Q&A for How to Unstick Two Cooking Bowls

Use any kind of oil or butter. if it's butter, heat it up in the microwave. Once you get the bowls apart, wash them.

Put the pan in hot water and fill the bowl with cold water. The metal should expand enough for you to get the bowl out.

First, soak the outer bowl in hot water, so that it expands. If it does not work, try putting the rim of the inner bowl in cold water so it contracts.

Try some olive oil and try to pry it open. If that does not work, then put soap and water into the bigger bowl and let it sit for 24 hours.

Try some olive oil, drizzle some in and try to pry it open. If that does not work, then put soap and water into the bigger bowl and let it sit for 24 hours.

Use some olive oil; squirt around the bowls and try to pry them apart. If that does not work, then put soap and warm water into the bigger bowl. Set aside and let sit for 24 hours. When the time is finished, gently pry apart.

Try putting them in the freezer. Cold tends to unstick items as it may have swelled up a bit and the cold brings the molecules closer together.

Try pouring some oil in between the bowls. It will reduce the friction between them and you will probably able to separate them with a small pull and easing side to side as best as you can.

It's worth trying this: Cup the Pyrex bowl in your hands and curl your fingers over the top. If they reach the inner ceramic bowl, press your fingers outward on the inside of the ceramic bowl, hands are on opposing sides. Keep on a constant pressure and see if the bowl will gradually budge. Note that the heat from your hands may be helping to expand the Pyrex bowl.

Stick the bowl into a water bath, perhaps using your sink and pouring in water from a boiling kettle.

Scald the bowls with boiling water, so that you can quickly open two bowls under the principle of thermal expansion and cold contraction.

Try by pouring in hot water or oil in-between where they are stuck. Beware not to pull them out too hard. Try by gently turning in a fixed direction, either clockwise or anti-clockwise, whichever suits you.

Fill a sink with hot water. Set the stuck pans in the sink, just covering the bottom pan with the hot water. Fill the top pan with ice. Allow the pans to set for about five minutes, and pry them apart gently with your hands.

Gently work a thin piece of plastic, such as the corner of a credit card, in between and around the dishes until they release.

Apply soap, oil or anything slippery around the edges. If that doesn't work, place them upside-down and tap a few times around them. If that doesn't work either, use something thin but sturdy (like a knife) to stick into the gap and apply gentle pressure.

Here are some methods you can try: Hot water: Fill a sink or bowl with hot water (not boiling) and place the stuck bowls in it. Leave them for a few minutes to allow the heat to expand the outer bowl, then try twisting and pulling them apart. Ice water: Fill a sink or bowl with ice-cold water and place the stuck bowls in it. Leave them for a few minutes to allow the cold to contract the inner bowl, then try twisting and pulling them apart. Lubrication: Apply a small amount of cooking oil, vegetable oil or dish soap to the rim of the inner bowl, and gently twist and pull it while holding on to the outer bowl.