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During my lifetime, there have been several types of new cookware that claimed to be improvements — stainless steel, aluminum, “clad” cookware of different layers of metal, glass and ceramics, and, worst of all, nonstick coatings. But the truth is that the last word in cookware was spoken thousands of years ago.
Glass and ceramics I would keep. Iron and copper are the very best. People have been using copper cookware for thousands of years. Iron cookware came later, because working with iron required a higher temperature. So iron cookware goes back only to the Iron Age.
The classic copper cookware of the type we use today came about in the late 18th into the 19th centuries. You’ve seen it in the kitchens of those British period pieces, where there is a huge array of it and its all perfectly polished. It has always been expensive.
I bought the 2.5 quart copper saucepan on eBay five years ago. I use it almost every day. That saucepan and my largest iron skillet are the two pieces of cookware that I use most, by far.
The hand-hammered copper saucepan was made in Villedieu, France. The hammering is not just for appearance. It actually strengthens the copper and helps it hold its shape. I looked at my eBay history at saw that I paid $186.84 for the saucepan. That’s a lot for a used pot. But I don’t regret a penny of it.
Normally the saucepan is tarnished and stained. But I cleaned it and polished it this morning before I made a portrait of it. I used Bar Keepers Friend and then silver polish. The magical ingredient in Bar Keepers Friend is oxalic acid. Everyone should have some of that stuff stored under the sink.
Copper is a superb conductor of heat. Copper cookware, though, should be lined with tin, because tin is far more inert that copper. The tin, unfortunately, is not as durable as the copper. So frequently used copper vessels need to be re-tinned after some years are use. There are still a couple of places in the U.S. that do that work. You mail them your pot, and they re-tin it and polish it and mail it back to you. When shopping for used copper pots, the condition of the tin is an important factor.
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