Jailbreaking the Happy Call Pan

Image from Gmarket reviewer.

I joined the crowd of happy Happy Call Pan users in October last year, following a spree organised by some good friends who raved about the pan.

Since then, I've been happy to switch most of my wok-cooking to using the HCP.

HCP is a very good kitchen hardware with excellent design.  It's not Teflon-coated, which means that its non-stick ceramic surface isn't likely to create health issues, especially at high temperature.  Its base and lid are designed with a ridged surface, which enables heat to be distributed very quickly to the food, and the silicon seal with a strong magnetised handle allows the pan to act like a pressure cooker/oven to seal the heat in the pan to enable it to cook faster and even bake foods at a lower direct temperature.

HCP users have created a repository of recipes using the HCP at munchministry.com.  There are recipes for baking cakes, cookies, alongside the usual suspects like fried and stewed foods.  Most foods that require oven baking can be adapted to using the HCP - a plus for many households that doesn't own an oven.

For me, the choice of using the HCP and oven really depends on the amount of food I'm cooking, and the fuel that's needed.  I prefer to use electricity with my oven/Airfryer over gas stove because my house isn't fitted with piped gas, and I need to keep calling the gas shop to deliver their gas tanks when mine runs out. However, I've also noted that with the HCP, I'm actually using less gas compared to using the wok.  I've not needed to use the largest burner, which I naturally would need to when using the wok.  The maximum heat I use for the HCP is medium, and even then, not for more than 3 minutes, otherwise the food would burn!  That's how efficient the HCP is!

The HCP is very versatile, but many users complain that the design of the hinged lid is also the flaw - the hinge creates a problem for washing up and for removing foods efficiently from the pan.  Not a problem for me - I've simply removed the c-pin that keeps the hinge together, and my HCP lid can be easily removed from the bottom pan for cooking or washing.  It even makes tilting the food onto a plate so much easier because I don't have to grapple with the weight or bulk of the lid.

Here's how I jailbreak my HCP ;) :

Use a screwdriver to gently pry the c-pin from the hinge. 

Here's how it looks with the c-pin removed.  The hinge still works fine. :)

Now I have 2 pans! ;)  The one with the red edge is the lid.  To use, just hook the lid into the slots on the bottom pan.

A simple slot back.  You'll get the hang of it after a while. :)

With the magnetised handle, even without the c-pin, the lid stays firmly closed and will not move, even if you do need to flip your pan.

This will be my first HCP post.  I'll soon be posting a few recipes I've adapted for the HCP, and a few that I've tried from munchministry. ;)

Happy Happy Call Pan Cooking! :)