Copper Pots And Pans: Worth The Hype?

Copper pots and pans are beautiful, functional, and beloved by professional chefs. But are they worth the price tag?

Copper is a highly conductive metal that's responsive to heat changes. It heats up very quickly and evenly, making it perfect for cooking delicate foods that require steady heat and precise temperature control, like fish, sauces, caramels, and emulsions. Copper also cools down quickly, which is why it's a favourite among candy makers and chocolatiers.

However, copper is high maintenance. It requires handwashing and frequent polishing to prevent oxidisation and tarnishing. Copper cookware is also expensive. A single pot typically starts at $100, and a full set can easily set you back thousands.

So, are copper pots and pans worth it? If you have the budget, the time, and the willingness to care for them, then yes, they are a worthwhile investment. But if you're looking for low-maintenance, dishwasher-safe cookware, you might want to stick with anodized aluminium or stainless steel.

Copper pots and pans are good for cooking delicate foods like fish and sauces

Copper pots and pans are a great choice for cooking delicate foods like fish and sauces. Here's why:

Copper is an excellent conductor of heat, which means it heats up quickly and evenly. This is ideal for cooking delicate foods that require precise temperature control. Its responsiveness to heat adjustments means you can prevent sauces from breaking or fish from overcooking by quickly lowering the temperature. Copper's even heat distribution ensures your food cooks uniformly, resulting in consistent sauces and perfectly cooked fish.

Another benefit of copper cookware is its ability to recover heat swiftly after the temperature has been altered. This is especially useful when adding liquids or ingredients to the pan, maintaining the desired cooking temperature. Copper's responsiveness and heat retention make it a top choice for chefs and a valuable addition to any kitchen.

While copper is a reactive metal, modern copper cookware is usually lined with non-reactive metals like stainless steel or tin. This lining prevents copper from leaching into food, ensuring safe and toxin-free cooking. These linings also create a smooth cooking surface, although they require careful maintenance to prevent scratching and ensure longevity.

Copper cookware is an investment. It is more expensive than other options, but with proper care, it can last for generations. If you're passionate about cooking and want the best tools for the job, copper pots and pans are an excellent choice, especially for delicate dishes.

Copper is a great conductor of heat

Copper heats up very quickly, so there's no need to preheat it like you would with cast iron. In fact, it is recommended that you do not heat an empty copper pan. Copper is the only metal where you should have something in the pan and be ready to go before you start cooking. Because of its heat-conducting properties, copper also heats up evenly, so you don't have to worry about hot spots.

Copper is also highly responsive to heat changes. This means that it not only heats up quickly but also cools down just as fast. This is a highly desirable feature when cooking delicate sauces like béarnaise or hollandaise, as it allows you to quickly lower the heat and prevent the sauce from breaking. Similarly, when searing a steak, you can start with high heat to get a good crust and then lower the temperature to cook the inside to your desired doneness, keeping the meat with a crispy crust and a tender centre.

Copper also distributes heat without hot and cold spots, from the centre all the way to the edges. This ensures that your food cooks evenly, resulting in consistent sauces, well-prepared meats, golden brown pancakes, and rice dishes that don't suffer from localized burning. Copper cookware is also great on a gas stove as it quickly absorbs the heat from the flame and distributes it evenly across the cooking surface.

Another advantage of copper cookware is its rapid heat recovery after the temperature has been altered, especially after pouring liquids or adding ingredients to the pan. This is quite necessary for recipes that demand precise timing and excellent temperature control. For example, if you add cold chicken thighs to a hot pan and the pan is slow to recover its temperature, you may end up with steamed chicken instead of a golden brown sear.

Copper is naturally antimicrobial

The use of copper as an antimicrobial agent has a long history. The Smith Papyrus, one of the oldest books known, describes the use of copper to sterilize chest wounds and drinking water. Copper was also used to treat various ailments in ancient civilisations, including headaches, burns, intestinal worms, and ear infections. In the 19th century, copper's medicinal properties became more widely recognised when copper workers in Paris appeared to be immune to cholera outbreaks.

Today, copper is still recognised as an effective antimicrobial agent. In February 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the registration of 275 antimicrobial copper alloys, a number that expanded to 355 by April 2011. This approval was based on extensive antimicrobial efficacy testing, which showed that when cleaned regularly, copper, brass, and bronze kill greater than 99.9% of harmful bacteria within 2 hours of exposure.

The antimicrobial properties of copper have been further demonstrated in healthcare settings. Studies in hospital intensive care units have shown that using copper alloy on frequently touched surfaces can reduce the number of live bacteria by up to 90%. This includes surfaces such as bed rails, chair arms, door handles, and taps. Copper alloys are now being used in various settings worldwide, including airports, trains, and restaurant kitchens, to help reduce the spread of germs.

Copper is high maintenance and requires handwashing

Copper cookware is an investment. It is high maintenance and requires handwashing and frequent polishing to prevent oxidization and tarnishing. Copper is a naturally occurring, highly conductive metal that is very responsive to heat changes. It is twice as conductive as aluminium and 10 times more conductive than stainless steel. This makes it perfect for cooking foods that require steady heat and precise temperature control, like a high sear or quick simmer. It is also great for cooking delicate proteins and sauces that are prone to breaking.

Copper is also naturally antimicrobial. The surface does not allow germs and bacteria to survive. However, because copper is a reactive metal, most copper cookware is lined with a non-reactive metal. Copper will have a chemical reaction to what you are cooking, causing a metallic flavour to leach into your food. For this reason, it is important to know what your copper cookware is lined with. If you are working with newer pieces, it will likely be lined with stainless steel, which is sturdy and can withstand more abrasive utensils and cleaning materials. If you are purchasing older, used copper pieces, you might be dealing with a softer metal lining like tin. Tin gives your copper a great, non-stick surface to work with, but it has a few drawbacks. It has a melting point of around 450 °F, which is another reason why you shouldn’t use too much heat. Tin is also easily scratched and chipped with metal utensils and harsh scrub brushes.

To clean copper cookware, you should wash the inside and outside of the pot or pan with your normal dish soap and a sponge, then rinse it with warm water and dry it fully with a soft cloth. Avoid abrasive sponges and don't scrub too hard, or you'll risk damaging the copper. You can also make a DIY polish with baking soda and lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Simply mix the ingredients in a small bowl until it forms a paste, then add a generous coat of the paste to the outside of your copper pot. You can use your fingers or a cloth to do so. Then, with a clean and dry microfiber cloth, buff the entirety of the pot's exterior gently but firmly in a circular motion. The baking soda or salt are mildly abrasive but won't damage your cookware, while the acid from lemon and vinegar can cut through tarnish. Once you've buffed the cookware, rinse the paste off with warm water and dry the pot thoroughly with a soft cloth.

Copper cookware is an investment piece

Copper heats up very quickly, so there is no need to preheat it like cast iron. In fact, it is recommended that you do not heat an empty copper pan. Copper also heats up evenly, so you don't have to worry about hot spots. Because copper cools down quickly, it is the perfect material for making sweets and delicate proteins such as fish and sauces.

Copper is a reactive metal, so most copper cookware is lined with a non-reactive metal. Tin is the traditional lining for copper cookware because it is malleable, mostly non-stick, and doesn't react with acidic foods. Stainless steel is another option for lining copper cookware, providing extra durability. Copper cookware is high maintenance and requires handwashing and frequent polishing to prevent oxidisation.

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