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  A nice vintage Sunbeam Model FP−11A electric
frypan, like one we had decades ago, showed up at an estate sale. I plugged it
in and it heated up quickly, so I paid the man $5 and brought it home. The
magazine advertisement shown on the left is from 1956, so it's more than sixty
years old!
Melanie and
I have been on a mission for many years to find Made in the USA products for use
rather than support Red China. That goes for appliances, tools, electronics, clothing,
household goods, and whatever else can be found.
Before investing time into cleaning it up,
I wanted to give it a good going over. A quick check with the thermocouple showed
that the temperature was out of alignment with the dial. I removed the protective
cover and found the adjustment screw provided for setting the temperature. After
a few iterations of adjusting and measuring, I arrived at a place where the
frypan
would heat up to about 20° degrees above the set point, turn off, then turn
back on about 20° degrees below the set point. Twenty degrees of
hysteresis is pretty good for a mechanical device using bimetal contacts. Once our Sunbeam Model FP−11A electric frypan
had passed the functionality test, I used a wire brush and steel wool to give it
a good cleaning and shining. As the photos show, it is now in nearly like-new condition,
and is used an a regular basis for pancakes, pork chops, and other goodies. A little
butter or grease on the bottom prevents sticking as well as or better than out Teflon-coated
pans. It's definitely a keeper.
Posted July 22, 2023
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