Copper bottom cookware

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numbr1flip

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
2
i just purchased a copper bottom cookware set by tools of the trade from macy's and when i looked at the help cards that came in the box it talks a lot about electric range tops. Is copper bottom cookware not to be used on gas stove tops?
 
Yes,you can use them on gas, however, depending on the flame, the bottom can get soot on it and generally people who buy copper pans dont want them discolored. This can be avoided by cleaning the bottom of the pan thoroughly afetr each use...Gas in my opinion is the best cooking medium
 
If you're getting soot on the bottom of your copper pans, or any other pans for that matter, your gas flame is badly misadjusted. Copper will oxidize to a mottled brown on a gas flame. Some people don't like this and they are probably not good candidates for copper cookware (unless they can afford a full time scullery person). But many serious cooks prefer copper to any other material for pans and don't bother trying to keep them looking new.
 
Macy's doesn't give a lot of information about this cookware other than very minimal specs and that this brand is only available at Macy's.

From looking at the pictures, and what little info they provide, it appears to be single-ply 18/10 Stainless Steel cookware with an encapsulated bottom of an aluminum core and copper on the outside.

Copper cookware was used over wood fires before wood stoves, before gas stoves, before electric stoves. It will work on any stove. The only problem might be with some induction glass cooktops.

What specfically did it say about electric stoves?

Copper will oxidize and tarnish with time and use. I keep the copper trim on my cookware bright and shiney using a past of Barkeeper's Friend and water, you can also use a copper cleaner, or even a paste of lemon juice and salt.
 
I have some stainless steel pans with copper bottom. And as Michael writes...copper does tarnish and I also use the Barkeeper's Polish I buy at
Wal Mart. Usually needs to be done following each use. (if you want to keep the shine).
 
One more thing about copper bottom pans. DO NOT USE ON HIGH HEAT!!! The fumes will make you feel like you have the worst flu of your life :sick:
 
I had Revere for decades, and I learned on it. Never had a problem with too high heat. I used it on many gas top stoves. Where it didn't do well (and both Mom and I wound up replacing it) was smooth top electric stoves. I don't think it was because of the copper, per se, but because the pans were not flat enough on the bottom to get good contact with the glass burners. So I bought some Sitram (which has quite heavy, very flat bottoms) and gave the half the Revere to a cousin, the other half to a neighbor (both with gas stoves) where they are living happily ever after. Of course the other downside of copper is the cleaning. It is a bear even on an old-fashioned electric stove, but the flame of a gas stove is a killer for the copper. Oh, it comes clean, but the daily maintenance is more than I'd willingly take on again.
 
Solid copper cleans easily with bar keepers, revere, copper brill, salt and vinegar, or any other copper cleaner/polish. Copper bottoms, usually a thin layer over aluminum or steel, can be more delicate and difficult to clean. But kept clean regularly, they will remain bright and shiny.

Copper discolors from heat. So low heat may show almost no discoloring, and high heat may make the pan bottom quite interesting looking. Eventually it will turn a dark penny brown. Kept clean and free from grease, the color is of no issue. But most of us like bright shinny copper.

The belief that keeping copper clean is hard work really isn't true. Whether you use anodized, stainless or copper, your pans need to be clean and free of grease and carbon. Stainless can discolor too and needs polishing.

Raw aluminum and cast iron, and carbon steel need the oil and carbon build up, so cleaning is easy but they require steps to maintain seasoning.

None of this is hard. But every kind of cookware has its best purposes and methods of care.

Back to copper-keep it clean regularly, and you'll have no problem.
 
And I thought I knew everything there was to know about pots and pans.
 
I inherited a set of hand-me-down copper bottom pots and pans from my mother, but I never cared for them. They took extra time to keep clean, and I never felt their even-heat quality was as good as claimed.

Now, I prefer the Wearever extra thick aluminum bottom pots. The heavy bottoms look as if they have been welded on seperately, and I can tell that I get an even heating across them.
 
stainless steel copper bottom frying pan

I like to know is after washing the frying pan. Why does a oil residue appear after about an hour or so? How to prevent it from happening again?
 
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