Can you unwarp a frying pan?

My husband actually did this successfully by heating up the frying pan to the point where he could gently use a hammer to get it back into shape. Let me know if you want me to explain more - I wasn't optimistic, but he did it! :)

put a board over it and hit with a hammer

I had a frying pan that started to wobble and was also warped crooked. Leaned to one side. Knowing my work bench was flat, I placed the pan on the bench top bottom down to see where it was disfigured. Turned it over and gently tapped the specific spot with a hammer in a circular motion turning it over checking my progress. Don't hit too hard you can dent or dimple the pan. Let the hammer do the work.

Warping is usually caused by one of two things, either overheating a pan and then exposing it to cold water (yikes) -or- because your pan exceeds the size of your burner and the center got hotter than the outer edges and again, is overheated.. either way.. Now you know what not to do from the outset. Next..

*As stated above by others*

Don't ever directly hit a pan (or any other dented metal surface) to 'unwarp' it. Always put something between the dented surface and a hammer, unless you're a metalsmith and know what you're doing. You could find yourself a tinsmith, or a local business who specializes in pan repair and see what they'd charge, or..

You might want to try and cut your losses by doing it yourself, which involves cutting an inch or thicker piece of ply or solid wood to create a set of top and bottom 'forms' to use between your hammer and the pan. These are like the bread in a sandwich with your pan as the filling between them - and will act as the flat surface between your pan and your hammer... see how many ways 'don't hit the pan directly' can be written?

You'll have to stack up enough wood inside the pan under your initial circle to raise the pan off of your work surface, as you never want to hit a pan that's resting on it's own rim. After all of this preparation, unwarping is usually achieved by first reheating the pan to no more than a dull red and then placing it on your stack to raise the rim up off of your table- with another piece on top and finally, carefully and evenly hitting the wood from the center out in concentric circles. Take a look, reheat if necessary and try some more til you're satisfied.

Problem is, few pan bottoms are actually 'pan flat'-- and to top it off, the bottom rarely meets the wall at a hard angle. This means you'll need to cut your first interior round form slightly smaller than the total surface of the bottom of your pan and even potentially shape the outer edges by sanding them off as far as two or three inches in, so that you don't leave an arced dent where the flat wood meets the angled bottom- in simple terms that apply to repairing most things of value:

• " As easy as it may seem, it's complicated. "

Try a web search for "unwarp copper pan" if you're willing to attempt diy, just be aware, working with hot metal is dangerous and you'll likely end up making it worse than it was to start with. Your other option is to search for "pan repair" in your area, either through tinsmiths (many are also historical reenactors) or another option would be someone who specialize in polishing or repairing silverware or sterling items- as they also often polish and or repair pans but don't advertise that part of their prowess.

hint: SFGATE has a page listed as "How to flatten a skillet"

or you can try your best bet:

Virginia Tinning, a company in Chesapeake, Va- with a website listed as

vatinning dot com

who specialize in making copper pan lids to fit your pans, as well as retinning tinned copper pan interiors. Few other companies do this in the US.. most good handmade copper pans are Italian or French and some even have videos online showing how a copper pan is made (>pretty interesting stuff

First, I believe it does depend on how thick your pan is. I had the same problem with a Caphalon skillet, I turned it over where top lip of open side laid flat ( handle not touching work surface) and used a rubber mallet- worked fine, no problems and obtained a flat bottom

I think pouring cold water into the plan will cause it to warp (bend down in the middle). Have you tried heating the pan and turning it over and running cold water on it. I'm thinking that might warp it in the opposite direction and even things out. Although I haven't tried this myself! Also I've read that glass top stoves concentrate heat in the center and cause the center to bow, esp. if the pan is big and the outer section isn't heated that much. Might try putting on a dual burner with just the outer one turned on, not the inner. That would be the opposite of what might have caused any center warping.

Thanks for the input. You might be right about the glass top stove. I did however use another persons suggestion and turned the pan over and gently tapped the bottom of the pan with a hammer. Seemed to have worked, doesn't wabble anymore.