The Luxury of Copper Pots and Pans

There is nothing like cooking with quality copper pots and pans.

Gourmet cooks and those people who just appreciate good quality use copper pots and pans for a variety of reasons.  In terms of functionality, copper conducts heat perhaps the best of any metal used for cookware.  This means that sauté pans maintain an even heat on all parts of the cooking surface, pasta pots bring water to a boil quickly and casseroles cook their contents precisely and evenly.  Copper pots and pans are also quite beautiful and, displayed on a hanging rack, make a showplace out of any kitchen.

Caring For Your Copper Pots and Pans

Quality copper cookware is not maintenance free.  Copper pots and pans need to be polished periodically to keep their sheen.  You can either use commercially-available copper cleaners or a home-made recipe.  A creamy paste made of vinegar and salt is one cleaning solution and there are other solutions for cleaning your copper pots and pans made with similar cupboard-handy ingredients if you search the web.

Copper Pots and Pans Are Not 100% Copper

Although the exterior of good copper pots and pans is copper, the cooking surfaces are always lined with another material, commonly stainless steel, since heated copper will leach harmful chemicals into food.  A stainless steel lining will also add strength to the copper which is inherently a softer metal.  To keep good copper pots and pans from becoming dented or dinged, a hanging rack is recommended for storage as opposed to storing in drawers or cupboards with other cookware.

Good copper pots and pans can be expensive.  The top brands run several hundred dollars or more.  But as with any luxury item, you can usually find cheaper alternatives.

At the higher end, there’s the Matfer 915901 8 Piece Bourgeat Copper Cookware Set.

These heavy duty copper pots and pans are lined with stainless steel.  Pieces included are a 9 1/2 inch casserole, 7 1/4 inch sauce pan with lid, 9 1/2 inch flared saute pan and 11 inch brazier.  Each of the four pans comes with its own lid.  It conducts heat like a charm and it’s easy to clean.

One extremely satisfied owner of the set had this to say, “…It’s expensive but worth every penny.  The quality is evident in the heft and feel of each pot and pan… if you are an accomplished cook, cooking with Bourgeat is like taking a Ferrari to it’s limits on the track.”  Need I say more?

For those looking to dip their toe into the water with copper cookware, the 10-Piece T-Fal Performance Stainless Steel Copper Bottom Cookware is well rated among those who’ve purchased it, but sells for a fraction of the cost.

Although this set is stainless steel construction, it uses copper for the underside bases to provide even heat.  This set includes an eight-inch fry pan, ten and one quarter-inch fry pan, one-quart covered saucepan, two-quart covered saucepan, five-quart covered Dutch oven, a spoon, and a slotted turner.

Comparing the two sets above would be like comparing apples to oranges, but customers who bought the T-Fal set had comments like, “It is a beautiful set of cookware,” and “easy to clean and evenly cooks just as promised.”  It’s important to note that only the pots come with lids.

Don’t see what you’re looking for?  Click here to check out even more copper pots and pans at huge savings.