeper than usual into the pot. The diameter of the steamer insert and the pot is identical. When the metal of the pot again resumed its original size, the friction fit between the pot and the steamer insert made it impossible to get the steamer out of the pot.
I tried filling the insert with 15 degree F. snow (the snow as a solid will get colder that the freezing point of water), and letting it sit for a couple minutes, to try and contract the steamer size, then placed the pot into a sink full of the hottest water my tap will give me (about 115 F.) in an effort to expand the pot size, hopping that this procedure would allow me to get the insert out of the pot. But nope, you guessed it, They are still stuck together.
After that didn't work, I filled the pot with water until it just barely touched the bottom of the steamer insert and put it outside to freeze overnight, hoping that the expanding ice would push the insert upward enough to allow me to melt the ice and remove the insert. Nope, that didn't work either. I am now officially out of ideas.
I need help if I am to save this pot and steamer. Otherwise I will have to purchase (if I can find one) a three quart pot with a steamer insert and lid. Oh, and in the current pot, the lid fits the steamer insert and the pot perfectly.
Help.
Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I tried filling the insert with 15 degree F. snow (the snow as a solid will get colder that the freezing point of water), and letting it sit for a couple minutes, to try and contract the steamer size, then placed the pot into a sink full of the hottest water my tap will give me (about 115 F.) in an effort to expand the pot size, hopping that this procedure would allow me to get the insert out of the pot. But nope, you guessed it, They are still stuck together.
After that didn't work, I filled the pot with water until it just barely touched the bottom of the steamer insert and put it outside to freeze overnight, hoping that the expanding ice would push the insert upward enough to allow me to melt the ice and remove the insert. Nope, that didn't work either. I am now officially out of ideas.
I need help if I am to save this pot and steamer. Otherwise I will have to purchase (if I can find one) a three quart pot with a steamer insert and lid. Oh, and in the current pot, the lid fits the steamer insert and the pot perfectly.
Help.
Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North