Question about Copper Cookware

Hey folks,

I have a question which I think (hope?) someone here can answer.

I love copper cookware (one day when I have my own place, I intend to have a set of it with which to do all my own cooking!), and at the local flea-market, there's a guy who sells a lot of antique metalware, including, but not limited to, antique pots, pans, frying pans, skillets, cooking pots, cauldrons etc.

The majority of these are made of copper. But I do have a question. A lot of these are copper on the outside, but lighter coloured within. Similar to this:



My question is - what is this lighter, inside coating? And how was it applied to antique cookware? Is it tin or zinc or what? And why was it necessary?

I'm writing an article about antique copperware & brassware and it occurred to me that I didn't know the answer to this question...

Help, please??

 

Copper will react to acidic foods so it was lined with tin - I think now it is lined with stainless steel. Unlined pots are used in candy making, no reaction when cooking sugar.
You will read that pots need to be relined every 10 years , but I've used some of my copper pots for the last 40 years and the tin lining is fine. I think it just depends on the use and care of them. To me copper is the best for cooking with, they heat evenly, retain their heat and the tin lining prevents sticking. They can go on the stove top, oven and bar-b-que and then to the table.
I've never cooked with any that are lined with stainless so I have no idea how they are for cooking.

 

Hi Cxgirl,

Thanks for the answer! Helps a lot!

I can't wait for the day when I get my own set of copper cookware...

 

I still have Revere ware pots and pans that I got in 1967. They have copper clad bottoms. Indestructable.

 

Excellent info!

 

Ah that Paul guy.....
~
Unfortunately he wasn't in on my last visit to his home.

 

Stainless steel is an alloy and as such does not conduct heat as evenly as the copper and tin.
So copper was put on the bottom of Revere Ware to evenly distribute the heat across the bottom of the pan. Farberware had an aluminum core to evenly heat the bottoms.

Cuisinart cookware is a sandwich of stainless over copper. The copies have aluminum bottoms.

As cx said tin is applied to copper to keep your foods from reacting to the copper.

Sorry had to chime in. Info was gained from my days of working in a housewares dept.

 

I have some of my Moms old copper clad bottom pots & pans.....
I'd have to run them over with a tank to hurt them......and she used them....damn near daily !

 

I have one Revere Ware frying pan that my mom's aunt bought before 1955. (she died that year, so it had to be earlier) The handle shows nicks and scratches, but the pan works as well as ever. It'll probably outlive me. The modern stuff from that brand is junk, but the old ones are wonderful. I generally use a Sitram skillet I picked up for cheap instead, because it hangs off a hook by the stove. The other weapon of choice is a cast iron skillet with a half worn-off Griswold mark. It's older than dirt; blame great-grandpa for that one. Still works like a charm.

 

HA HA!!!! I scored my Dad's Cuisinart set of cookware!!!! Lucky for me the brothers didn't want it.....or maybe I just TOOK IT!!!!! Either way, it's MINE, MINE, MINE!!!!!!!!!!

 

The third variety to be aware of (besides tinned and stainless steel interiors) is copper plated aluminium - these are much lighter in weight although they look similar. The only way to really get to know copper pans - and to tell good from inferior - is to handle them; I've done a LOT of that as I live not far from the famous French town of Villedieu-les-Poêles (loosely translates as "God's town of the frying pans"...). The thickness of the pan walls is another pointer - 2mm or 2.5mm is professional quality.